SAINT PATRICK . . . SAINT BOB?

 

SHEPHERD TO SHEEP 

SAINT PATRICK . . . SAINT BOB?

 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:  (Ephesians 1:1)

We have always known there are people who are more holy than us.  Their lives are dedicated to God completely and unreservedly.  We feel dwarfed by them.  They seem to have attained to a higher level of spirituality while we feel bound to the earth and even subterranean.  But Paul calls all the Christians in Ephesus saints!  That means you and I are saints too!!  Hard to believe isn’t it?  Especially when you think how you acted this past week.  But “saint” means “holy one” and according to the Word of God we have been made holy by what Jesus did on the cross.  There at Calvary He died for our sins and now those who put their trust in Him are given Christ’s  righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).  What a deal!  Thank-you, Lord!! 

So when you see those statues of certain saints remember they were just fallible people like you and me.  There’s nothing more special about them than us.  They might have done great things for God but aren’t we?  Aren’t we working hard to provide for our family?  Aren’t we making sacrifices for our kids?  Aren’t we going the extra mile to serve the Lord in the places of ministry and influence He has put us in?  No one has a more exclusive level of godliness than the other.  And furthermore, we are not saints because we do things for God.  We’re saints because He made us saints.   “ . . . we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7).  That means you’re either a saint . . . or you ain’t!   

On March 17 we celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day.  People dress up in green and bear shamrocks and eat corned beef and cabbage.  We have a vague recollection that there was a saint in Ireland of long ago but not much more is know of him.  But he was a real figure in history.  Patrick was born in Britain around 389 A.D.  At sixteen years of age he was sold into slavery to Ireland for six years.  There in Ireland he had visions from God and was able to escape and return home.  Back at home he had a dream where he heard the Irish pleading with him to return and to walk among them again.  That he did, and Patrick became a missionary to Ireland determined to convert the whole land to Christ.  One of his teaching tools was the shamrock which he used to explain the Trinity (Three in One).  Patrick was able to secure tolerance for Christians in Ireland during his life there.  (Whether he drove the snakes from Ireland we don’t know and falls into the category of legend). 

Saint Patrick . . . Saint Bob . . . Saint Kathy . . . it doesn’t matter.  By the grace of God we are all saints in Christ Jesus! 

Louie