"Summer Sun"

That hot old summer sun,

Makes you thankful for a breeze,

Unless you have an indoor job,

With AC if you please.

But if you’re out there horseback,

Or workin’ on some fence,

Or balin’ hay or clippin’ weeds,

You can’t remember since,

There was an easy summer,

With lots of work and sweat,

And though I’m not a young man,

Seems lots to get done yet.

Why only on this mornin’,

When the day had scarce begun,

In the driveway stood a heifer,

That was out and on the run.

Didn’t take so very long,

To get her back in place,

And then to fix where she got out,

It set the whole day’s pace.

Fence work that I tended to,

And grass I had to cut,

Before it got to one oh one,

And I was nothing but,

Drenched from hat to booted toe,

And glad to find some shade,

Looked like I’d been baptized,

Before the light could fade.

Just one or two more chores to do,

But I cannot complain,

Just thankful to be doing,

Not sick or in some pain.

I praise God for the honor,

Of the work He gives to me,

Whether it’s a-horseback,

Or a sermon soon to be.

The daily opportunity,

Is here, the gift of now,

And I dare not waste it,

Or procrastinate somehow.

But with His help redeem the time,

And by the Spirit’s power,

Try to get the chores all done,

Every day and every hour.

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil…” (Ephesians 5:14-15, NAS)

The scriptures encourage us to make the most of the time the Lord gives us. Evil always competes with God-given opportunities and tries to steal them. All the more reason to live on purpose and be filled with the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit leads, fills, and controls our lives the odds are stacked that we get the work done that He’s calling us to do. No matter the task, the Spirit-filled life helps us redeem the time.

Lord, help us maximize every opportunity, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Bill Anton, used by permission. Thanks, Bill, and God bless you.