The Core

THE CORE MESSAGE FROM THE CHAPLAIN ABOUT THE WHOLE CHILD

“ And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”- Luke 2:52

God is concerned about our growth and development as His children. Specifically, the passage in Luke talks about how Jesus, our Lord, and Savior, as a young man grew up (1) in wisdom, (2) in stature, and (3) in favor with God and man. Each of these components: wisdom, stature, and favor represent the whole person and He uses the perfect example, in Jesus to show us how to grow and establish the core for our development.

 
Jesus Grew In Wisdom 
Proverbs 4:7 tells us, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.” As our children move along in age, we want to make sure that they obtain and apply wisdom throughout their daily lives. Wisdom is knowing what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. The first area of core development is about how we think. This is about their mindset. Education (spiritually and mentally) is best utilized when we teach our children "how" to think and not just "what" to think so that we can apply that wisdom in any situation each and every day.  

Jesus Grew In Stature 
At this time of Jesus' life, he was around the age of 12. As a young man, we know that he did not stay at that age, which also meant he did not stay the same size. 3 John 1:2 says, "Beloved, I pray that you prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." Stature is about our physical bodies and health. God not only wants our minds to be developed but our physical bodies to grow and be healthy so that our minds can be alert, and we can perform the work(s) that He has called us to do. Good health comes from proper eating, exercise, and rest. As our children grow and develop it is vitally important that we create a balanced life for them to learn, play, exercise, and rest.   

Jesus Grew in Favor 
Notice, that Luke 2:52, states that Jesus grew in favor with God and man. Favor is about our interactions. How we handle ourselves throughout our day-to-day living and interactions with others, displays our core values or the lack thereof and will yield to us the blessings reserved for those who walk in integrity. To teach our children favor, we first teach them that we work unto God and not unto man (Colossians 3:23) but also, that we strive to do good to others (Galatians 6:10). The favor that Jesus walked in is the same that can be afforded to each child, by developing their core values to align with God's word.  

Jesus Grew 
Growth is intentional and often requires the help of others, especially those who have lived longer and gained experiences that we have yet to encounter. Jesus is our perfect example and serves as our daily image in every area of our life.  
Here at Seeds of Excellence Christian Academy, we count it an honor and privilege to be a place of learning for our community. We believe that our school is an institution in parallel with the church to help each child individually develop so that we can collectively work together with others to establish The Kingdom of God on the earth.  
We know that what we do is more than a job. It is a partnership with God, parents, and other educators. It is a calling to help grow, nurture, and train each student to become all God has called, predestined, and made them to be.  
 
In His Service,  

Reverend Stephen J. Palmer