Summer's Lesson

When people think about “summer” the name seems to conjure up different meanings.  For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, summer is the season that falls between spring and fall, from late May to late September.  To others summer is the three months of June, July and August.  Still others consider summer to be the months of July and August – the hottest months of the year.  Can you believe that some people consider summer as just the month of August? The Bible has a lot to say about summer and here are some of the things it explains.

1)      God created the summer.  “It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter” (Psalm 74:17).

2)      Summer will always bring heat.  “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer” (Psalm 32:4).

3)      As the earth exists there will be summer.  “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease” (Genesis 8:22).

4)      Some people use summer for saving food.  “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!  It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest” (Proverbs 6:6-8).

5)      Wisdom considers summer a time to gather produce.  “He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” (Proverbs 10:5).

6)      Living water will one day flow in both summer and winter.  “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter” (Zechariah 14:8).

All of these things are interesting; however, think for a moment about another idea regarding summer.  Summer and harvest represent God’s opportunities for us to repent. That is an interesting concept, but even those times will pass as the scripture states.  “The harvest is past, the summer has ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).  How would you answer these two questions: (1) Have you repented?  The Scripture says, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).  (2) Are you ready for the Lord’s return?  The Bible says, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him” (Matthew 24:44). So, let’s learn a lesson from summer and take the action that God suggests in His Word.