Two-thirds of Earth’s surface is water. The human body is made up of between 50 percent to 65 percent water. Without water, we cannot survive.

Dehydration is a very dangerous condition.  In many places, it is the lack of clean water sources that causes diseases and death. We desperately need water.

But at this point there are some who are saying, “We have had enough.” Those of us who live south of Interstate 16 have not been as devastated as others, but we have observed those who have. I’ve read the accounts of flooding in South Carolina, and my heart aches for those people whose lives have been so disrupted. And I have seen a video taken recently of Toccoa Falls, and I recall when the dam failed in 1977.  

Water is absolutely essential to life. And yet, water can be so destructive. We cannot live without water. We drink it, cook with it, bathe in it, clean with it, depend on it for electricity and use it for transportation. We even use water in our recreational activities, whether to fish, swim, ski, surf, dive or sail.  

But water can be dangerous. Recent events on Tybee Island as well as the recent heavy rains have reminded us of that.

Can I suggest something to you that you might find surprising at first? God is like water in that same way. God is essential to life as it was intended to be. God created us for himself, and we are not all that we can and should be until we find our place in his plans and ways. No one reaches full potential in life without God in his or her life.

And yet the Bible says, “Our God is a consuming fire.” A lot of people miss that altogether. Any discussion about God will inevitably lead to comments about his love and grace, and those are certainly apropos. But God is also holy and perfect, and he calls for the same thing from us.  

I hope that you know about the marvelous love of God. It is seen most clearly in the life and work of his son, Jesus Christ. But I also trust that you know that God is perfect and holy, and that you will one day stand before him in judgment. I pray that you will spend the rest of your days preparing for that moment.