The theme of “growing up” kind of developed this morning as I worked my way through my readings. There’s something really cute about a kid being a kid . . . but take those same kid behaviors coming from an adult and it doesn’t seem quite right . . . it isn’t so attractive . . . in fact, it’s somewhat tragic. We were wired to grow up . . . to mature . . . to progress from infancy, through childhood, into adults.

In Luke 2 I read of the baby Jesus going to the temple with his parents after His birth to be presented to the Lord (2:22). As amazing as the baby Jesus was . . . as awe-inspiring as the thought of God being packaged in such frail human packaging is, had Jesus not grown up, He could not have fulfilled the Father’s will. And so you read a little later in Luke 2 that “the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him . . . And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luke 2:40,52)

Jesus grew up. As perfect Man He experienced the normative experience of all men . . . physically maturing . . . intellectually maturing . . . spiritually maturing. Though He created the maturing process, somehow He learned it in a new way through His firsthand experience. That’s how mankind was created . . . intended to go from infancy to adulthood . . . to move beyond childish things and onto things of maturity . . . to grow up.

What really brought this home was Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians, ” . . . that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head — Christ . . . ” (Eph. 4:14-15).

I’m reminded that the day I was saved was really more of a “starting point” than a “final outcome.” Not that there’s more to be done to secure my salvation or anything that I can add to merit His un-merited favor . . . that work was completed in full through the death and resurrection of Christ . . . I am no more “saved” today than I was 30+ years ago when I first believed. But while salvation’s work is complete, it was a re-birth . . . and God’s order is that birth, even re-birth, should result in growth and maturity.

I’m also reminded that I’m not left to my own abilities to ensure my growth. Mine is to pursue the things of God . . . His is to reveal them. Mine is to feed on the word of God . . . He will take those “nutrients” and “bulk out” the inner man. Mine is to recognize that God has wired the church to be a body which, when each member is doing their part, results in the growth of each member as the body builds itself up in love (4:16). Mine is to desire and maturity . . . He then will work with that desire and, through His grace, cause me to increase in spiritual wisdom and strength.

And Paul says that this maturing will be an on-going process until “we all come to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (4:13). I’m not there yet . . . but I’m more there today than I was when I was first saved. I’ve got a long way to go to know “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” . . . but, by His grace, I know some measure of that measure.

I want to be like Jesus . . . growing and becoming strong in spirit . . . filled with wisdom . . . knowing the grace of God as I increase in spiritual stature. O’ that I might grow up for His glory . . . amen!