This morning while I was reading my Bible, I came across a passage familiar to many of us from a Sunday School song:  "The wise man built his house upon the rock..."

 

 

But this time I noticed the beginning of the passage: "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." (Matthew 7:24).  What words of Jesus?  How had I NEVER noticed that this story comes right at the end of the Sermon on the Mount?!?

What a "coincidence" that our pastor is preaching through the book of Matthew and just reached the Beatitudes last Sunday.  So I grabbed Aaron's parallel Bible to give me a fresh perspective on a familiar passage and jumped in...

 

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope.  With less of you there is more of God and his rule."  Matthew 5:3 MSG

 

This is going to be exactly what I needed. Of course, the Lord knew I needed to be here today.