Summer is here and summer is exciting!
When I think of heaven – worshiping a mighty, deserving God gives me goosebumps.
When I think of heaven – I like to think it’s going to be 80 degrees and I’ll be wearing relaxed, comfortable clothing! Can I get an amen? On a personal note, I’ll have an ice-cold Ale 8 in my hand too.
The days we’ve already had this summer and the next 60 or so days are going to be some of the best days. There will be memories made on vacations. There will be ball games where you go see your kids, nieces and nephews, and grandkids. Hopefully there will even be a few cookouts for you – everybody needs a good cookout now and again!
I’ll go so far as to guess that for those of you who keep a calendar of family events… it’s probably looking pretty full.
I want all of you to know how much I love hearing about your stories, either in person or on Facebook. But I truly love seeing you. And as much as I love seeing you, God loves EVEN MORE to see you and have a relationship with you!
The months of May, June, July, and August are a time where we seem to go 100MPH – generally in different directions.
Wherever you are this summer, whether we’re together or separated, make sure you’re giving God time; and not just any time. He is a God who wants the best from you.
God does not require all from you, but he does require your firstfruits! What does that mean? God doesn’t want your leftover time. He isn’t something to check off your list. MAKE GOD FIRST! Place nothing before God. Praise Him and Him alone; not your television, not your husband, wife, or kids.
Can you make an effort to pause today? It would make God’s day if you would rekindle that relationship with Him, today.
We can pause from our earthly busyness and simply appreciate Him. Talk with God in prayer. Read through Philippians or James. After you’ve read a small book of the Bible like this, go back to God in prayer and thank Him for the joy and wisdom that can only come from Him!
Can you commit to resting, preferably on Sunday’s, but at least some time each week?
God has blessings in store for you, but He wants you awake and alert to receive them!
I will always encourage you to make church a priority. The first and most basic way any Christian honors God is by being in the Lord’s house with the Lord’s people around the Lord’s table on the Lord’s Day. Being in church on Sunday ought to have first place in your life and on your calendar.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42
If you’re in a rush and your May has already been a blur – SLOW DOWN – I don’t want you looking back in mid-August and say, “Where did it all go? I wish I would have made God more of a priority.”
Make your life Christ-Centered and Bible-based. Do this, and I guarantee you’ll have your best summer yet – whether it’s your 10th summer or your 80th summer.
Love you everybody, Ethan
