19 Jul Rest. Reflect. Reset
Psalm 27:4 states,
?One thing have I asked of the Lord,
????that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
????all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
????and to inquire in his temple.?
Sean Robinson, our new area director, preached from Psalm 27 this past Sunday. Verse 4 stood out to me during his sermon as it provides the proper perspective in order to persevere as believers. The foundation of our lives as believers is to be in the house of the Lord, and the focus is to be on the beauty of the Lord. As my fellow residents and I serve this summer and throughout the year, we must continually ask ourselves, ?What is my foundation?? and ?Where is my focus?? We must be careful not to allow other things to take the place of the foundation and focus found in the Lord. We were busy in the month of June serving as leaders in the children?s camp and youth camp. The camps provided us with the opportunity to care for the kids and youth in the church and the community. Now we are in a much slower season as the regular ministries have slowed down to be picked back up in August. One benefit of being in the residency and serving during the summer through Summer LINK is the exposure to the different seasons and rhythms of ministry in the church. Some seasons are a little slow and others are incredibly busy. If we are not careful, we can allow ourselves to be distracted from seeking the Lord, the only one who can provide us the peace and protection we need to persevere as believers in a lost world.
The current season has been filled with resting, reflecting, and resetting. The initial business of the summer has passed, and now a time of rest can be enjoyed fully. The pace of ministry during the month of July is much slower with several ministries taking a break during the month, and many people taking a vacation with their families. The season of rest has allowed us to enjoy our relationship with the church and each other more as we do not have to balance seminary classes with our area of ministry. We are able to read and meditate on 1 Thessalonians at a slower pace which helps the deep biblical truths to sink in and be enjoyed. We are also able to evaluate our relationship with God and remember why we minister in our different areas.
??The season has not only been filled with rest, but it has also been filled with reflection. The slower season allows the reflection of the different areas of ministry we are serving. We are involved in evaluating the past year of our different ministry areas whether it be children, youth, or discipleship. We have been involved in serving each area this past year and are able to provide helpful insight to what needs to stay, what needs to stop, and what needs to start in the next year. The time of reflection has been helpful to receive honest feedback and provide critical thinking to help strengthen our different areas of ministry. ?
The final step in the summer season is to reset which involves implementing the necessary changes in order to limit the number of challenges in our areas of ministry. The final step of resetting is being prepared now but will be provided in August as the new church year begins and the ministries pick back up where they left off. The final step of resetting is crucial in providing healthy and helpful ministries for the church. We have not reached the final stage of resetting yet, but I hope our fruitful time of rest and reflection will be rewarded by a fruitful time of resetting.
As the summer continues and the new semester begins, I pray that God would be our foundation and focus. Nothing in this world is more strong and stunning than the Lord. I pray that we would not allow ourselves to be distracted from the Lord in the different seasons of life. We must rely on Him to provide the peace and protection we need to persevere as believers.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
?Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ?He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.?
Prayer Requests:
- We would grow in our knowledge and reliance on the Lord.
- We would grow in our appreciation and affection for the church.
- We would have opportunities to share the gospel with the lost.
- We would finish our summer well.
Joshua Woolbright
Summer LINK Raleigh