“Summertime and the livin’ is easy fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.” This line is from a famous lullaby composed by George Gershwin and written by DuBose Heyward for the opera, Porgy and Bess. It always reminds me of the warm, relaxing and hopeful days this season can bring. As a kid did you enjoy summers? Were they full of wonder and adventure? Whatever time of year it is and however little or demanding your responsibilities are, don’t be satisfied with doing mediocre work or spending time only indulging yourself. God has a grander plan. He wants the best for you which goes beyond anything you can achieve yourself. A saving relationship with Jesus is the key. Don’t settle for less joy and development than God has made you for. This summer and each day venture into discovering who God designed you to be and what he has set for you to do in Jesus.
Here are four things you can do to avoid settling for less than God’s best.
1. Step Into the Light
The key to a fulfilling life is a saving relationship with Jesus. He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to God except through him (John 14:6). He is the light of the world. Let his light wash over you, expose you, purify you, nurture you, and guide you. Although it can be uncomfortable, it is necessary for your growth. Don’t cower in darkness afraid to let him change you (John 8:12; 3:16-21). Acknowledge that living for yourself keeps you from living for God. That sinful rebellion opposes the abundant life you could have in Jesus and ends in your death. Instead of living life on your own terms, choose to trust and obey Jesus and he will save you from death, give you victory over sin, enable you to know God, and empower you to become greater than you could ever be on your own.
Salvation is an ongoing process as God teaches you and transforms you into the likeness of Jesus. Over time through sanctification God illuminates the self-centered sin and shortcomings in you that he must redeem. Ask God to help you see these the way he does. Be repulsed by sin. Hate what is evil and cling to what is good. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to separate you from your sin. Don’t coddle it. Confess it and crucify it. When you do, realize that God is faithful to forgive you (1 John 1:9). Don’t let Satan convict you and defeat you over past failures. When God forgives you, he no longer blames you. You are free to move forward in growing with him. He relates to you not as what you were, but as all he hopes for you to become in Jesus.
2. Avoid Giving In to Temptation
Be wary of temptation. It entices you to settle for less than God’s best for you. Jesus experienced all that we could be tempted with and yet he did not sin (Hebrews 4:14-16). He serves as our model of how to live in this fallen world and still faithfully love and obey God. One example is when Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before starting his public ministry. This was a pivotal season of communing with God the Father, praying, reflecting on his Father’s love for him, and preparing to sacrificially save the world. While Jesus was isolated and vulnerable, Satan tempted him to glorify himself above God. He tried to exploit Jesus when he was hungry and weak to indulge himself. He also tried to persuade Jesus to take things into his own hands, promote himself, misuse his power, and bypass suffering. In each case, Jesus overcame temptation by focusing on God rather than himself and by combating Satan’s lies with God’s truth (Matthew 4:1-11).
As he did with Jesus, Satan tempts you with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. When Satan tempts you, know that there are higher stakes involved than you realize at first. When he tempted Eve she convinced herself that it was okay to disobey God because the fruit was good for food, it looked delicious and it would make her wise. However, beyond any short-term gratification her sin along with Adam’s separated them from God and disposed themselves to continually putting their own will before his. They were banned from the wondrous garden of Eden; they died spiritually; they lost their innocence and became aware of evil and shame; they degraded the relationship between each other; and they abdicated their authority over the earth to Satan. Adam and Eve’s sin poisoned all of creation bringing unprecedented death, decay, disease, and natural disasters.
Don’t believe Satan’s lies. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He tempts you with temporary delight, but leaves you with lasting despair and devastation. Instead walk closely with God and humbly rely on the wisdom, truth, and power you have in Jesus to combat any temptation. Beseech God as Jesus instructed his followers to pray, “Lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil” (Matthew 6:13). In addition, don’t set yourself up for failure. Avoid situations or people which can cause you to stumble in running the race of faith. The apostle Paul advised Timothy to “flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). Don’t fall for lies related to temptation like: No one will know, everyone is doing it, I deserve this, God wants me to be happy, it’s okay just this once, it’s not hurting anyone, God will excuse it, I am weak, or I can’t help it. No, sin has consequences. “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7-8). Fortunately, you can overcome through Jesus. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). Don’t let temptation entice you to settle for less than God’s best for you.
3. Develop a Network
Following Jesus is simple, but not easy. It involves yielding your will to God’s so that his exceedingly glorious way of life becomes yours. Fortunately you are not alone on this journey. God has given you his Spirit to counsel, comfort, correct, train, and empower you (John 14:16-17, 26, 16:7-15). He has also given you other believers (Proverbs 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). Develop a strong network of support and accountability through a three-tiered approach in your relationships. 1.) Establish godly mentors and advisors. 2.) Cultivate peer friendships with believers who are in a similar season of life as you. 3.) Invest in younger believers to help them mature in Jesus. For instance, the apostle Paul was taught by Gamaliel and Jesus. Paul and Barnabas ministered together as missionaries. Paul invested in training young Timothy. Be honest, transparent, and vulnerable with these people about your struggles. Pray for and support each other. Address failures promptly. Celebrate victories together. In addition to his Spirit in you, God will use people you look up to, people you identify with, and people who look up to you to challenge you, inspire you, confront you, encourage you, and keep you accountable so you don’t settle for less than God’s best.
4. Exchange Mediocre for Best
As the good shepherd, Jesus is calling you away from dangers which can harm you, as well as, from seemingly worthwhile activities that can hold you back from progressing. He is continually guiding you farther in and higher up in order to replace what’s good with what is best. Taste and see that God is your best (Psalm 34:8). Find your wellbeing and greatest pleasure in pleasing him. Develop joyful rhythms of daily walking in his presence. Sing his praises, study his word, share his truth, serve all people, stand in the gap to intervene, and stay dependent on him (see Today for Jesus for more details). Let his goodness change you and fill you to overflowing. Busy yourself as Jesus did—laying down his life to serve and save others (Matthew 22:34-40; John 15:9-13). Remember that temptation is not just alluring you to do what you shouldn’t. It can also keep you from doing what you should by enticing you to busy yourself with less than God’s best. Don’t fall for that. Use the time, talents, and treasure God has entrusted you with to love him and serve others (Matthew 25:14-30).
Conclusion
There is much for you to learn to become like Jesus who is the forerunner of all you are meant to be. By God’s grace and power, you can and should be working toward that. After Jesus died and rose again he returned to heaven to prepare a place for all who believe in him to reign with him (John 14:3). Soon he will return to earth to consummate his kingdom which will involve rewarding believers, judging unbelievers, fulfilling God’s promises to Israel, establishing righteousness, vanquishing evil, and ushering in an new, eternal heaven and earth for his family of believers (Revelation 19:11-21:8). Before leaving earth, Jesus told his followers, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21). God has placed you in your sphere of influence at this time in history in order to join him, become like him, and represent him to others. Don’t settle for any lesser activity. Step into the light of Jesus. Overcome temptation. Be accountable. Give your utmost for God’s highest. As in Gershwin and Heyward’s Summertime song, rise up singing, spread your wings, and take to the sky. Learn from what Jesus said and did to reach others with God’s love and salvation. Pray that his will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-13). Let him develop his character in you and carry out his will through you. This summer start becoming the best God has designed you to be.