At Manskool last Saturday, we spent some time talking about how to make the best use of the time this summer (remember, fellas: we are memorizing Ephesians 5:15-16 together!). I’m giving you these now so that you can start planning for the summer before it actually gets here; the guys came up with such a good list that I thought everyone might benefit from these:

• Pray. We need God’s help. He wants us to pray to him. Come on Saturday or Sunday mornings to pray for the church. Pray attention as you read Scripture, and write out Biblical prayers as models for you own. Keep a list in your Moleskine of those who need prayer. Pray for them!
• Read good books. Come to the Do Hard Things Book Club. But read more than just Do Hard Things. Funny thing about it is that Do Hard Things isn’t a hard book. So push yourself this summer to read something hard. Recommendations coming shortly.
• Memorize Scripture. It’s not as hard as you might think, especially if you decide to memorize a chapter of the Bible or even one of the shorter books. A pastor in Durham has put together a very helpful guide for the extended memorization of Scripture.
• No video games. Maybe no video games is a bit much, but how about less video games? What else could you do with that time? What could you do that will make a difference in 50, 500, or 5000 years?
• Work/serve. Get a job. If you’re too young, serve around the house. If you’re not sure what to do, ask.
• Watch John Piper on YouTube. Not just John Piper, of course. But listen to preaching. Review the Sunday message each week. Or listen to important sermons by other pastors, too.
• Fellowship. Do these things together with other Christians. When you’re talking, don’t talk about nothing (there is always more nothing to talk about). Instead, make a point of having God-centered conversations. Find out how God has been meeting your friends through his word.
• Care for/mentor your younger siblings. Make a difference. Don’t just tell them what to do. Show them.
• Work out. Go for a walk. Or a run. Or a ride.
• Prepare for next year. Vacation is just around the corner, but the next school year is just around the corner after that. Wise Christians don’t just slide into things, they prepare. How can you create a schedule for yourself this summer that will prepare you for the school year, positioning you to continue meeting with God, serving, spending time with family, etc.
• Create a schedule/plan. What do you want to do this summer? Write it down. Have your parents look at it and give you feedback. Good intentions alone will only get you a wasted summer. Write out a plan for the books you are going to read this summer; who you are going to pray for; what time you are going to go to bed and when you’ll get up; when, where, and how often you are going to meet with God; what times and in what ways you are going to ask for Dad and Mom’s help to grow in the Christian life; and so on.

To motivate you, a share this William Wilberforce quote, recently posted on the Desiring God blog:

Yet thus life rolls away with too many of us in a course of shapeless idleness. Its recreations constitute its chief business…amusements are multiplied, and combined, and varied, to fill up the void of a listless and languid life; and by the judicious use of these different resources, there is often a kind of sober settled plan of domestic dissipation, in which with all imaginable decency year after year wears away in unprofitable vacancy. Even old age often finds us pacing in the same round of amusements which our early youth had tracked out.

What do you plan to do this summer to avoid shapeless idleness, the void of a listless and languid life, and unprofitable vacancy?

Categories: five15 blog