Devotion

During this last week my wife Wendy and I travelled down to the lovely village of North Bradley in Wiltshire to lead a children's holiday club at the local Baptist Church. We had a great time with the children, running the Landlubbers Club – a pirate themed week where we found various clues that finally led us to the treasure!

In preparing for the week we came upon a small problem – North Bradley was a good hour's drive from any significant waterway – never mind the sea! How did pirates manage to arrive at inland North Bradley? – how could we make it realistic for the children?

After making up a story about crashing our pirate ship on the rocks beside Bristol – some of the kids suddenly realised that we were stuck without a ship to sail home in! Some of the men in the congregation gave this some thought and then came up with the idea of building us a ship in the field behind the church. The result is below:



Quite spectacular, really! It just goes to show what can be accomplished when a group of willing people put their minds to it and devote the time and effort required.

For some of the men, this really became a labour of love and they committed a good bit of their spare time to raising this model ship from imagination to reality. You see, they were devoted to the kids who came along to the holiday club and to the Christ who was being spoken of at the club.

Whilst these men may not have been directly involved in the running of the holiday club, this was their bit! An act of devotion to Christ, and his mission to turn all men to himself.

I wonder what you're devoted to? Perhaps you may take some time during this coming week to consider this and the depth of your devotion to Christ. It will be easy – you will most likely be devoted to the thing that takes up most of your spare time.

You may find the words of this song by Margaret MacMillan helpful as I have:

In the depths of my soul's greatest longing
I am coming, dear Saviour, to thee,
Offering each thought and deed for refining;
Let thy touch now descend upon me.

Draw me close to thee in deeper consecration;
Wash me, Lord, and cleanse my soul from fear and dross;
Sanctify me with the fire of thy indwelling
As I tarry in the shadow of the cross.

May God richly bless you.

Graeme Parkhill