For us, summer may be an ideal time to enjoy and profit from reruns of the most basic texts in the Bible, such as the creation account, the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord’s Prayer, the love chapter (I Corinthians 13), or on the Blessed Hope, our Lord’s return to claim His own.

“Summertime and the living is easy . . .” so goes the song in Porgy and Bess. Life lightens up in the summer. We wear lighter clothes, eat lite, and aim for lighter workloads and schedules. As believers, we tend to follow suit (seersucker, that is!)

We may lighten up with the rest of the world in some of these same areas. In the spiritual realm, however, we dare not go lite, as the Prince of Darkness never takes a vacation nor slows down in casting his shadow over our lives or in our society. Do weeds ever stop growing in gardens, on lawns, or between sidewalk slabs? That is the perspective or best picture of how the evil one operates and persists—very subtly—in our lives, in the summertime. We need to be more watchful in not letting down our guard than at any other time of the year.

Consider what faces believers in summer. We wear lighter clothing hoping to stay cooler; some go too far and wear a lot less. This can lead to temptation to the flesh in the hearts and minds of those who struggle to be pure and chaste not only in action, but in thought as well. Modesty is one area in which we may not lighten up for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We cannot afford to be a stumbling block or source of offense to anyone.

Though diets may tend toward the lite side with more salads, fresh fruits, and vegetables, we cannot afford to lighten up on spiritual nourishment. We need all the milk and meat of the Word we can get. It enables us to keep our sensibilities sharp and discernment keen. Christians must be vigilant in the area of discernment, as falsehood and misinformation are so rife; the truth of God’s Word is often mocked in the most benign ways by our society, culture, and the world.

One evening, I enjoyed a live band concert in the park. The music and evening breeze were delightful and refreshing following a very hot day. A guest baritone vocalist began singing with a rich, mellow voice. In the past, I’ve always enjoyed George and Ira Gershwin’s music, but this time the lyrics disturbed my heart and soul. The song from Porgy and Bess was “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” He sang of miracle after miracle recorded in Scripture and concluded, “What they say in the Bible, it ain’t necessarily so!” I could not applaud. This was a direct attack on the truth in God’s Word. It’s not enough for Christians to decry the perverse art of a Robert Maplethorpe or the obscene lyrics of 2Live Crew; we must be sensitive and discerning of the most sophisticated and acceptable renditions of art in our society—how they mock principles and precepts God has entrusted to us. It’s only daily and deeply feeding on God’s Word that keeps sensibility and discernment keen on the cutting edge of life. This is another area where we cannot lighten up in the summertime.

Hopefully, workloads and schedules may lighten in the summer. Societies along the Mediterranean basin and south of the border slow down. Nevertheless, attendance to worship of God and fellowship with other believers cannot afford to lighten up.  “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).”  He is worthy of the same concentration of worship in all seasons. We never cease to need support, encouragement, and exhortation from other believers, nor they from us. Summertime is no time to relax our schedule of worship of God or fellowship with those of like faith. Just as we might increase physical exercise in summer, so it is an appropriate time to increase spiritual disciplines in our lives.

Characteristic of the summer fare on network television is that of reruns. Reruns represent what the media consider their best. For us, summer may be an ideal time to enjoy and profit from reruns of the most basic texts in the Bible, such as the creation account, the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord’s Prayer, the love chapter (I Corinthians 13), or on the Blessed Hope, our Lord’s return to claim His own.

If we comport ourselves wisely and carefully, we may find that the dog days of summer will not overwhelm us.

Helen Louise Herndon is a member of Central Presbyterian Church (EPC) in St. Louis, Missouri. She is freelance writer and served as a missionary to the Arab/Muslim world in France and North Africa.