Happy St. Patrick’s Day // Colossians 1:27

Colossians 1:27 (NLT) | For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

I hope you’re looking for more than the luck of the Irish today, but the goodness of God! St. Patrick’s Day is better known for partying and all things green, but the story of Ireland’s Patron Saint is really quite beautiful.

St. Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, because this is the anniversary of his death in 461 AD. He was born in 385 AD in modern day Scotland. We don’t know much about his early life; in fact his autobiography essentially begins when he was sixteen years old and kidnapped by barbaric Irish pirates. Patrick did not have an active faith in Christ, but that changed during his captivity. He wrote about how his faith developed and deepened to help him through the long, hard days. He was eventually freed and returned home to Scotland where he became a priest. Patrick felt an immense burden for his captors so he pledged to return to Ireland and bring Jesus with him. His missionary work in Ireland was not well received at first; in fact, even the king wanted Patrick dead. The king’s heart was changed over time and Patrick even baptized him with many others following suit. Patrick’s commitment to sharing the grace of God that got him through his captivity led to the spiritual freedom of an entire country!

I think St. Patrick’s story is quite remarkable. The lessons he learned from God due to his captivity led to the deliverance of many. The same is true for you and me. Christ is in you and God wants you to share that with the world. You might think your circumstances are tough, but not many of us have been kidnapped and enslaved by barbaric pirates. Still, we can know what it’s like to be held captive by other things that want to keep us in chains. Thank the Lord that He is the chain-breaker, and our deliverance can help others find freedom, too.

The words in the image below are known as The Lorica of St. Patrick. It is a prayer inscribed on a breastplate associated with Patrick. As you read the words, give thanks to Christ within you and seek out ways to share the good news of Jesus with someone today who needs to find freedom today.