God's "holy child Jesus" as a little baby, and as twelve years old in the
temple, but did you ever think of Him as being _exactly_ your own age?
that He was once really just as old as you are this very day? He knows
what it is to be eight, and nine, and ten years old, or whatever you may
be. God's word has only told us this one thing about those years, that He
was a _holy_ child.

What is "holy"? It is everything that is perfectly beautiful and good and
lovable, without anything to spoil it. This is just what He was when He
was your age. He was gentle and brave, and considerate and unselfish,
noble and truthful, obedient and loving, kind and forgiving,--everything
you can think of that you ever admired or loved in any one else was all
found together in Him, and all this not only outside, but inside, for He
was "holy."

Why did He live all these holy child-years on earth instead of staying in
heaven till it was time to come and die for you? One reason was, that He
might leave you a beautiful example, so that you might wish to be like
Him, and ask for the Holy Spirit to make you like Him. But the other was
even more gracious and wonderful, it was "that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him." That is, that all this goodness and
holiness might be reckoned to you, because you had not any of your own,
and that God might smile on you _for His sake_, just as if _you_ had been
perfectly obedient, and truthful, and unselfish, and good, and give you
Jesus Christ's reward, which you never deserved at all, but which He
deserved for you.

He took your sins and gives you His righteousness; He took your punishment
and gives you His reward; it is just changed over, if you will only accept
the exchange!