Matthew 22:37-39
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Summer is here! I know the summer season doesn’t technically begin until later in June, but for all practical purposes, it’s summer-time. Schools have closed for the summer, people are taking vacations, VBS is right around the corner – summer is here.
One thing that’s true of summer is that it goes by extremely fast. It just seems to be a busy season. So as we go into this busy season, I just want to write a (hopefully) practical reminder of what Jesus has called us to. The greatest commandments Jesus has for us are the commandments to love God and love others. This isn’t a seasonal calling, nor is it a spectator sport.
So let’s not let the busyness of summer keep us from being intentional when it comes to our spiritual priorities. So based on these two commandments Jesus gave us, here are two things we can be doing this summer.
-Invest in pursuing the Lord
What are some ways we can be doing this? I think several are obvious. Read and study our Bible. Spend time in prayer. These are Sunday School answers that we can effortlessly give, but they are also priorities that can easily go by the wayside. Another way is to be committed to church. We grow best in community with one another.
Those three are rather obvious approaches, but let me encourage you in a couple other ways as well. Be a reader. And not just the latest Beverly Lewis novel either. Read books about the Christian life from people who have walked with God for a long time (I can give book recommendations if you’d like). Read a daily devotional every morning. Another great help is the availability of podcasts. Regularly tune in to podcasts such as the Love Worth Finding podcast, which features Adrian Rogers’ sermons. Or if you miss the Sunday service, did you know that our own church, FBC Bells, has a weekly sermon podcast? These are ways that we can invest in pursuing the Lord.
-Invest in others
Jesus says to love our neighbor as ourselves. So the question is how can I care for my neighbor, how can I serve my neighbor and demonstrate love to those around me this summer?
Here are a couple ways:
First, find an area to serve in the church. I love the way Adrian Rogers says things. Regarding serving, he said, “When God saved you by His grace, He didn’t save you to sit, soak, and sour; God saved you to serve.” There’s multiple ways to serve here at First Baptist. Maybe it’s through something like choir. Maybe it’s helping out with the nursery. Maybe it’s helping out with VBS. There are many ways, so in what way could you serve?
Second, find people to invest in. Maybe you know people that don’t know Jesus yet. And this summer would be a great time to invite them over and throw something on the grill, or ask them to go get lunch at Bob’s, or go swimming, or whatever, in order to try to build that relationship and eventually introduce them to Jesus. Another great way to invest is if you know a newer Christian that you could meet to read through and discuss Scripture with.
Overall, Jesus has called us to love God and love others. Let’s not let the busyness of summer distract us from our call. How can you be intentional in these things this summer?
