Making Every Moment Count

Hey friends, welcome to today's edition of Our Daily Bread. The devotional for today, titled Making Every Moment Count, was written by James Banks. The halted hands of a pocket watch in a library's archives at the University of North Carolina tell a harrowing tale. They mark the exact moment, 819 and 56 seconds, the watch's owner Elisha Mitchell slipped and fell to his death at a waterfall in the Appalachian Mountains on the morning of June 27, 1857. Mitchell, a professor at the university, was gathering data to defend his correct claim that the peak he was on, which now bears his name, Mount Mitchell, was the highest one east of the Mississippi.

His grave is located at the mountain's summit, not far from where he fell. As I ascended that mountain peak recently, I reflected on Mitchell's story and my own mortality and how each of us has only so much time. And I pondered Jesus' words in Matthew 24 about his return as he spoke to his disciples on the Mount of Olives. So you also must be ready because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Jesus clearly indicates that none of us knows either the moment he'll return and establish his kingdom forever or when he may summon us to leave this world and come to him. But he tells us to be prepared and keep watch. Tick, tick, the clockwork of each of our lives is still in motion.

But for how long? May we live our moments in love with our merciful Savior, waiting and working for him. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Matthew chapter 24, verses 36 through 44. But about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage.

Up to the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other left.

Two women will be grinding with a hand mill, one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this, if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Now let's pray. Loving Savior, we know that your return could be at any time, and we wait with anticipation. As we wait, would you fill us with a love for others that compels us to share you with them? And may they accept you as their Savior and know the true freedom that only you can give. It's in your name that we pray. Amen. Thanks for taking the time to listen today. My name is Wes Ward, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.