Living Under the Canopy of God’s Grace
Read Luke 2:40 “The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
I’ve got a digital photo frame in my office that scrolls through pictures of my kids at different stages and moments of their lives. These little moments—first steps, musicals, basketball games, and significant milestones are fun to remember. I often catch myself getting pulled into those memories.
If digital photo frames were around 2,000 years ago, I wonder what picture Mary and Joseph would have had scrolling. When we think about Jesus, we often forget that He was a child, too. Jesus didn’t walk onto the world stage as a fully-formed adult Messiah. He had to learn how to walk, how to use tools, and how to interact with others. He likely scraped His knees, sat with Joseph in the workshop, and asked a thousand questions—just like any other child. Luke 2:40 is our best shot at a digital photo frame when it comes to giving us a peek into Jesus’ childhood. This verse reminds us: Jesus wasn’t pretending to be human. He really was human. But here’s what’s struck me: “The grace of God was upon Him.”
What does that mean? Jesus didn’t need grace the way we do. He was sinless. But grace isn’t just about forgiveness. It’s also about God’s empowering presence. Jesus lived in that empowering presence perfectly. He didn’t earn the Father’s approval by what He did. He lived from the delight of already being His Son.
And here’s the part that is true for you as a believer in Jesus Christ. If you’ve placed your trust in Jesus, then you are in Him, and that means God’s grace is on you, too. Similarly, just as Jesus matured gradually under grace, our growth isn’t a condition for receiving God’s favor but a response to it. Grace isn’t the reward at the finish line of hard work; it’s the starting point and the continuing power for our journey. This liberates us from performance-based spirituality. We don’t need to earn what has already been freely given. The grace that nurtured Jesus from childhood to the crucifixion is the same grace offered to us, not because we deserve it, but because of the richness of God’s generosity.
I can imagine the Father looking at a photo frame of Jesus, seeing His growth and maturity as His grace was upon His Son. As you reflect on your own journey, rest in the fact that the Father, who delighted in watching His Son grow up under grace, takes that same delight in you. His grace isn’t waiting for you to become something more—it’s already yours, freely given. You’re not working for grace. You’re growing in it.
If digital photo frames were around 2,000 years ago, I wonder what picture Mary and Joseph would have had scrolling. When we think about Jesus, we often forget that He was a child, too. Jesus didn’t walk onto the world stage as a fully-formed adult Messiah. He had to learn how to walk, how to use tools, and how to interact with others. He likely scraped His knees, sat with Joseph in the workshop, and asked a thousand questions—just like any other child. Luke 2:40 is our best shot at a digital photo frame when it comes to giving us a peek into Jesus’ childhood. This verse reminds us: Jesus wasn’t pretending to be human. He really was human. But here’s what’s struck me: “The grace of God was upon Him.”
What does that mean? Jesus didn’t need grace the way we do. He was sinless. But grace isn’t just about forgiveness. It’s also about God’s empowering presence. Jesus lived in that empowering presence perfectly. He didn’t earn the Father’s approval by what He did. He lived from the delight of already being His Son.
And here’s the part that is true for you as a believer in Jesus Christ. If you’ve placed your trust in Jesus, then you are in Him, and that means God’s grace is on you, too. Similarly, just as Jesus matured gradually under grace, our growth isn’t a condition for receiving God’s favor but a response to it. Grace isn’t the reward at the finish line of hard work; it’s the starting point and the continuing power for our journey. This liberates us from performance-based spirituality. We don’t need to earn what has already been freely given. The grace that nurtured Jesus from childhood to the crucifixion is the same grace offered to us, not because we deserve it, but because of the richness of God’s generosity.
I can imagine the Father looking at a photo frame of Jesus, seeing His growth and maturity as His grace was upon His Son. As you reflect on your own journey, rest in the fact that the Father, who delighted in watching His Son grow up under grace, takes that same delight in you. His grace isn’t waiting for you to become something more—it’s already yours, freely given. You’re not working for grace. You’re growing in it.
Reflection Questions:
- In what areas of your life do you still feel you need to “earn” God’s favor rather than resting in His freely given grace?
- Just as Jesus “grew and became strong, increasing in wisdom” under God’s grace, we too are called to mature spiritually. What specific practice could you implement this week to position yourself under God’s “grace canopy” and nurture your own growth in wisdom and strength?
Posted in Free- by the Grace of God
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