I love to fish. One summer a good friend invited me to go with him to Canada, where a guide would take us to a special place where there were supposed to be plenty of "big ones."

After a grueling hike, finally we were drifting quietly in a canoe on a beautiful lake. Loons screamed their disapproval of our intrusion. A big black bear ambled out of the brush to the shore. And then an owl broke the silence with a long, "Whoo, whoo, whooooo." Our guide stopped paddling and said, "Did you hear that? The owl said, 'Drop everything and set up camp. Get ready for a storm.' When an owl hoots in the daytime, it means rain before the next day." Sure enough, that night it rained.

In Matthew 16, Jesus rebuked the religious leaders because they knew how to predict the weather (vv.2-3), but they failed to recognize the obvious signs that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Later in that same chapter He warned His hearers about the judgment to come (vv.24-28). He said it is foolish to grab the things of this present world and yet lose one's own soul for eternity (v.26).

Have you trusted Jesus as your personal Savior? Have you turned to Him for refuge from the coming storm? If not, drop everything of this world. It's time to get ready.  — M.R. De Haan