5 Inspiring Ways to Honor God This Summer

Short-term Mission trips can have a bad reputation these days. They are accused of being little more than a cleverly disguised excuse for religious tourism. But when rightly organized, they can bring genuine help to long-term missionaries, informed prayer to needy areas, and be a resource for recruiting globally-minded Christians. It may be too late to sign up for a short-term missions project this year, but even if so, let this be a reminder to get the wheels in motion to do so for next year. And it could well be there are still opportunities. 

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In the Northern climates of America, Summer is a time when you are more likely to see your neighbors than at other times of the year. The warmer weather means you see people outside, remember what your neighbors look like, and can find time to chat with them. Make the most of the opportunity this summer to engage conversationally with your neighbors. If you like to grill or barbecue, consider inviting your neighbors around to eat outside with you. Or it could be something simpler: a walk around the block, a conversation as you walk out of the apartment to the park, or across the grass if you live in the suburbs. 

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Over the summer months, it can be tempting to skip church a little bit. To treat church a bit like school – you wait until the fall starts up again before you get back into your rhythm for the year. But as the book of Hebrews reminds us, we are not to give up meeting together but actually do so more and more (Hebrews 10:25). If the pace of life is a little slower over the summer, we have even less of an excuse not be involved with our local church. Regain a passion for church by praying for your church leaders regularly over the summer – and be there ready to serve and rejoice in Christ each Sunday. 

"And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." - Hebrews 10:25

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One of the greatest needs of the Christian church today is a well-informed and balanced Christian mind and heart. How can we do that? How can we avoid the foolish extremes of doctrine and behavior that plague so much of contemporary Christianity? The answer comes down to faith in God’s Word and a life of discipleship. Therefore, how about spending some of your precious time this summer reading a good Christian book that will cause you to go deeper into God’s Word and grasp some of the framework of Christian truth that will then shape your life and behavior? Many new books are published yearly, and many are excellent. But how about returning to a classic? For instance, if you’re interested in leadership, read J. Oswald Sanders’s “Spiritual Leadership.” Or, if you need to get to grips with the essentials of Christianity, read John Stott’s “Basic Christianity.” Or, if you need a deeper grasp of theology, read J.I. Packer’s “Knowing God.”  Have you already read all of those? Try diving into the Puritans as given to us by the publishing house Banner of Truth. Go to their website and pick something substantial and accessible. There’s plenty to choose from. None of these titles will be “marketed” to you. I’ve deliberately picked books written by people who are all in glory already. 

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Spending time with God is something Christians mostly recognize is necessary for spiritual vitality but often struggle to achieve. Why? It is usually for one of two reasons. Either an individual is too ambitious. They start with grandiose ideas of reading a giant amount of the Bible and praying for hours, and manage to keep it up for a week or two but then fall flat. Instead, start small. Start with 5 minutes a day. Soon enough, you’ll find it building from there. But the “a day” piece is what really matters. It’s like eating: don’t eat once a week and think it’s enough (however good the meal may be). Get into the Bible each day. The other reason why people fail is because they have no plan. You need proactively to decide when you will have a quiet time, where you will have a quiet time, and what you will do in that quiet time. I cannot give you rules for all that, but here is a quick set of easy ideas to get you going. When: first thing in the morning. Not everyone has their quiet time first thing in the morning, but typically, it’s the best time. Where: anywhere you can be undisturbed. Lock the restroom door and have your quiet time there if you must. The point is it needs to be as much as possible undisturbed. It’s a time between you and God. What: obviously, the Bible. But perhaps not so obviously. People seem to have “devotions” when reading people’s thoughts about the Bible. It’s fine to read a “devotional,” too, but it must only supplement, never supplant, the actual Words of God. Start with one of Paul’s letters. The letter to the Philippians, for instance. Read a few verses at a time. Ask God to speak to you. Expect the Holy Spirit to use His Word to address you as you read His Word. Then pray back to God what he has said to you: “Lord God, help me to be more like you have just shown me that I need to be.” 

Whatever ways you choose to glorify God this summer, make sure they are biblical. Look at your summer as a special opportunity to honor the Lord Jesus. 

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