“And the Child continued to grow and become strong [in spirit], filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor, spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.” – Luke 2:40, AMP

When looking at the life of Jesus, we often jump straight from his birth in Bethlehem to His public ministry in Jerusalem.

We see the baby in Mary’s arms, and then suddenly we encounter the Miracle Worker.

But there is a hidden window in the Gospel of Luke that offers us a profound blueprint for our own walk with God.

Our meditation today reveals something profound about the three decades in between: “And Jesus Christ continued to grow and become strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”

Think about that. Even the Son of God didn’t bypass the process of growth.

In His humanity, He moved through stages of development: physically, mentally, and spiritually.

He learned. He practiced. He increased.

If the Master, the Son of God, had a growth mandate, how much more do we?

Here’s the hard truth: there is no ‘neutral’ in the Christian life.

If you aren’t moving forward, you’re drifting backward!

Too many of us treat salvation like a finish line – “I accepted Christ, now I’m good.”

We’re even sometimes tempted to think that we already know enough, that we’ve already ‘arrived.’

But Scripture paints a different picture.

Our walk with God is a lifelong journey of transformation through incremental growth.

So, what does biblical growth actually look like?

First, it’s continuous. Notice the verse says Jesus continued to grow.

This wasn’t an occasional weekend retreat experience or a single spiritual high on a prayer mountain every January 31.

It was steady, daily, line-upon-line progress.

Growth happens in the soil of unending consistency – studying God’s Word when you don’t feel like it, praying when the heavens seem silent, showing up for fellowship even when it’s messy.

So, are you continuing to grow, or you’ve settled into a spiritual comfort zone?

Second, He continued to become strong in spirit.

“Strong in spirit” – not merely in physical muscles, but in virtue, character and moral resilience.

This is the strength to say ‘no’ to temptation and ‘yes’ to God’s will, even when it costs you dearly.

It’s what keeps you standing when storms hit.

And here’s the beauty: this strength isn’t something you muster up on your own.

It’s cultivated through dependency, through prayer, through abiding in Christ, through refusing to let trials crush your faith.

Third, it fills you with spiritual wisdom.

Being filled with wisdom means more than knowing Bible verses.

Our challenge is to follow Him into purposeful, grace-filled growth.

It’s the ability to apply God’s truth to real life – knowing when to speak and when to listen, dealing with uncomfortable conversations, living and working with difficult people.

Wisdom is what transforms information/knowledge into transformation.

It comes from seeking God earnestly and learning from both your victories and your failures.

Finally, it attracts God’s grace. The verse tells us, “The grace of God was upon Him.”

When you commit growing, you discover that a special kind of grace keeps meeting you at every new level.

His favor and grace rest on a life yielded to Him, not as a reward for effort, but as the atmosphere for surrender.

Friends, God didn’t merely save us from something; He saved us for something – to be transformed and conformed into the image of His Son.

It could take a lifetime, but don’t be discouraged if progress feels slow.

Even the tallest cedar started as a seed. The key is to continue.

This week, ask yourself: Am I stronger in faith today than I was a year ago?

Is God’s grace increasingly becoming evident in how I serve?

Jesus modeled the path. He continued.

Our challenge is to follow Him into purposeful, grace-filled growth.