JESUS - OUR PERFECT STANDARD
Luke 2:52 (ESV)
"And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man"
Having a human body, Jesus was born, he grew, he thirsted, he hungered, he wept, he slept, he sweated, he bled, and he died. Jesus did not simply emerge from heaven preaching the kingdom. He learned to latch and crawl, to walk and talk. Perhaps he broke a finger or hurt his nail working in the carpentry workshop. He got sick faced all human challenges and learned social graces and worked as a laborer in relative obscurity more in adult life.

 All four Gospels reveal his three year ministry to the final day of his life on earth. But what was the Son of God doing most of his earthly life? He was growing. What did he do for three decades between his celebrated birth and his anointed ministry? He walked the ordinary path of basic human growth and development. Jesus grew in all aspects of life
1- Wisdom
This is the ability to use knowledge, insight and experience to make the rightful decision or perform the right action. True wisdom only comes from God (Proverbs 2:6) To advance in wisdom is to grow intellectually or mentally. Wisdom is the quality of being wise; the power of judging rightfully and following the soundest course of action based on knowledge, experience, understanding. 
In the book The Person of Christ by Donald Macleod says; “He was born with the mental equipment of a normal child, experienced the usual stimuli and went through the ordinary process of intellectual development” 
Jesus grew in wisdom like any other human. By age 12, he was filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40). Jesus learned from the Scriptures and from his mother, in community and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and he increased in wisdom by carefully observing everyday life and how to navigate world. An essential aspect of his growth in wisdom was him learning to be obedient (Luke 2:51) 
2- Stature
To advance in stature is to develop physically. Jesus developed a strong and healthy body. Our bodies are meant to be instruments of service (Romans 12:1) and temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). There are three essentials to a strong body; eating proper food (1 Corinthians 10:31), physical exercise (1 Timothy 4:8) and keeping it free from sinful habits (1 Corinthians 6:12-13)
Jesus Christ did not simply emerge from the wilderness preaching the kingdom. He learned to crawl, walk and talk. He scraped his knees. Possibly he broke a finger or bruised his arm. He suffered through sick days, fought off flu and navigated his way in the complications of adolescence. 
3- Favour with GOD
This is the spiritual development that ought to characterize every child of God. To grow in this favour we must strive daily to obey God and live according to His Word and commandments (2 Corinthians 6:2) and once we have it, we must live our lives in service to Him so that favour grows. The only way to lose it is to turn away from Him. 
4- Favour with Men
This is to develop socially; it’s to do with humans living together as a body in a situation which requires relationships with one another. Man is created a social being - to live with one another. It is not in man's nature to live alone (Genesis 2:18) Man is an expansive being. 
Luke echoes the words in 1 Samuel 2:26. Human growth is not at the expense love. The greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul and mind; and the second is to love your neighbour as yourself (Mathew 22:36-40). We need to learn to love and relate with people because we were created for association. Jesus associated with all kinds of people - religious leaders, sinners and gentiles. Why? Because He loves us all (John 3:16). Therefore, shut out all hatred, hypocrisy and selfishness and embrace love. Proverbs 3:3-4 (NLT) says;
"Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. 4 Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation."
As seen above, a lion’s share of Jesus’s earthly life powerfully paints a picture of the everyday dimensions of growth necessary to humanity. No human, not even the born of God, skips the growth process – during Jesus’s silent years, he was learning, growing and being nurtured by the Spirit. Human growth is not one-dimensional, but multi-dimensional with all its associated pains, challenges and happiness.

 Don’t be fatigued of your long, arduous growth process – growth is gradual not instant. 
Strive and yearn to grow in all aspects

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