November 16

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. — Matt 25:13 BSB

Jesus used the metaphor of a thief coming unexpectedly in the night to illustrate the suddenness of His return. Life, like the Jewish night, can be divided into three watches: youth, maturity, and old age. The call to meet God may come at any of these times.

A writer once described his experience with a camping party that took turns standing watch at night. The first night, they guarded the camp diligently. But the second night, feeling safe in the area, they let their guard down until bedtime. While they were relaxing in the main tent, singing songs and telling stories, the other tents were robbed. All their valuable belongings were stolen, and it happened before they realized they even needed a guard.

In the same way, it is never too early to begin watching against sin.