Matthew 2; Luke 2 Part 2 followHIM Podcast Page 10-11

Bradly Wilcox: 30:23 - In Doctrine and Covenants 93:13, we read, "And He received not of the fullness at first." So He still had the veil over His memory, as all humans, for a time. "But continued from grace to grace until He received a fullness." So He grew and learned. And the Holy Ghost, the messenger of God's grace, says Elder Christofferson, also taught Jesus. So He was taught by His Father, His literal Father, grace to grace. He was taught through the Spirit. And He got to a point where He was at 12 years old and had such a deep understanding that not only did He want to be about His father's business, but He could be about His father's business, because He had gained that much knowledge about who He was, the plan, and His role in fulfilling the central most important part of that plan by performing the Atonement. So finally, verse 52, "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, in favor with God and man."

John Bytheway: 31:46 - Brad, that verse has a special place, I know, in your heart, as part of the young men's general presidency, and the young women as well, with the new Children and Youth program. Can you tell us why that verse has an importance?

Bradley R. Wilcox: 32:00 - It's important because we encourage young people today to grow in the same ways. One aspect of the Children and Youth program, along with gospel learning and service and activities, one aspect of the program is personal development. And we want them to be able to grow and develop in all areas of their life, but we need to remember that this growth is not inward. Sometimes we overemphasize goals by saying, "Oh, young people need to have goals in each of these areas of their life, intellectual, social." And we stress that pretty heavily. But we can't forget that if we are only talking about personal development, it can be a very inward-focused experience: "It's all about me, it's all about my growth, it's all about me getting better. The whole world needs to help me reach my goals."

33:03 - And I think as we look at this verse in a broader context, we see that Jesus reached His goals by being about His father's business. And maybe we shouldn't be focusing on Luke 2:52 without also focusing on Luke 2:49. If we are about our father's business, if we are engaged in the work of salvation and exaltation, if we are helping young people live the gospel, care for those in need, invite others to receive the gospel and unite families for eternity in the temple, if we are doing that work, then we also are about our father's business. And the personal growth comes not from setting a bunch of arbitrary goals just to say you've done it so that leaders and parents will get off your back, but it becomes seeking personal revelation to find out what God needs you to be about.

34:07 - And as we engage ourselves, as we completely immerse ourselves in the work of salvation and exaltation, then the personal growth will come for us, just as it did for Jesus. We will grow in all aspects of our lives. Years ago, people would say, "Look at the Scout book, or look at the Personal Progress book, and find out what they want you to do." And now we don't want young people reading a book to find out what they need to do. We want them to turn to God. We want them to be about their father's business. And as they are, then God will help them to know what He needs them to do. And that's the growth, that's the personal development that we want young people today to experience.

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