jrstephens
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Shhhhhh- don't tell my husband the HISTORY teacher! HA!! I have never cared for St. Patrick's Dau, so I never searched out the beginnings of it. I got this in my email daily devotional yesterday.
"Do not be conformed to this world . . . ."
- Romans 12:2
What Can Happen!
St. Patrick's Day was originally a special day that honored a man through whom the Lord did an incredible work. Around the year 390, Patrick was born into a Christian family in Britain. At age 16, his village was raided by the Celts and he was captured and taken to Ireland where he was sold as a slave to one of the tribal chiefs. He eventually escaped from his captors and returned to Britain. Years later, Patrick had a dream in which he saw Irish children begging him to bring the gospel to them. He took this as a sign of God's calling, and, in 432, he returned as an ambassador of Christ to the very land from which he had once escaped.
Little is known about what happened next, but, just a few years later, most of Ireland had converted to Christianity. Close to 300 churches were established and roughly 120,000 people had been baptized as Christians. This work had an ongoing impact as Ireland became the major center for the translation and preservation of Scripture. There's no telling how many souls were eternally affected as a result of the work that God did through Patrick. Consequently, the church in Ireland decided to set aside the day of his birth, March 17, by tradition, in honor of his service for the kingdom.
How things have changed! For many, this day has become an excuse to get drunk in public. Two years ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) calculated that there were 72 alcoholrelated car crashes on Saint Patrick's Day. Another study revealed that on St. Patrick's Day, drivers face a 23% increase of being injured or killed by another driver under the influence of alcohol. This digression serves as a warning of what can happen when worldliness goes unchecked. Whether it's a holiday or a human heart, the world has the ability to ruin something that once stood for the glory and grace of God. The church at Corinth knew this all too well. And it's something that we must be on guard against lest we become "just like them."
What does the decline of today's holiday demonstrate?
How will you share the truth about this holiday's origins?
"Do not be conformed to this world . . . ."
- Romans 12:2
What Can Happen!
St. Patrick's Day was originally a special day that honored a man through whom the Lord did an incredible work. Around the year 390, Patrick was born into a Christian family in Britain. At age 16, his village was raided by the Celts and he was captured and taken to Ireland where he was sold as a slave to one of the tribal chiefs. He eventually escaped from his captors and returned to Britain. Years later, Patrick had a dream in which he saw Irish children begging him to bring the gospel to them. He took this as a sign of God's calling, and, in 432, he returned as an ambassador of Christ to the very land from which he had once escaped.
Little is known about what happened next, but, just a few years later, most of Ireland had converted to Christianity. Close to 300 churches were established and roughly 120,000 people had been baptized as Christians. This work had an ongoing impact as Ireland became the major center for the translation and preservation of Scripture. There's no telling how many souls were eternally affected as a result of the work that God did through Patrick. Consequently, the church in Ireland decided to set aside the day of his birth, March 17, by tradition, in honor of his service for the kingdom.
How things have changed! For many, this day has become an excuse to get drunk in public. Two years ago, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) calculated that there were 72 alcoholrelated car crashes on Saint Patrick's Day. Another study revealed that on St. Patrick's Day, drivers face a 23% increase of being injured or killed by another driver under the influence of alcohol. This digression serves as a warning of what can happen when worldliness goes unchecked. Whether it's a holiday or a human heart, the world has the ability to ruin something that once stood for the glory and grace of God. The church at Corinth knew this all too well. And it's something that we must be on guard against lest we become "just like them."
What does the decline of today's holiday demonstrate?
How will you share the truth about this holiday's origins?
