GROWING

For many people at the time, it must have seemed like Jesus turned up out of the blue. He rocked up with everyone else and was baptised by John the Baptist. But when He came out of the water, He heard His Father say, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (LUKE 3:22). What had Jesus been doing that pleased God the Father so much? He had not yet done a single miracle; He had not preached a single sermon; He had not healed one leper. In fact, it seemed like He hadn’t done anything to really stand out. What had He been doing in Nazareth during those thirty silent years? He was growing “in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men” (2:52). What’s done in the quiet place with God is what matters. It’s in the personal hours with God that we’re shaped and moulded and made into people He can use—people He is well-pleased with because of all Jesus went on to do for us. You might be thinking, I’m in a place where I can’t be useful. You may feel too small, too quiet, too weak, too slow, too overwhelmed. But your place, wherever it is, is a place to grow. Spend time reading the Bible and talking with God. Grow where you are, and your Father will be pleased with you—and will use you for His great plans.