Jesus ends his most famous sermon with a great story:

If you hear and obey, Jesus said, you’re like a person who builds their house on a solid foundation. The storms come, the rain falls, the wind blows, and the house stands strong. If you only hear, you’re like a person who builds their house on the sand. The storms come, the rain falls, the wind blows, and down goes the house.

The main point of the story is that hearing doesn’t really help. It’s hearing and then obeying that makes the difference in our lives.

Here’s why that matters so much. The storm comes either way.

If you’ve ever heard a “preacher” on tv, you might get the idea that if you keep listening (and sending them money), you’ll be saved from the storm. But that’s not really how God’s story goes. The storm comes to us all. The only questions for us is whether or not we’ll be left standing when it does.