THE CHILDREN GROWING UP

This is something that boys and girls take for granted. The. measure of it is best noticed by friends after a lapse of time. As a growing boy I was taken from time to time to visit some very aged sisters in Christ, one of whom was quite blind. I recall how she used each time to feel for the top of my head so as to tell how much I had grown. Her name was Miss Day and although blind she was truly in her spirit of the family who are "sons of light and sons of day". No doubt she prayed that I and other children should be "growing by the true knowledge of God".

In the Scriptures we have been granted beautiful glimpses of the Lord Jesus in infancy and in boyhood. How we wish we had more! Yet the account of His birth is sufficient to show the perfection of His humanity whilst the incident in boyhood shows His perfection in humanity. Learn by heart as much as you can of Isaiah chapter 53 which relates to the Lord Jesus and His work. Growing up "as a tender sapling" was the freshness of life in Himself, and "as a root out of a dry ground" shows that He derived nothing from the world into which He had come.

All believers, as children of God, should be growing up to the Christ in all things. He is the standard and also in Him is everything that our souls need in order to develop rightly. In connection with food Jesus even used the words "he also that eateth me shall live on account of me". As regards thirst He said "... let him come to me and drink". Young minds also need plenty of healthy exercise hence Paul wrote to Timothy to "strive earnestly in the good conflict of faith". No doubt teacher and learner had both at some time seen the long and intense practising of runners and other athletes. In course of business I had occasion to visit an Olympic Games 'village' and had an opportunity there to watch wrestlers at practice. How slow they were, yet every muscle of the body was at the service of the thoughts and quick eyes of the contestants so that they might overcome. Then just as evil thoughts and habits are bad for our bodies and we must avoid them so, by the word of the Christ, we are helped in our souls to "grow up to salvation". Are you doing this?

J.C.Evershed