Most of us long for personal growth and spiritual growth. Often, those two areas can overlap. If we want to grow, there are a few areas of life where we need to invest time and effort to make growth possible.
Luke’s Gospel gives us a brief glimpse into the childhood of Jesus when he tells of Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12. It’s an interesting snapshot of the childhood of Jesus, and helps us understand his purpose here on earth. But then Luke makes a brief statement that we can kind of overlook as just a summary of Jesus’ early life. If we look closer, this statement actually gives us four key areas in which Jesus was intentional about his growth, and we can follow that example in our own lives.
In Luke 2:52, we read, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.”
In one sense, that is exactly what we assume it to be: a summary of the life of Jesus between the age of twelve and the start of his public ministry. But a deeper look shows us four key areas of growth that we can pursue in our own lives, just as Jesus did. When we invest in these four areas, growth will follow.
The first area that Luke highlights is the area of wisdom. This is a critically important investment in our lives. And one that we need to be very intentional about pursuing.
Wisdom is more than just smarts, although that definitely can contribute. Intellectual knowledge is a beginning, but wisdom goes beyond that to insight and understanding. Wisdom is taking the knowledge we have and applying it to our life situations. Wisdom is being able to see how the world operates, how and why people act in the way that they do, and being able to respond appropriately in light of those insights. Wisdom is studying not just books, but life, and growing in mental intelligence, emotional intelligence, and relational intelligence.
There are a few key ways I think wisdom can be an investment.
Study God’s Word
First of all, wisdom is to be found in the study and application of Scripture. The writer of Proverbs encourages us to invest in wisdom in several places. In Proverbs 3:13-18, he writes, “Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding.” He goes on to describe some of the benefits to be gained from such an investment. In the next chapter, in verse 5, he adds to that by saying, “Get wisdom; get insight.”
How do we get such wisdom? He explained in the passage right before this command: “Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments, and live.” Wisdom is to be found by pouring time and effort into reading and studying God’s Word.
Read And Study Other Topics
Another way to invest in wisdom is by reading and studying other things that will help make you smarter. One of my favorite topics to read about is the subject of leadership. The more I read, the more I learn, and the smarter I grow in this area of my life and ministry. Other resources can help, too, such as podcasts, videos and more. But don’t just read it and then forget it. Take time to reflect on what you’ve learned. One way I do this is by copying key insights from the books I read into a journal or document on my computer. This is helpful in two ways: First, writing helps me to really grab hold of the concept and strengthens the lesson in my mind. And second, saving it digitally allows me to be able to search for and find it a lot easier when I need to refer back to it later.
Watch the Lives of Others
A third way to invest is simply by watching the lives of those I respect. These may be people I know personally, or people I don’t, such as authors or other leaders. Those character qualities that are admirable, I seek to emulate in my own life. This is wisdom in practice.
Practice What I’ve Learned
A fourth way to invest is to put into practice what I have learned. This may be a positive step, applying a new skill or instilling a new thought into my life. Or it could be more from the negative side of things, such as becoming aware of a blind spot in my life and taking steps to counteract it and overcome it. Paul encourages his readers to do this in Philippians 4:8-9.
Accountability
Finally, invest in accountability. Share how you’re growing with a few key people. Share how you struggle as well. They can help you take steps to become more of the person you desire to be, and the person God created you to be.
There may be other areas you choose to invest in as you seek to grow in wisdom, but these are a few that might help you get started. But one thing is for sure: growth rarely happens by accident. We have to be intentional in pursuing and investing in our growth in order for it to happen. We have to pursue it.
An old proverb states that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now. It’s the same with investing in our growth. Don’t worry about time that has passed. Start now, and start growing. You’ll soon see progress, and you’ll build habits that will last the rest of your lifetime.
Question: How do you invest in wisdom in your life? What kinds of things do you pursue? You can leave a comment by clicking here.