Devotion

The man who is devoted to fishing knows that if he wants to catch fish he must accept the demands of getting up before dawn, braving the elements, and spending long hours catching nothing. But the devoted fisherman regards it all as worthwhile.

There are great rewards in being devoted to Christ. Those who believe in Him can anticipate God keeping them full of joy and can overflow with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. But devotion to Christ has its own demands.

Christ was so devoted to the Father's will that He didn't please himself. The Father's will was intensely challenging at times-the Garden of Gethsemane comes immediately to mind. There Jesus shrank from the horror of the assignment, but He devoted himself to the Father and did His will nevertheless.

Jesus also devoted himself to the needs of those around Him. Even the outcasts of society found in Him a friend and support. His arms were open wide to those who responded to His invitation, and He turned no truly repentant person away.

Devotion to the Lord requires that the devotee have the attitude of Christ Jesus. We demonstrate this attitude most clearly when we are devoted to the well-being of others-even those with whom we disagree! We should reach out to those who don't know Christ that they might come to know Him.

If you get nervous about the demands of devotion, you should remember that among the delights of devotion is the experince of being kept happy and full of peace! Serving others, reaching out, accepting people, and not pleasing yourself certainly does not sound like a recipe for hapiness to modern man. But there is assurance enough that this is the way to fullness of Life.

The devoted fisherman who reels in his fish counts the demands of fishing as nothing. The believer who finds happiness in bringing glory to God and blessings to mankind regards the demands of devotion to Christ a delight.

Pastor John