It is crucial that we have a comprehensive view of personal development. Luke provides a pattern for our overall personal growth from the life of Jesus.

And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:52)

You may wonder, “Why did Jesus need to increase since He was fully God?” Jesus was fully God and He was fully man. As a man, He did not sacrifice His deity, but emptied Himself of the independent use of His divine power. He came as a man and modeled for us how we are to live. The uniting of the divine and human natures in the person of Christ is known as the hypostatic union. This verse indicates that Jesus developed intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially.

Jesus grew intellectually by increasing in wisdom. Biblical wisdom is not simply the accumulation of information, but it is the application of knowledge of how to live righteously before God. This is in contrast to the wisdom of the world. The Apostle James described the characteristics of biblical wisdom:

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. (James 3:17)

Someone once quipped that wisdom is that quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it. Jesus also grew in stature. We must realize that our bodies are a temple of God:

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

We glorify God by taking care of our bodies. This involves eating well and avoiding junk food. Our bodies were designed for movement and we must ensure that we get sufficient exercise. We must learn how to deal with stress and experience peace in the midst of turmoil. Quality sleep is essential and sometimes the most spiritual practice is to get a good night of sleep.

Next, we see that Jesus increased in favor with God. The word favor is the Greek word for grace that implies the virtues of joy, pleasure, and gratitude. Jesus modeled an intimate relationship with God as He modeled the foremost commandment:

AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH. (Mark 12:30)

Jesus grew in favor with men as He demonstrated the second great commandment:

The second is this, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. There is no other commandment greater than these. (Mark 12:31)

The life of Jesus provides for us a quadrivium of personal development – may we be diligent to follow His lead and grow in His likeness.