A Balanced Life Series

Even as a pastor, I needed the involvement of other godly people to help my children fully develop into well rounded Christ followers. And I am grateful to the Sunday School teachers and youth pastors and coaches and public school teachers who have all played a role in the overall development of their lives.

We also see that even after this event at the temple in Jerusalem that Jesus returned to the home of Mary and Joseph and willingly submitted to their authority in the household. That’s pretty amazing to me! As we’ve seen, by this time Jesus recognizes, at least to some extent, that He is the Son of God, and yet He chooses not to lord that over His earthly parents, but rather to follow the Biblical pattern of submission to their authority.

Jesus clearly understood the importance of connecting with others in the process of developing a balanced life. So that’s one reason I’m really puzzled by those who claim to be Christians who believe that they can somehow grow into spiritual maturity without being part of a local body of believers – those who I often refer to as “Lone Ranger” Christians. These words from the writer of the Proverbs are particularly relevant here.

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another

Proverbs 27:17 (ESV)

Just like my knives at home can only be sharpened by bringing them into contact with another piece of metal that is equally hard, I am only going to be sharpened practically, physically, spiritually and socially as I allow other godly people to be that iron that files away some of those rough edges in my life.

Once again, let’s take a few moments to begin to implement this principle right here. Go ahead and find two or three other people around you and spend a few minutes just thanking God for the other godly people that He has brought into your life. Then Loren Hawthorne will come and pray publically for all of us.

[Prayer time]

• Continue the process

It’s interesting that in his account of the life of Jesus, Luke reveals the natural process of growth in the life of Jesus with the words he uses to describe the various stages of life:

And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger.

Luke 2:16 (ESV)

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.

Luke 2:40 (ESV)

And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.

Luke 2:43 (ESV)

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.

Luke 2:52 (ESV)

In less than one chapter we see Jesus grow from a newborn baby in a manger into a 30 year old man ready to carry out God’s plan for His earthly ministry. The fact that Jesus needed to go through this entire process is really instructive to us. In a world where we have instant everything, we expect our spiritual progress to be more like a microwave than a crock pot. But if God incarnate needed 30 years of consistent development in order to be prepared for the ministry God had entrusted to Him, why do we think that we can somehow skip the process in our lives?