Devotion (John Seed)

44. Devotion

Once Joseph's flock had filled the church, Joseph began to greet his children and begin his sermon. The Father stood at the front of the church, greeting his flock with his usual passion and devotion.

"Devotion is defined by the dictionary as the love, loyalty, or enthusiasm for a person or activity. It is also defined as religious worship or observance. We must be devoted to God 'for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord's' -Romans 14:8" Joseph opened his sermon with meaning and passion, instantly gripping everyone's full attention.

"Every part of our lives should be devoted to him 'whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God' -1 Corinthians 10:31. We should apply this to our daily life and to those that we love. As it is said in Deuteronomy 6:5 'you shall love your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might', this should surpass your devotion to God. Apply this message to those in your life that you love, apply this message to your family, your brothers and sisters, to me and my family, apply this message to those who you care deeply about" the Father continued to preach.

Usually Amelia would try to listen to Joseph's sermons but find it difficult to not drift away into her own little world. But this time she seemed to be listening to his words more intently than usual, she was almost as hooked on his words as the members of his flock.

John gently wrapped his arm around Amelia's waist and pulled her into his side, the gesture distracted her long enough to look up and John and smile. He was still watching his brother as she smiled at him, she then turned her attention back to Joseph and gently rested her head on John's shoulder.

"Devotion is when you hold the well being of others above your own. Devotion is to love unconditionally, to love irrevocably, to love without being guided with other people's judgement or prying. I am devoted to God, I am devoted to my family, and I am devoted to you, my children, as you are devoted to me and to God" Joseph continued, gesturing out in a welcoming manner to his flock.

"We all learn about devotion in different ways, the voice taught me about devotion, and I hope that I have taught some of you about devotion. My family is devoted to each other and to the project. Devotion can transform, it can be spread to more subjects, my brother, John, has found something new to be devoted to" the Father preached, gesturing over to John and Amelia.

The flock turned to look at them and Amelia blushed lightly, hanging her head to try and ignore their gaze. John squeezed her side gently to comfort her.

"Devotion can be complicated, we wish that it was easy, but the difficult path makes the destination so much more fulfilling. A true story of devotion is in this very church, whether it is your journey to faith, our journey to Eden's Gate, or the journey the brought John and the deputy together" Joseph smiled brightly. Amelia's eyes widened a little, why was he talking about them? She didn't like having the flock's attention on her, she still felt uncomfortable with it, John knew this and tried to keep her out of the centre of attention. Until now, for whatever reason. She pressed further into John's side to feel more shielded and comfortable, John noticed her discomfort and tightened his arm around her.

The rest of Joseph's sermon revolved around the topic of devotion, ending with the usual topic of Eden's Gate. Reminding his flock to dedicate themselves to the project to be able to walk through Eden's Gate. When the sermon ended, Joseph's flock gathered to speak personally or say goodbye to Joseph and his siblings. Another thing that Amelia had to get used to was the cultists approaching John to confess to him or to wish him farewell.

While the Seeds spoke to the flock, John took Amelia's hand in his and led her towards the front door. They slid out of the church and he walked her around the building, walking towards the gardens. "What did you think of Joseph's sermon?" John asked as they entered the gardens.

"I have to admit that he had my attention more than he usually does" Amelia admitted and laughed lightly. "But I don't really understand what was so important about the sermon" she hummed curiously.

"I think that he just wanted us to be there because devotion is a very serious matter in the project. Plus, we were part of his speech, it would only be appropriate that we were there" he shrugged.

"I suppose that makes sense, I still don't see the importance" she smiled, wrapping her arm around John's as they walked through the gardens. "Did you not want to stay and speak with the flock?" Amelia asked and looked up at him.

"I would much rather be spending my time with you, plus I need to talk to you about something" he confessed and stopped walking once they reached the centre of the garden.

"Oh, well that's never good" Amelia frowned a little, concern clear in her eyes, as she pulled away from his side and stood in front of him.

"It's nothing bad, I promise" John assured her, placing both hand on either side of her neck as he kissed her forehead in a loving and reassuring manner. "I was actually the one who suggested that Joseph talked about devotion today" he told her.

"You were? Why?" she asked, she thought that John didn't know anything about the sermon.

"I have been thinking about it a lot recently. Being a part of the project and preaching about Joseph's teachings and Eden's Gate, I speak about devotion a lot. I realised that I am devoted to my family and my faith, and I want to devote myself to you. I want you to devote yourself to me" John spoke, his hands gliding down her arms and holding her hands in his.

"John, I think that I feel the same why but what are you trying to say?" Amelia nodded, trying to figure out exactly what John meant and where the conversation was going.

"I spoke to Joseph and he told me that devotion should be followed by commitment. Amelia, I want to begin and end everyday with you beside me, the thought of loosing you makes my heart sink. I love you Amelia, will you marry me?" John asked, holding both of her hands in his as he knelt down on one knee.

Amelia's mouth opened to say something but no noise came out, she expected to just being going to church...not to be getting proposed to. John didn't know how to take her silence so he just casually reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. He opened it to reveal a beautiful ring with multiple diamonds decorating the band, one large diamond in the centre. Amelia became even more speechless, it was so beautiful.

The silence seemed to go on forever and John found himself becoming nervous. Only seconds ago he was so confident and so sure, but now he was second guessing his choice.

Just as John felt as if he was going to stand up and tell her that he was joking or find some sort of excuse, her voice cut through the pounding in his ears. "Yes" Amelia smiled and nodded. "Yes, John" she nodded again, her smile growing.

John smiled as he slid the ring onto her ring finger. He tucked the empty box back into his pocket and stood up. Amelia instantly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, he instantly responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her back.

John never thought that he would be getting married or engaged, he was never the type to settle down and he never thought that anyone would want to spend their life with him. Amelia never saw John as somebody who would be interested in marriage and she had never been more happy to be wrong. John was so grateful for Amelia and thought that he was the luckiest man on God's green earth. The new Eden was nothing compared to Amelia.