Hebrews 13:8 declares, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (NIV). The Message translation says it another way, "Jesus doesn't change - yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself." We are not changeless my friends. We get emotional, upset, confused, impatient, self-centered, judgmental, cynical, depressed, and sometimes simply decide to give up on something or someone. We have seen that in Abraham's life as we have seen polar opposite spiritual highs and lows throughout the story of his life. One minute he trusts God to give him descendants even though he was too old to have children and his wife was barren. Another minute, he tells his wife to lie about being married to him. One minute he trusts God to help him rescue his captive brother, and another minute he tries to force God's hand of provision for a son by having sex with his wife's slave. One major truth we have learned is that we are like Abraham with ups and downs while Jesus remains a constant North star that we can rely on as we experience mountaintops and hurricanes in life.
We often forget that God knows our whole lives and futures. He is timeless. He knows what will happen to you and me long before we ever experience the future for ourselves in the form of present circumstances. The lesson behind this spiritual truth is that God can be trusted, and we do not need to worry. We should not try to manipulate circumstances and relationships in our favor. We can take all of our worries, cares, and confusion to the throne of the Lord Jesus and leave them in His worthy, nail-scarred hands. I pray for our youth group all the time that you will be able to do that: give God your burdens and let Him lead in your life.
This last Sunday I had the pleasure and honor of recognizing our graduates and challenging them, like Jesus, to use their education to "Go and make disciples of all nations" from Matt. 28:18. I charged these students to remember that their trust must remain in Christ rather than a secular education and career. If we are born again, then whatever we do in this short, fleeting life must be focused on Christ while remembering that our true "home" is never Earth-comfort but the heaven-city of Zion. We constantly seek comfort here in this decomposing, dying body rather than spending what time we have left serving Jesus with all the energy we have.
We have this One Single Summer. What if this summer is our last summer before Christ comes back? Remember, the Bible declares that Jesus' Second Coming is going to be like "a thief in the night." So, again I ask you, what if this summer was our last on this Earth? First, are you ready to meet your Savior and Lord? Do you need to repent and get right with God? Second, what have you been doing lately to tell your peers at school that Jesus loves them and paid for their sins on the cross? What are we going to do as a student ministry to reach out to our community this summer? You have more time than usual with school out to do something worthwhile, so what will you do with this one, single summer? I challenge you to step up and reach out. I challenge you to invite friends to Bible study and try to encourage other students to grow in their faith. I exhort you to take your faith seriously by studying the Bible and praying daily. Please, I am begging you, do not find yourself in August headed back to school for the Fall semester without making any progress in your spiritual journey or any spiritual impact on this community which needs our prayers, love, and service. What will you do with this One Single Summer?
James
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