May I make a few suggestions to help us maintain our enthusiasm and zeal through the rest of this summer season?

Don’t take a vacation from the Lord. The kids are out of school. The college students are home. People take time off of work. All of these things are necessary because they allow us to relax and refresh and regroup. Even Solomon said that we need to see the good and reward from our labor (Eccl. 3:13; Eccl. 5:18).

But no matter what time of year it is, we are still workers for the Lord. We are still accountable for our commitment. That means that there is no such thing as a holiday or a long-weekend for the Christian. The Lord wants us all the time, in season and out of season. That includes June, July, and August.

Make the most of your summer time. How often do you wish that you had more time? “If only there were more hours in the day, days in the week, weeks in the month,” we say. In fact, I can remember a few occasions when I would have been satisfied to have just thirty more minutes. But we have no right to ask for more time when we are such poor stewards of the time we have been given.

What are your plans for the rest of this summer? Young people are free from the distractions of homework and school-related activities. That leaves plenty of time for reading THE book and preparing for Bible class. Many people use up a week or two of vacation from their jobs. What about investing some of that time in improving your relationship with God and the work He has called you to do? No matter what the calendar says, the time is now.

Resist waiting for the fall. There is a temptation to save our best work for when the summer is over. “We’ll wait until school starts.” “Let’s hold off until everybody’s back in town.” “It’s just a few more weeks.”

But what if the Lord should come before September? Surely this time of year fits His coming as “a thief in the night” (1 Thess. 5:2). What a shame to think that our recreation and leisure time could cause us to be unprepared for the judgment. We must realize that procrastination is as deadly during the summer as it is every other season. The Lord is not going to wait around for us.

Let’s use up what’s left of these last summer days. That way, we will surely stay hot for the fall.