We really have a different week, don't we. In the middle of this week, we will be able to start a new year and make lots of New Year's resolutions. Right? I don't think so. There was a Gallup poll in USA Today, which showed that only 46% of people polled made a resolution at the beginning of a New Year. The top three resolutions were to, lose weight, make financial goals, and stop smoking, and only 16% of the people were able to keep them permanently.
So, I propose that we make a resolution to never make another resolution. Let's just take a good look at our lives and make an evaluation of areas in which we might need to grow. Luke 2:52 says, "Jesus grew . . . ," and I want to focus on growing in the same areas that He did.
Look at the verse again. There are four areas of growth listed in the life of Jesus. I want to use these to help us focus on ways we may need to grow. The first area is wisdom, which we will call educational or mental growth. The second is stature, and it will be referred to as physical growth. "In favor with God and men . . . ," refers to relationships with God, spiritual growth, and men, emotional or social growth.
I looked up "grow" in the dictionary. My favorite part of the definition was, "to flourish, increase, or thrive." Let's apply this definition to the areas of growth we have targeted.
Resolutions are usually changes that we intend to make and changes can be temporary. Growth is something that is permanent. Join me each day this week as we ". . . grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." (2 Peter 3:l8)