August is nearly half over.
School starts in less than two weeks for the traditional folks. Summer pastimes
are just about that – past! The summer of 2015 is ready for the history books,
but what does that mean for the summer of 2016? Is it too early to think about
those special months almost a year from now?
It is not too early if what
you wanted to do this summer wasn’t possible because you didn’t plan ahead.
When you think you have only nine months to get ready for the summer months of 2016,
you realize some of the things you want to do then need to be in the early
planning stages now. This is especially true if it will involve other people,
money, and reservations.
As a believer in Jesus Christ
how can you use the time in which you will have the greatest opportunity to do
more than get up, go to work, come home, rest, go to bed, get up, go to work,
etc? Summer for most adults will not be all vacation, but it is a period when
most leisure time is used. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day here in the
United States, most families take vacations, enjoy extended weekends, and
recognize special occasions by taking time off from work.
A few guidelines from the Holy
Bible might both inspire and guide in thinking about ways you can get the most
out of those summer days coming in only a few months that will glorify God.
Psa 24:1 The world and all that is in it
belong to the LORD; the earth and all who live on it are his.
When we recognize the world
belongs to God and we are only stewards of it, then our concern for it should
be reflected in our care for it. Summer months are a great time to plan a
community clean up. This could involve roadsides, community parks, vacant lots,
and a neighbor who needs help.
Psa 102:18 Write down for the coming generation what the LORD has
done, so that people not yet born will praise him.
School may be out for most
students, but summer school can be a fun occasion for children. Maybe you can
be involved in a Vacation Bible School, help a younger child catch up in a
difficult school subject, or spend time reading Bible stories to a child who
needs to know someone cares.
Mat
25:34-40 Then the King will say to the people on his right, 'Come, you that are
blessed by my Father! Come and possess the kingdom which has been prepared for
you ever since the creation of the world. I was hungry and you fed me, thirsty
and you gave me a drink; I was a stranger and you received me in your homes, naked
and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me, in prison and you
visited me.' The righteous will then answer him, 'When, Lord, did we ever see
you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you a drink? When did we ever see
you a stranger and welcome you in our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did
we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell
you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these followers of
mine, you did it for me!'
Planning events that will
provide random acts of kindness for others will make an impact upon the participants,
the recipients, and the community. No pay is involved. Nothing is required but
the willingness to give and receive as we seek to meet these basic human needs.
Jas 1:27 What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion
is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep
oneself from being corrupted by the world.
Help those who cannot help
themselves. God did it for us. We should do it for others. In this way we show
the world we are the children of our heavenly Father.
