“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people. For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah).” Luke 2,10-11 (AMP) |
From the opening Scripture, we see how an angel of the lord announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds who were watching over their flock at night. Even though Jesus was a newborn baby, He was called a Savior, He was Christ the Lord. This is the beauty with God: He sees the end at the beginning and He addresses us as so; as the “end product”.
“No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.” (Genesis 17,5 NKJV). Abraham’s name used to be Abram. From being called 'exalted father' to 'father of multitudes'.
As a child of God, whenever you read the Bible and you see the wonderful attributes and blessings of the righteous, you are seeing yourself. For God has given you His righteousness as a gift because of faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3,22-24).
“Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” Luke 13,18-19(NKJV) |
Coming back to the story of Jesus, the Bible tells how Jesus grew:
“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” Luke 2,52 (NLT)
On earth, Jesus laid down the privileges of being God. By becoming fully human, He became limited to some degree. Jesus accepted the process of growing, thereby showing us the way things work.
Some versions of the Bible use the word ‘increased’ for ‘grew’; Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, He increased in favor with God and men.
If you’ve been walking with the Lord, there is certainly growth and increase in your life (in the many aspects of life). Never be discouraged when you don’t physically see a "large tree". You are growing and God sees you as a large tree already. Rejoice in the fact that it’s God who gives the increase and He increases you everyday.
“The way of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, which shines ever brighter until the full light of day.” Proverbs 4,18(NLT) |