There are two major storms moving their way toward the Gulf Coast and one of them is a hurricane. As I was praying for the people on the Gulf Coast this morning on my way into work, I was thinking about something Jesus said at the very end of the Sermon on the Mount, he says,

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.- Matthew 7:24-25

So what words is he referring to? The words of the entire Sermon on the Mount, which is kind of like a Bible Study on the Ten Commandments. I want you to notice that the wise man who built his house on the rock who followed Jesus was not immune to the worst of storms. These are really big robust words in the Greek language used to describe this storm and the wise man is not immune. Bear in mind, when he refers to "those who put them in the practice" or "those who don't", that is a churchgoer he is talking about. That is someone who is sitting in the pew hearing the sermon and does not put them into practice. He compares them to a foolish man who built his house on sand. It's the exact same storm with two completely different outcomes.

We prepare for the real-life hurricanes by building our houses according to the code of how things are to be safely built. We hedge up our lives against the storms of life by listening to and doing and practicing what Jesus said in Scripture so whether you have family in harm's way on the Gulf or whether you feel like you are sitting in the midst of a metaphorical hurricane, just know that your friends here at KCBI love you and we are praying for you.