Summer Spiritual Growth

“Rest” doesn’t mean time away from God.

Most people love the summertime. Aside from some blistering temperatures, depending on where you live, there are so many appealing things about the warmest months of the year. You may get to enjoy vacations, summer backyard barbecuing, no school, trips to your local beaches and campgrounds, and loads of fun in the sun.

Yet just because it’s the summer months here in the Northern Hemisphere doesn’t mean we can press the “pause” button on our spiritual growth and sanctification, or that we can get lax in our relationship with Christ. Even if you get time away from the everyday drudgery of work, or if your church small group stops takes a break for a couple of months, doesn’t mean spiritual enemy stops attacking or that the flesh doesn’t pull at you trying to draw you into sin.

Brother or sister in Christ, you need to stay alert! You need to be proactive at continuing to make your summer spiritual growth a priority. Here are a handful of ways how:

Stay in community. Even if your “scenery” changes, strive to still fellowship with other believers:

• Have coffee meetings.
• Have people over for dinner.
• Meet them for outdoor activities, go for walks, go hiking, etc.
• Pray with them!
• Check in often with your closest Christian friends, mentors/mentees, and accountability partners.

Just because your routine changes, doesn’t mean to leave God out of the routine. Vacations, trips, ship cruises, cottage visits, beach houses, etc. “Rest” doesn’t mean time away from God. Remember, God IS our ultimate rest! Include Him first in your “new” routines, doing things such as:

• Disciple yourself to have Bible reading time and prayer time for the first 30-60 minutes of your day.
• Include your spouse in devotional reading together, and pray in the morning and evening with her.

Find an outdoor venue to worship God at. See the glory of His creation, therefore honor Him at that spot!

Change your thinking about time, activities, and priorities. People use excuses throughout the year that they “don’t have enough time,” etc. to do the things they want and need to do. Well, since there is generally less going on, discipleship groups are optional, and not as many programs and meeting commitments, you can actually make excuses to spend more time with God!

Do things that foster spiritual growth daily. Strive to grow in the Spirit, and let Him sanctify you.