Jesus Our Role Model - Jesus and Spiritual Wisdom (Daily Devotional)

Greetings and it's a joy to be able to come to you this week to spend some time with you each day in the word of God and in prayer. This of course is Christmas week and it's time in all over the world people turn their attention to think about the coming of Jesus Christ into this world 2000 years ago. This week, we want to do something different. We want to focus on Jesus but not look necessarily at His birth but look at Jesus as our role model. One of the reasons the Lord Jesus came into this world, of course the primary reason is for Him to die for our sins to be our savior. But among those reasons, one of the reasons is He came to set for us the model by which we have to live our lives on the earth. The Bible talks about this is in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 47 to 49, it talks about the first man Adam, it also talks about the second man who is the Lord from heaven. We were all made like Adam, but the Bible also says that this heavenly man, the Lord from heaven, we are also to bear the image of the heavenly. So, in Adam, we inherit certain characteristics, we are part of that human race, but God also wants us to bear the image of the heavenly man, this second man whom He set on the earth which is the Lord Jesus Christ. So, if you want to think about it like this there are two prototypes that God placed on the earth. First was Adam and then there was the second man, the Lord from heaven. We all have borne the image of the first man and it has been corrupted because of sin, but through redemption we have the opportunity to become like the second man that is the Lord from heaven. And God's plan for us is for us to be conformed to the image of His son Jesus Christ and that's what I want us to focus on this week. As we think about the coming of the Lord Jesus, let's look at it from this perspective that this Jesus, the second man, is our prototype, He is our role model and we are to grow into that same image. We just want to talk about seven different characteristics or areas that we want to grow into that we should pursue growing into. Today, we want to talk about the fact that Jesus grew in spiritual wisdom and so must we. We read about this in Luke chapter 2, verses 46 to 47 and also in verse 52. We see early on in the life of Jesus how at the age of 12, he was taken into the temple. Jesus engaged the scholars, the teachers, He was listening to them and He was asking them questions. And the Bible says those who heard Him, they were astonished at His understanding and His answers. And verse 52 tells us that Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and favor with God and man. So, we see in the life of Jesus that He pursued spiritual understanding and spiritual wisdom. Part of it was how He received from the Father. Isaiah the prophet as he foretold and spoke ahead about Jesus, he said this in Isaiah chapter 50, verses 4 and 5, ‘that morning by morning He would wake up and His ears would be open to listen to the Father and that's how He gained and grew in wisdom.’ So, the first model or example we want to follow concerning Jesus is to pursue spiritual wisdom, to pursue growing spiritually as we seek the Father, as you read the word of God and listen to the Father speak to us. So can you in your own journey with God make this a priority to pursue spiritual wisdom and understanding, wanting to know God more, wanting to know His ways and His thoughts and learn from the Father diligently even as Jesus did in His earthly life. Let's pray together, Father, we thank you that the Lord Jesus is our role model. He is the heavenly man whose image we are to grow into and bear. We ask that you help us follow His example and to pursue spiritual understanding and to grow in our knowledge of spiritual things. Empower us by your Spirit, in Jesus' name, Amen.

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