File: /pub/resources/text/Our.Daily.Bread: db940519.TXT
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OUR  DAILY   BREAD                  Thursday,   May 19,1994
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READ: Galations 6:6-10

             "THE PATHETIC PELICAN"

                He who sows to his flesh
           will of the flesh reap  corruption.

                              - Galations 6:8

Pelicans, with their huge beaks, are strange-looking  birds.
But  I  saw  one  that  was  especially weird.  Its beak was
crisscrossed, as if someone had pulled the upper  and  lower
parts in opposite directions.  He was a pathetic sight!

Remembering that pelicans zoom headfirst from a considerable
height  into  schools  of fish to obtain their meals, I won-
dered if this particular bird had seen such a tempting catch
that he dove into water that was too shallow for him and hit
bottom.  I don't know if this is what happened, but it  made
me  think about the consequences and sometimes permanent ef-
fects of bad choices.

Many  people  today  carry  with  then  the  scars  of  sin.
Although  it  is  true  that  "if we confess our sins, He is
faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to  cleanse  us
from  all  unrighteousness"  (1 John 1:9), physical and emo-
tional problems often remain.  Those who live a reckless and
unrestrained  life  may  bear the marks of their destructive
lifestyle to their dying day, even  though  in  later  years
they are marvelously saved.

When you're tempted to sin, remember the  pelican  with  the
mangled  beak.   God  will forgive you when you confess, but
the consequences may last a lifetime.

Author:  Richard W. De Haan

 The bounty of God's matchless  grace
 Is  greater  than  our vilest deeds,
 Yet from the evil that we sow
 There may remain a crop of weeds.  - Dennis J. De Haan

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
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One reason for doing the right thing today
   is tomorrow.

The Bible in One Year:  Psalms 115 - 118

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