I WIll Go

"And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

In a recent sermon, our Pastor challenged us to be people who say "I will GO" in response to our Lord's command. Today, I share with you a devotional about St. Patrick, the man for whom the celebration is named, and a man who took seriously the command to GO. I have culled information from various sources, including Facebook and Wikipedia.

Saint Patrick was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. At 16, Patrick was captured in a raid and became a slave in what was still radically pagan Ireland. It was during the time of his captivity that he turned from his careless ways and came to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. He was convicted that he was a sinner. In his own words,

“Before I was humbled, I was like a stone lying in deep mire, and He that is mighty came and in His mercy raised me up and, indeed, lifted me high up and placed me on top of the wall. And from there I ought to shout out in gratitude to the Lord for His great favors in this world and forever, that the mind of man cannot measure.”

Far from home, he clung to the God he had ignored as a teenager. Even though his grandfather had been a deacon, and his father a town councilor, Patrick "knew not the true God." But forced to tend his master's sheep in Ireland, he spent his six years of bondage mainly in prayer. He escaped at the suggestion of a dream and returned home.

Patrick was in his mid-40s when he returned to Ireland. Palladius had not been very successful in his mission, and the returning former slave replaced him. Intimately familiar with the Irish clan system (his former master, Milchu, had been a chieftain), Patrick's strategy was to convert chiefs first, who would then convert their clans through their influence. Reportedly, Milchu was one of his earliest converts.

Though he was not solely responsible for converting the island, Patrick was quite successful. He made missionary journeys all over Ireland, and it soon became known as one of Europe's Christian centers. This, of course, was very important to fifth-century Christians, for whom Ireland was one of the "ends of the earth."

So, on this St. Patrick's Day, my challenge to you is a simple one: in obedience to God's command, and out of gratitude for His grace, GO!

And as you go, keep these words of St. Patrick in mind: "May the strength of God pilot us, May the wisdom of God instruct us, May the hand of God protect us, May the word of God direct us.

Love in Jesus,
Hank Botts

Tweet