Document: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db931226.TXT
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    OUR DAILY BREAD                       Sunday, December 26, 1993
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    Read:  Matthew 25:1-13

                                BE READY!

                Watch therefore, for you know neither the
           day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
                             --Matthew 25:13

    As  a  teenager,  Jim  Tait wanted to make  maple  syrup,  so  he
    purchased  some catch buckets and a boiling pan.  Then he  tapped
    the  trees  and collected the sap.  His father told him  what  to
    watch for after he began boiling the sap.  But instead of keeping
    his eye on the steaming liquid, Jim left it for a few moments  to
    consult with his father.  While he was gone, the sap became milky
    and began to bubble.  Moments later Jim returned, but it was  too
    late.  The   sap  had  turned  to  syrup,  and  the   syrup   had
    crystallized and burned.

    In  the  parable  of the 10 virgins, Jesus  was  instructing  His
    followers to be ready at all times to meet the bridegroom,  whose
    coming  represented  Christ's any-moment return  to  this  earth.
    They were to live so that the Lord would find them as ready as if
    they had known the exact moment of His appearing.
     
    The fact of Christ's imminent return to this earth benefits us as
    Christians  in many ways.  It helps us to be ready  and  watching
    for  the  Lord,  to  be obedient, to be  faithful,  and  to  bear
    spiritual fruit.  It is also a purifying truth that gives us hope
    (1 John 3:3).

    Are  you  watching for Jesus' return?  If you knew  it  would  be
    today, would you be ready?

    Author:  David C. Egner

             Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,
                     In His glory they shall share;
                If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,
                     Will He find us watching there?
                                --Crosby

    THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
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    Since Jesus may come at any time, we must be ready all the time.

    THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Revelation 1-3

          

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