“Jesus was the first man to enter into the perfect light of heaven in the right of his own holiness. Heaven had never before received such a man…on that Ascension Day there came into heaven a man who asked no mercy. Pure, spotless, victorious, He came into the light of heaven and caused no shadow there.” (G. Campbell Morgan, The Acts of the Apostles (Pickering & Inglis, 1924) , p.55)

This quote by G. Campbell Morgan, a famous British evangelist, recently grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. Though it is a theological truth generally accepted by all true believers, it nevertheless became riveted in my thoughts, a reminder of our Lord’s perfect humanity. Jesus, the second Adam, succeeded where our first father failed, and lived as a man guided and controlled by the Holy Spirit, and in total dependence on God yielded complete and perfect obedience. As such, he is our ultimate goal.

Whatever your goals are for the new year, whatever level of success you hope to achieve, or how much you wish to accomplish, let this be our main pursuit in 2022, to be like Christ. In Luke 2:52, we are given a pattern of how our Lord developed as a perfect man: “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Using this verse as a basis for how to grow in our Christian manhood in 2022, here are four goals I encourage you to pursue.

1. Intellectual Growth

What do you want to learn this year? A new language, a new skill, or perhaps obtain a new degree? Stephen Covey’s famous work, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People lists the seventh habit as “sharpen the saw.” The analogy reminds us that constant use dulls the blade, making it ineffective to cut wood. Therefore, one must pause to resharpen the blade. Likewise, to maintain your effectiveness, you must set aside time to keep your mind sharp.

Pursuing intellectual growth requires a determination to learn. For you that could mean a commitment to read materials that challenge you both spiritually and intellectually. Leaders are always readers, and if you don’t already have a list of things to read, ask someone you know and respect as a leader and ask what books they could recommend.

2. Physical Well-being

It’s interesting that the Bible mentions our Lord’s physical development. We can therefore assume that it was important. Your body belongs to God, and he wants you to take care of his temple (see 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Are there things you need to do to get in shape that are no longer a priority? Discounting physical health reflects a failure to realize that you may be limiting your ability to serve God more effectively.

3. Spiritual Maturity

This is a difficult concept to grasp, but in his humanity, our Lord Jesus actually grew in his relationship with the Father. How does a perfect man increase in favor with God? Yet, as our example, we also must seek to grow spiritually.

How might you strengthen your relationship with Christ this year? For example, have you followed Jesus in baptism since you became a Christian? That’s a first step for new believers and a matter of obedience. Maybe you need to put more effort into your daily time with God?

4. Edifying Relationships

Finally, I would encourage to seek to build friendships with men of like faith and practice. “Iron sharpens iron.” How might you help another brother in Christ grow in his faith? How might you better serve the body of Christ? Isolation never fosters spiritual growth. We need each other. Determine to be involved in your church’s men’s ministry. Purposely seek to grow friendships that challenge your faith and how you might edify others.

Jesus, the perfect man, walked through the gates of glory and, as Morgan said, “caused no shadow there.” What better goal could we have in this new year than to pursue likeness to Jesus? For “a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40) By God’s grace, let us endeavor to follow in his steps so that our lives might have no shadows to obscure that vision.