HOT DAYS OF SUMMER

We are now in the hot days of summer. Some parts of our nation have been excessively hot and dry for weeks, hurting animal and plant food production. Our experience in life would tell us this excessive heat must be because we are closer to the sun in the summer than in the winter, but just the opposite is true. Right now in the summer, planet earth is 4% farther away from the sun, our heat source, than it is in the winter.

Today in the northern hemisphere, we are 95 million miles from the sun. In January, our coldest time of year, we are only 91 million miles away from the sun. So why aren't we hotter in January, since we are closer to the sun than we are now? The answer has to do with the angle of the sun's rays.

Heat is caused by the earth's absorbing the sun's rays directly, not by how close the sun is. When the sun shines more directly on the earth, not being deflected by angle or atmosphere, the heat is at its greatest. In winter, the angle of the sun's rays deflects the heat, and the earth and air are colder as the sun's rays bounce off the earth. In the summer, the sun's rays come at a more direct angle to the earth, allowing the earth to get warmer.

I think we can learn something from this about our relationship with God. Living close to a church, or having been brought up in the church, or even having a few Bibles in our house - none of these will bring us closer to God. We must be looking to God, seeking His will, praying to Him and being open to His blessings in order to get closer to Him. That is why regular worship is important. Worshipping God with other Christians gets us right in line with God's Word and helps our faith become stronger than if we are alone or separate from other believers.

Hebrews 12:2 tells us, "Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith." When we seek Jesus, fixing our eyes on Him and His Holy Word, we have a better chance of receiving His blessings and strength. True, just going to church won't make a person a Christian. But being in Church gives us a better chance of having our faith grow than if we are not there.

When I was young, most of us tried to get a dark tan in the summertime. These days we're warned that too much sun can be harmful, and even cause skin cancer. Conversely, it's extremely rare that we can get too much God, or too much church. The Devil, the world and our sinfulness will keep that from happening. But just as living in the darkness and away from the sun for long periods of time can be harmful, so also we can suffer from too little contact with God.

It's far better to be in line with Jesus and His Word, than in line with the world.