Don’t Waste Your Summer

Fire up the grill, don the swimsuit, get ready to vacay, but don’t waste your summer. The warm weather and renewed opportunities to grill meat always make me think of Fresh Prince and D.J. Jazzy Jeff’s classic song “Summertime.” June and July offer us a lot of chances to relax and reconnect. Just don’t waste it.

The Apostle Paul gives us a great model to follow in Colossians 4 that can be summarized in the following six words. To be clear, Paul wasn’t on summer break. He’s writing this from prison:

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison – that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom with outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person (Colossians 4:2-6).

Here’s six words that sum up this passage and give us a framework for making the most of our time, including, but not limited to, our summertime:

1. Prayerful
2. Watchful
3. Thankful
4. Hopeful
5. Intentional
6. Charitable

I could preach a whole sermon here unpacking each word, but I’d imagine you can see clearly enough where I’m drawing the particular application points from in the passage. Paul wants these believers to pray, to watch, to give thanks, to be hopeful for opportunities, to be intentional in their time with those who are far from God, and to be winsome with their words. I’m convinced, if we follow this pattern, we will make the most out of the summer months.

Enjoy the sun. Get all you can out of those memorable trips. And pray God gives you opportunities to advance His kingdom. Spend your summer building more than a photo album.