Children have been singing about the coming storm for years. In Bible classes and especially in VBS they sing in unison about the rain falling and winds blowing, and yet they tell us about the house built by the wise man that withstands the storm because it's built on the rock. The song of course is taken from the closing words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 7:24-27).

We all build a life according to the principals we believe in. In the sermon on the mount Jesus teaches us about developing a true spiritual character with the beautiful beatitudes. He teaches about honest and truthful worship as He implores His disciples to avoid the dangers of hypocrisy. Jesus tell us we must learn about the properly prioritized life, as He speaks of putting spiritual goals before the material things of life. He speaks of self examination, opposed to critical judgment of others, with the picture of the log in the eye of a person who is looking for the speck in the eye of another. A picture that is hard to forget! At the same time He tells us not to be gullible, but to use good judgment in regards to the things we hear and follow. To hear Jesus, and to make these principals a part of our life, is to build wisely, it is to build on the rock.

Both the wise man and the foolish man of the story built houses. Both of them encountered storms. One house stood and the other fell. Storms come, they always have and always will. Trials, temptations, persecutions and disappointments. But through it all our houses can stand because the foundation can be solid.

Since we surely know that storms are coming, then it is wise to listen and build wisely. In other words to prepare. It is popular among some to blame God when houses collapse instead of inspecting the foundation. But why fault the blueprint, when, in the building of the house, the blueprint is ignored? Truly, out of the mouth of children comes wisdom - the storm is coming. How are building?

For a free Bible correspondence course, e-mail bcc@ moment.net or call 833-4884