A couple of months ago, we bought a playhouse for our grandchildren.  The instructions said it would take about 16 hours to assemble, so when we got it home, we went right to work to put it all together.  With four of us working on it, we hoped 16 hours would only be 8, but after putting in 24 hours, it still wasn’t completely done.  By then we were all sick and tired of working on it and decided to finish it later.  There was enough of it done for the children to have fun on it.  The playhouse came with stakes to anchor it down, but it was 11 pm and we decided it should be fine for a few days. Besides, we didn’t want to anchor it down before moving it to where we permanently wanted it to be (which hadn’t been decided yet). A few days later, we arrived home to find the beautiful playhouse completely knocked over onto it’s side with several broken pieces.  A strong wind had come up and because we never took the time to anchor it, it couldn’t stand up in the storm.

Matthew 7:24-27 (The Message) “These words I (Jesus) speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit – but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.But if you use my words in Bible studies, and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards.”

Don’t talk the talk and not walk the walk! Jesus doesn’t want to be an add-on to your life, He wants to be your life! Get to know Him – let Him be the anchor in your life, so when the storms come (and they will!), you will be standing because He will hold you up!