BBD 09.22.04 Growing Up
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>
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The Burning Bush Devotional
(Over 13,000 subscribers in 75 countries)
09.22.04
Growing Up
“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and
men.” - Luke 2:52.
The Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey, a study by Harvard
University, has found that “religiously active people are more likely to be
viewed as good citizens and have a more diverse circle of friends than their
non-religious neighbors.” Seventy-one percent of those surveyed were found
to trust people at church, which compares to 52 percent, who would trust
their co-workers.
As we look at the life of Jesus we see the good citizenship, the
trustworthiness in his development. From age 12 to the beginning of Jesus’
ministry there is silence about the events of His life. However, Luke 2:52
really is a summary of what we can surmise about this time period. Jesus was
trained to be a carpenter by his stepfather, Joseph. Most likely Joseph died
during this time and Jesus became the head of the household being the oldest
of the children. Humanly, Jesus was a hardworking, responsible, trustworthy
and wise individual and was growing more so all the time.
If we are to follow the example of our Lord, we too will be hardworking,
responsible, trustworthy, and wise. Let us as Jesus did “increase
(increased) in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
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