Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

Devotion based on Luke 2:52

What do you want most for your family this year? Good health? Economic prosperity? A comfortable home? Great vacations? Harmonious relationships between parents and children? Great educational opportunities for your children? Popularity? Peace in this world?

Parents may consume most of their available time, making sure their children play on sports teams, participate in music lessons, and get to all their medical and dental appointments. They vacation, eat together in restaurants, and do all sorts of “family things.” All of these are good things, but all too frequently, God is either not included in family activities or relegated to a lower priority.

We can infer that Joseph and Mary made God’s Word a priority in their home. Luke gives us a glimpse of Jesus’ spiritual growth in Luke chapter two. Every year, the family obeyed Jewish law by going up to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of the Passover. On one occasion, as a 12-year-old, Jesus took a seat among the teachers of the Word of God. The crowd that gathered around Jesus recognized that this was no ordinary boy. Obviously, Mary and Joseph had kept the “main thing the main thing.” Luke tells us that, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

We cheat our families when we fail to make provision for family spiritual growth a priority every day and throughout the year. It’s not too late! Make Jesus and his Word your family’s top priority this year.

Prayer: