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Now that summer is upon us, many will turn their attention towards a time of rest and relaxation.  Some may plan vacations that will take them to far off exotic places, while others may look for simpler destinations closer to home.  Then there are those who will travel no further than their favorite chair to relax from the hustle and bustle of life.  As I think about how many of us will take time from our busy lives to enjoy the carefree side of living, we must always be aware of the one who never seems to take a vacation. 

 Thinking back to the passage of scripture found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4 verses 1 through 13, when Jesus went to relax and pray in the wilderness for forty days, the devil took every opportunity to distract him from God.  The devil worked hard to get Jesus to look away from God and focus his attention on worldly things. The devil went as far as to tempt Jesus with the things many humans desire to have, but Jesus did not give in.  At the end of the forty days, Jesus successfully completed his time of communing with God in the wilderness with no guilt or shame of having given into temptation. 

 Not unlike the time Jesus spent time in the wilderness, the time we will spend on vacation will also come to an end. And when it does will we are able to return to work, with our conscious clear knowing we have also managed to resist the temptations that came our way? 

 The only way to do this is to stay on your guard, stay focused on Jesus, and ask God for strength if the devil tries to make you weak or wear you down. 

 Beloved people of God let us enjoy our well-earned time of vacation and the most wonderful thing I can share with you is, just as the devil doesn’t take a vacation, neither does God! 

Have a Wonderful Summer,
Pastor Dwayne