Years ago, I attended a four-day conference in Stuttgart with 150 women from various nations. These women came together to renew, refresh, and grow their ministries. The pastor’s wife of the international church convened the meetings, bringing leaders eager to deepen their relationship with Christ.

They asked me to address, “How can we stay fresh and vital in our relationship with Christ so we can bless others?” 

And so we went back to the basics. We all needed to take responsibility to grow our own soul. “How do you manage that in the long run?” they inquired. “What keeps you going, Jill? How can we finish strong?”

It is my conviction that often we don’t need to learn anything new. 

Sometimes we just need to be reminded of what we know very well already! If we all returned to the fundamentals of knowing and loving God, we could each become formidable for Christ and His cause. We all need to just take care of business.

Shortly after I came to Christ, I realized I am responsible for nurturing my relationship with God by intentionally caring for my interior life. This was worth a conversation with Him, who is my Savior, don’t you think?

“Lord,” I began, “You mean I need to take responsibility to grow my own soul?”

“I am the only one who can give you life and life abundant, but the growth of your heart relationship with me needs to be developed. There are principles that make it work.”

“Like what?”

“You need to have a plan.”

“It sounds sort of unspiritual—to have a plan! Doesn’t it just happen inside you without you doing anything?” 

I knew the answer to that, of course.

After our talk, I spent a bit of time thinking about it. I considered other relationships in my life. They didn’t just happen; they needed work! 

Why wouldn’t the most important relationship of all take work too? Of course, this is holy work! God’s work! Work He is willing to do in us if we just do our part.

So how do we do our part?

• Read or listen to His Word and pray—the two essentials to grow your soul. Spend some minutes celebrating Him every day—reveling in Him. For this to happen, you need to have a spiritual plan, especially in the summer months when our plans relax.
• You need a schedule with time set aside where this can happen. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).
• Be practical. Get your calendar or schedule out. Block off 30 minutes each day for your spiritual life and growth in God’s Word. Plan it and make an appointment. Then keep it! Get excited. Make it a goal to prioritize your relationship with God this summer.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the gift of a personal relationship with You. Help me to treasure this relationship above all else and to prioritize time with You each day. Give me wisdom to create space in my schedule to seek Your presence and pray with an open heart. Remind me that nurturing my soul is a joyful privilege. Teach me to be intentional and eager in my pursuit of You, knowing that when I draw near to You, You draw near to me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

For deeper reflection, listen to Matthew 6 today!