7 August; Luke 2

7 August; Luke 2

One of my favourite verse Luke 2:52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and in statue and in favour with God and man.
How Jesus grew in spelled out in chapter 2 and summaries in verse 52.
From verse 1 - 21 is about God at work. How the birth place of Jesus is orchestrate to be at the city of David or  Bethlehem.
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
(Luke 2:1-4 ESV)
The birth of Jesus was foretold in the OT, Saviour would be a human (Gen 3:15, Heb 2:16), and a Jew, (Gen 12:1–3; Num 24:17), from the tribe of Judah (Gen 49:10), and the family of David (2 Sam 7:1–17), born of a virgin (Isa 7:14) in Bethlehem, the city of David (Mic 5:2).
so in the same way, our birth is for God purposes. Likewise the birth of Jo, Deb and Mat are from God. their name like Jesus was given by God. I pray for them that they will live up to the intend of God.

The second is man at work. Jesus was taken care of up 2 godly parents Joseph and Mary. Evidence from Luke 2 showed that Joseph and Mary knows the matter of God, the law and the traditions.

 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
(Luke 2:22-24 ESV)

As parent, the birth of my children needs the godly direction from us. I pray that as parent, we will bring out the God fearing element in them. That we will teach them in the way of God and show them who God is.

Lastly, I pray for them to grow in God by the way of man - themselves.

 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.
(Luke 2:46-47 ESV)

Like Jesus who sit among the teachers of the law and learn about God.

I shared with Jo, this morning the purposes of growing holistically in wisdom (academic, competent), in stature (health and physically), in favour with God (spiritual) and with man (relationship). The circle will grow in proportion.