It’s finally summer. I realize that the first day of summer officially is June 20 this year (at 6:59 CDT, to be exact). But school is out. It’s June. It’s hot. And my lawn has already stopped growing.
It’s summer.
And that got me thinking. I have three months of summer ahead of me, roughly speaking. What will I do with that time? How can I redeem that time for the greatest possible glory to God?
What I’m talking about is simply taking some time to evaluate my progress in the faith over three months. Take a measurement now; develop a realistic plan for the next three months; take another measurement at the end of August. And the goal is simply, “have I progressed in my passion for Christ? Am I more like Christ? Is Christ more easily seen in me by others?”
Now you may think, “Terry, this is summer, not January. This isn’t the time for that kind of talk.” I understand. We often tend to think of spiritual evaluation at a few particular seasons of the year — perhaps New Year’s, or a birthday, or an anniversary. But reflection on our spiritual condition is not something that needs only annual consideration, but monthly, daily and hourly evaluation as well.
It may be that you began this year with great intentions — read the Bible every day, pray for 15 minutes every day, share the gospel once a week, memorize a verse each week, mow three widow’s lawns all summer long, and take a casserole to every pot luck meal at church. And maybe you didn’t quite make it out of January with your goals? And maybe instead of re-evaluating and re-prioritizing then, you just quit? “What’s the use? I can’t change…”
This summer may be an opportunity to not only inventory your spiritual condition, but also reinvigorate your walk with Christ. Cultivating some realistic, short-term, intermediate goals this summer may help you and me attain our long-term goals.
We have three months ahead of us. As a means of stimulating some ideas, in that time:
- what single thing can you do to make the greatest difference in your progress toward Christ-likeness?
- what books (one? two? or even three books?) could you read that would make a difference in one aspect of your life? [You might peek at the book cart or library “new additions” for some ideas.]
- could you memorize some Scripture that you’ve been delaying?
- could you share the gospel with someone who doesn’t know Christ?
- could you give an extravagant gift to some ministry as an expression of your love for Christ?
- what is one thing you could do to facilitate greater enjoyment of your Bible study and praying? What could you do for your children to help them enjoy Christ?
Don’t misunderstand. This is not an attempt to make you feel guilty about everything you aren’t doing and are already feeling anxious, frustrated, and discouraged about. It is a desire to help you evaluate your spiritual life in one area and then adopt one measurable response to that need which you (and your mate, children, and friends) can readily see at the summer. And the desire is that the single step toward Christ-likeness this summer will then encourage you to take another step toward Christ in the fall.
It’s summer. What can you do to stimulate your walk with Christ?
Words of Grace 