In writing the devotions for this week, I have struggled with connecting spiritual growth to the phrase, "And Jesus grew . . . in favor with God." My problem has not been believing it, but understanding it fully. How did Jesus grow in favor with God? He had existed with God for all time and was God's son. My husband and I talked about this and one answer we agreed on was that God was pleased with the obedience of Jesus. God knew the only way for us to be saved was for a sacrifice to be made that would prove God's love for us. Jesus willingly became the needed sacrifice and was obedient to follow God's plan completely. His obedience pleased God. ". . . And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."
It is similar to the obedience of our children. Have you ever asked your child to do something and they obeyed immediately, without fuss or question? Wow, what a feeling! It does not make you love them anymore, when they are obedient, but it 'pleases' you. That must be what God felt at the continued and faithful obedience of Jesus.
We will grow spiritually when we are obedient to God's word. It is a reward to me to know that I am pleasing God when I read, study and obey His word.
Faith is something we have in our heart and it is invisible to others. Obedience can be observed, which makes it the only possible evidence that in our hearts we truly believe God. Obedience is the physical action supporting our faith.
"For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous." (Romans 5:19)