Summertime

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (Colossians 1:15-18 ESV).

As we near June, most of the schools are out for the summer and “vacation” officially begins. For me, since I’m always “on vacation,” the schedule doesn’t look much different. I have noticed that Texas summer weather is beginning to settle in. That means hot and dry in our area. While we have had a lot of rain this spring, we never seem to get enough. The rain is refreshing for our area. We depend on it for many reasons, not the least of which is replenishing our drinking water sources. It reminds me of our reading today. The apostle simply states the refreshing nature of Jesus. That brings me to offer a caution: Flight from him into Christ-less leisure will psrch the soul. At first it may feel like freedom and fun to skimp on prayer and neglect the Word. But then we pay with the encroaching shallowness, powerlessness, vulnerability to sin, preoccupation with trifles, superficial relationships, and a frightening loss of interest in worship and the things of the Spirit. Don’t let summer make your soul shrivel. God made summer as a foretaste of heaven, not a substitute. If you get a wonderful text from a loved one, you don’t fall in love with Sprint! That’s what summer is: God’s messenger with a sun-soaked, tree-green, flower-blooming, lake-glistening letter of love to show us what he is planning for us in the age to come. We should exercise additional caution so that we don’t find ourselves in a position to miss the Creator in view of the created. Jesus Christ is the refreshing center of summer. He is pre-eminent in all things (v. 18). This certainly ought to include vacations and picnics and softball and long walks and cookouts. Of course, his invitation is to enjoy all of the leisure possible this summer. It is designed to bring us “rest” (cf. Matthew 11:28). The real question is whether we want His kind of rest? Christ gives himself to us in proportion to how much we want his refreshment. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). In the summer the earth is very much with us. And it is God’s earth! But, it is all prelude to the real joy of heaven. Summer is for seeing and showing that. I hope you will see the Light beyond the light! Seek that this summer!