Hi there. Thanks for joining us for today's reading from the Our Daily Bread Devotional.

It was written by Marvin Williams, and he's titled it, Stay Awake.

A German bank employee was in the middle of transferring 62 euros and 40 cents from a customer's bank account when he accidentally took a power nap at his desk.

He dozed off while his finger was on the two key, resulting in a $222 million, $300 million, transfer into the customer's account.

The fallout from the mistake included the firing of the employee's colleague who verified

the transfer. Although the mistake was caught and corrected, because he hadn't been watchful,

the sleepy employees' laps almost became a nightmare for the bank.

Jesus warned his disciples that if they didn't remain alert, they, too, would make a costly mistake.

He took them to a place called Gethsemini to spend some time in prayer.

As he prayed, Jesus experienced a grief and sadness such as he'd never known in his earthly life.

He asked Peter, James, and John to stay awake, to pray, and keep watch with him, but they fell

asleep. Their failure to watch and pray would leave them defenseless when the real temptation

of denying him came calling. In the hour of Christ's greatest need, the disciples lacked

spiritual vigilance.

May we heed Jesus' words to remain spiritually awake

by being more devoted to spending time with Him in prayer.

As we do, He'll strengthen us to resist all kinds of temptations

and avoid the costly mistake of denying Jesus.

Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is a sober passage from Matthew

26, 26 through 46. Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemini, and he said to them,

sit here, while I go over there and pray. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him,

and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them,

...