GOODNESS OF GOD :: Jesus Grew

Devotional

Day 1: The Invitation to Taste God’s Goodness

The call to "taste and see" is more than a suggestion—it’s an urgent invitation to experience God’s active presence. Like sampling a meal, this requires participation, not passive observation. Spiritual growth begins when we actively seek God’s goodness in daily life, not just in Sunday rituals. Refuge in Him becomes tangible when we lean into His character through both struggle and stillness. This pursuit reshapes how we see His work in ordinary moments. [05:21]

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8, ESV)

Reflection: What practical step could you take this week to actively “taste” God’s presence beyond Sunday worship? How might this deepen your trust in His goodness?

Day 2: Running the Race With Uncluttered Focus

Paul’s declaration—“one thing I do”—cuts through life’s distractions. Spiritual growth demands ruthless focus on Christ, not half-hearted efforts. Like a runner shedding excess weight, we must release past failures, regrets, or even successes that hinder forward motion. The prize isn’t perfection but relentless pursuit—straining toward the One who already took hold of us. [09:28]

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13–14, ESV)

Reflection: What “weight” from your past—guilt, pride, or distraction—is slowing your spiritual sprint? How might laying it down free you to run?

Day 3: The Paradox of a God Who Grew

Jesus’ growth in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52) defies logic—the eternal Son learning, asking questions, and maturing. His humanity dignifies our daily grind. The God who shaped galaxies once scraped knees and memorized Torah. His growth path becomes ours: not self-sufficient leaps, but humble dependence on the Father. [19:12]

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52, ESV)

Reflection: Where do you feel pressure to “have it all together” spiritually? How might Jesus’ example of gradual growth ease that burden?

Day 4: From Condemned to Crowned

The “condemned” sign is torn down for those in Christ. Like a restored house, believers are reclaimed for sacred purpose. Spiritual growth isn’t about earning worth but living into our identity as God’s commissioned agents. The same power that raised Jesus fuels our daily steps—not to avoid failure, but to walk in freedom. [12:30]

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1, ESV)

Reflection: When has shame stifled your growth? How might today’s truth shift your focus from “don’t mess up” to “step forward”?

Day 5: Oaks of Righteousness in a Prairie Dog World

Isaiah’s “oaks of righteousness” stand in contrast to life’s temporary chaos. Deep roots in Christ allow believers to weather storms while offering shelter to others. Growth here isn’t about speed but sturdiness—a life so anchored in God’s character that even prairie-dog distractions can’t uproot eternal purpose. [36:08]

They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. (Isaiah 61:3, ESV)

Reflection: What current challenge could become fertilizer for deeper spiritual roots? How might steadfastness in this season display God’s splendor?

Sermon Summary

Psalm 34 invites hungry people to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” because God is not looking for Sunday-only faith. God loves people exactly where they are, but he refuses to leave them there. Spiritual growth is not accidental. Spiritual growth is intentional, and it is a mandate for anyone who calls Jesus Lord.

The picture of feeding a child once a week shows why a once-a-week relationship with God leaves believers malnourished. God wants to be Monday God, Tuesday God, Thursday God, and every-other-day God. A person’s approach to God matters because a loving Father draws people close, while a distant, frustrated version of God makes people want to run away.

Paul’s race in Philippians shows that mature faith keeps moving forward. Paul, once a terrorist against the church, encountered Jesus and spent the rest of his life pressing on. The past can hold people back, but Paul says to forget what is behind and strain toward what is ahead. The Holy Spirit does not condemn believers as useless; the Spirit convicts them, saying, “You’ve come too far. Come back over this way.”

Jesus stands as the model for growth because he ran the race first. Luke’s account of twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple shows both sides of who he is: Jesus calls God his Father, yet Jesus also grows in wisdom, stature, and favor. John declares that Jesus was present in the beginning, that all things were made through him, and that he came from eternity into human flesh.

The mystery of Jesus being fully God and fully man matters because, as God, Jesus can save people, and as man, Jesus understands people. Jesus grew tired, hungry, thirsty, and sorrowful. Jesus was tempted in every way, yet he did not sin. Philippians 2 shows Christ laying aside his glory, taking the nature of a servant, and obeying all the way to death on a cross.

Luke 2 gives a simple method for growth: grow in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and people. Wisdom comes by asking God plainly. Stature is a life with character, weight, and confidence in a God-given purpose. Favor is relational goodwill, and God can give it in families, churches, businesses, hard seasons, city meetings, and places where people need doors to open.

Isaiah’s image of “oaks of righteousness” gives believers an identity worth growing into. An oak is hard, steady, and able to survive hardship. God calls his people to live one faithful life, run their race well, leave a legacy, and put their trust fully in Jesus.

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Key Takeaways

1. Growth is God’s mandate [05:53] Spiritual growth is not an optional extra for people who have more time or more Bible knowledge. God loves his children too much to let them stay stuck, numb, distracted, or spiritually malnourished. A growing faith learns to welcome God into ordinary days, not just church moments. [05:53]
2. Conviction leads people back [12:56] Condemnation says a person is ruined and has no use. Conviction says a person has wandered but can come back because Christ has already made a way. The Holy Spirit corrects believers from within the security of grace, not from the threat of rejection. [12:56]
3. Jesus understands human weakness [27:32] Jesus is fully God, able to save completely, and fully man, able to understand deeply. His hunger, weariness, sorrow, and temptation mean that human pain is not foreign to him. His sinless obedience means that temptation does not have the final word over those who belong to him. [27:32]
4. Wisdom, stature, and favor grow [29:15] Wisdom begins with asking God for what is needed in real situations. Stature grows through suffering, perseverance, character, and hope, forming a life that carries weight without pretending. Favor grows as God builds relational goodwill with himself and with people. [29:15]
5. Oaks of righteousness leave legacies [35:44] An oak does not become strong in a day, and neither does a faithful life. God forms believers who can endure heat, hardship, and pressure without being easily taken down. A life rooted in Christ can become a display of God’s splendor for children, grandchildren, and everyone watching.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:21] - Taste and See That God Is Good
[05:53] - God Calls Believers to Grow
[07:35] - More Than a Sunday God
[08:59] - Paul Presses On Toward the Goal
[11:34] - Conviction Is Not Condemnation
[14:27] - Jesus Is the Model for Growth
[15:33] - Jesus at the Temple
[19:12] - Fully God and Fully Human
[24:32] - Christ Humbled Himself
[28:53] - Wisdom, Stature, and Favor
[33:59] - God Is For His People
[35:44] - Oaks of Righteousness
[37:13] - Trusting Jesus for Salvation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Psalm 34:8 — “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” [05:46]

Philippians 3:13-14 — “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” [10:19]

Luke 2:52 — “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.” [19:09]

Observation questions

In Psalm 34:8, what two actions are people invited to take, and what does the verse say is true of the Lord? [05:38]
According to Philippians 3:13-14, what does Paul choose to leave behind, what does he strain toward, and what goal does he pursue? [10:19]
What three areas of growth are named in Luke 2:52, and with whom does Jesus grow in favor? [29:15]
What contrast is made between condemnation and conviction, especially in the way each one speaks to a believer who has gone off course? [12:56]

Interpretation questions

What does Paul mean by “forgetting what lies behind”? Does it mean pretending the past never happened, or refusing to let past sin, failure, or regret keep a believer from following Jesus? [10:25]
Why does it matter that Jesus is both fully God and fully human when believers face weakness, temptation, grief, hunger, exhaustion, or suffering? [27:32]
Luke says Jesus grew in wisdom, stature, and favor. What might spiritual wisdom, godly character, and relational favor look like in the ordinary life of a follower of Jesus? [30:13]
How does seeing God as a loving Father, rather than as distant and constantly frustrated, change a believer’s desire to come close to him each day? [08:07]

Application questions

Is God mostly present in your Sunday routine, or is he involved in your Mondays, Tuesdays, workdays, family life, and ordinary decisions? What is one realistic daily practice that could help you “taste and see” God’s goodness this week? [07:55]
Is there something from your past—sin, shame, disappointment, a broken relationship, or a failure—that has been holding you back from taking your next step with Jesus? What would it look like to press forward while trusting that Christ has forgiven you? [10:25]
When you mess up, do you tend to hear condemnation saying, “You have no use,” or conviction saying, “Come back over this way”? How can you respond to conviction with honesty and hope instead of hiding from God? [12:56]
Where do you need wisdom right now—perhaps with a child, marriage, finances, work situation, friendship, or major decision? What would it sound like for you to ask God plainly for that wisdom this week? [29:39]
What area of your character needs to grow stronger so that your life carries greater spiritual weight and steadiness? How might a current hardship become an opportunity for perseverance, character, and hope? [30:47]
God can give favor with himself and with people. Is there a relationship, workplace, family situation, or difficult conversation where you need God’s relational goodwill? How can you pray for favor while also acting with humility and love? [31:07]
What kind of legacy do you want your life to leave for children, grandchildren, friends, coworkers, or younger believers? What faithful choice can you make now that would help you become an “oak of righteousness”? [35:52]

Sermon Clips

33s

“You're going to heaven. That's that's been dealt with. That's that's in your past. Right? I mean, that's been dealt with. You've been forgiven of your past, your present, your future sins. And now the Holy Spirit's living inside you and he's convicting you sometimes. There's a there's a major difference between condemnation and conviction. The Holy Spirit says, hey, you've come too far. Like, come back over this way. Let's go this way. You you messed up, here's the way out. That that's that's conviction. Condemnation says, you have no use.”

32s

“If you fed your kid once a week, it wouldn't survive. You know, if you fed yourself once a week, you'd be malnourished. If you fed our if we fed our children just once or twice a week, like, they wouldn't grow physically. But but God is inviting us to grow spiritually in this moment. So, God doesn't wanna just be your Sunday God. He wants to be your Monday God, your Tuesday God, your Thursday, your Friday God. Like, he wants to be involved in every aspect of your life.”

41s

“Condemnation is one of those words, it's one of those theological words that we use even in today's culture. Like, we use we use it in in terms of, like, when a house has been flooded or a house has been burned or a house that has structural problems. Sometimes you'll see a sign on the door that says condemned. It means not fit for use. You are fit for use. If you claim to follow Jesus, God has a purpose in your life. You were created on purpose for a purpose. You're no longer living in condemnation. You have a purpose.”

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