How are you doing? YOU. Not the Gospel Advancing youth leader, or the spouse, or the parent or whatever other role you might fill from time to time. Letās just talk about you.
How are you doing? Are you in a place where God is overwhelming you with His presence? Maybe youāre in a place where His presence seems far away. When was the last time you spent some long quality time with God? When was the last time you read the Bible for hoursāfor the sole purpose of God speaking to you? Are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Are you empty? Do you feel alone?
The greatest asset to your Gospel Advancing Youth Ministry is youā¦actually it is God in you. How would you rate your spiritual life right now? The best thing you can do to take your students to the next level might be to take a break, set aside the details and logistics of your youth ministry for a short time and rejuvenate your deep, rich, satisfying relationship with God that brings you great joy and spiritual strength.The greatest asset to your youth ministry is youā¦actually it is God in you. Share on X
Stretched Thin and Running Ragged?
Above what we can give God through the work of our hands, He desires that love in our hearts. He longs to speak to YOU. He longs for you to SEEK Him. The shorter Westminster Catechism says, āThe chief end of man is to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.ā Do you enjoy Him or is it past time to reconnect with Him on a deeper level?
If you sense that youāre stretched thin and running ragged, here are some practical ideas you might try to create some space for a time of deeper intimacy with your Heavenly Father who longs for you to crawl up in His lap and connect with Him.
Make time to get away for a dayāor an overnightāto a place with no TV or internet, and then exercise the discipline to shut your phone off. This kind of media-free zone is increasingly difficult to find if youāre not into tent camping deep inside a National Forest in the wilds of the Mountain West. If you canāt find a place where this is part of the package, then vow to observe a media fast during your block of time away. The point is to create a space where you can reconnect with God without all the high-tech umbilical cords weāve all grown so dependent on and distracted by.
Trained spiritual directors often observe that there comes a time when the most spiritual thing you can do is rest. So, if you need toā¦make room for some holy REST! Not to be lazy and idle, but to restore and recharge your batteries in a way that points you toward a refreshed focus on your relationship with God. The 21st Century Western Church has pretty much relegated the concept of a weekly Sabbath Rest to the dustbin of church history, but deep down, do any of us really doubt that God knew what He was doing when within the first week of Creation, He modeled a day of rest? Maybe thereās a reason He built it into The Ten Commandments right alongside no false gods and no murder. If youāre exhausted, there may very well be a good reason why. But thereās really only one way out of that gaping hole that saps your energy for living all-in for Jesus and sucks the joy out of your life. Holy REST.
Green Pastures and Still Waters
Do you sometimes feel like a gerbil in a cage running endlessly on a wheel thatās taking you nowhere fast? Make a covenant with God to only give to your youth ministry out of the abundance of your relationship with Him. Pause and breathe in Godās goodness and grace on a regular basis. Itās impossible to model a life fully-devoted to God and the advancement of His Kingdom for your students if you arenāt tapping into His power and presence through your own vibrant relationship with Jesus.
Try This! āÆ
Mediate on Psalm 23 line-by-line this week. Memorize a few of the lines that particularly speak to you, so you can draw on them when you need to tap into Godās abiding presence and power.
Mindfulness and whitespace are common buzzwords today used to describe a calming, quiet space for dialing down the noise and tuning into your more reflective side. Is it possible that these current secular trends that typically leave God out of the picture are a faint shadow of a concept thatās been a chapter in Godās book for thousands of years? Itās called Psalm 23.
Try mediating on Psalm 23 line-by-line. Lie down in green pastures and walk beside quiet waters, so He CAN refresh your soul and guide you along right paths. Memorize a few of the lines in the Psalm that particularly speak to you. Or better yet, work toward memorizing the whole thing so you can tuck it away deep in your soul and draw on it whenever you need to tap into Godās abiding presence and power.
TheĀ LordĀ is my shepherd,Ā I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides meĀ along the right paths
for his nameās sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a tableĀ before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cupĀ overflows.
Ā Surely your goodness and loveĀ will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of theĀ Lord
forever (Psalms 23).
Do you feel His presence in your life? How full is your cup? Who are you spiritually when youāre not a youth leader? Answering those questions from a place of spiritual depth and strength is one of the very best gifts you can give your students and your Gospel Advancing Ministry.
Want more practical advice on mobilizing your teens to share the gospel? All of ourĀ Mobilize storiesĀ offer great ideas for training your students and building a Gospel Advancing Ministry.Ā Sign up hereĀ to receive this free, hands-on resource in your inbox!