I love old sailing ships. Probably that had something to do with enjoying the Hornblower Series. The first book of a trilogy, Mutiny on the Bounty, got me hooked. I spent the next two weeks reading Men against the Sea, and then Pitcairn Island. From then on, and I was in Grade 8, I admired sailing and those who faced the wide oceans' challenges. 

Ships carried a sense of purpose. They were always going to a destination. That impressed me and still does today. Having a sense of purpose is what I enjoy searching for as I listen to a speech, a sermon, or when watching a movie. 

I love the amazing workmanship, the care, the cleanliness, and the details that sailors appreciate. Even the way they tie the knots is an art form. Everything has to work right, or some kind of a crisis can arise. Teamwork and commitment are essential.

One day, in May 2010, a dozen tall ships lined the dock in Istanbul. I appreciated the opportunity to wander along the decks of all but one of those beautiful vessels. Two of the ships have a modern purpose: to teach young men and women how to sail. 

As I examine the scriptures, I find dozens of places, hundreds of them, where God's purposes are laid out in breath-taking detail. Looking at a sailing ship, you see the care that sailors take in preparing the vessel for visitors. In the Bible, God's purposes are often found after the words "in order that" or "so that." 

Here are a couple of verses that always stir me. They act as a wind in my sails. A tall ship's mast holds many sails, and the wind powers the ship, perhaps around South Africa, or through the towering waves around the tip of South America. 

Here, fill your sails with this:

"God raised us with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace, you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:6-10