Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Taking care of your soul”
Our Bible verse for today: “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Spiritual formation occurs over time as a result of soul-care”
In Luke 2:52 Luke gives us a very brief summary of Jesus’ growing-up years. Over a period of years He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with men. It didn’t happen over night. Not even for Jesus. It was a process that unfolded as the weeks, months, and years passed. It certainly involved physical growth, but also emotional maturity, intellectual growth, and spiritual development. We usually don’t think of Jesus as having needed those things but this verse reminds us that although He was God, He was God in a human body, and he therefore experienced everything we experience. That includes the necessity of growth and development.
When it comes to spiritual formation and soul-care, what was true for Jesus is also true for us. It takes time. It’s a process which theologians call “sanctification”. Sanctification is a fifty-cent theological word which simply means “set-apart and made holy”. That’s what we are to be – set-apart and made holy for God. In one sense, Scripture teaches that we are set-apart and made holy for God in the moment of conversion. 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:11, and Ephesians 5:25-26 are all passages which teach that sanctification is something which we already have because we are “in Christ”.
But the New Testament also describes the spiritual formation of sanctification as an ongoing process which is to be pursued by us. Ephesians 1:4, Philippians 3:12 and Hebrews 12:14 all illustrate this ongoing process.
The lesson is clear that although at the moment of conversion we are set-apart and made holy for God, we are to then embark on a life of spiritual growth and transformation – and that requires cooperation and participation on our parts. Just as the human Jesus grew and developed and transformed physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually over time, so must we.
Author Eugene Peterson once referred to the basic spiritual disciplines of the Christian life as “a long obedience in the same direction”. In a variety of ways each day we obediently place ourselves in a position before the Lord whereby He can mold us and shape us into the people He wants us to be. Our obedience in these essential practices, over a long period of time, takes our soul in the direction it needs to go in terms of growth and development.
Spiritual development occurs over time as a result of taking proper care of our soul. If you don’t already have those practices in place in your life, I encourage you to begin today.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 