Patrick, it turns out, was a wise investor. From his efforts, a great revival lasting nearly four centuries was spawned. And all be he focused his daily strength on the Lord and His Kingdom. Today’s excerpt from Patrick: A Devotional History is found on pages 56 and 57:
“Patrick kept his eyes on the Lord and his calling to the Kingdom and glory of God; and he invested all his strength and resources to fulfill that heavenly calling. The Lord blessed his commitment and all his efforts, as we have seen, using Patrick to lay a solid and widespread foundation for a work of revival that lasted nearly four centuries.
“Like Patrick, each of us has a calling from the Lord. We are agents of Kingdom grace, sent into our world for the purpose of making Jesus known and furthering His rule on earth as it is in heaven. We do not accept this call for any personal advantage, but only to serve the Lord and the people to whom He sends us. We are not our own; we have been bought with the price of Jesus’ blood and righteousness. All that we have comes to us as a gift from God—our time, treasure, skills, relationships, roles, and responsibilities. Like the faithful servants in Jesus’ parable of the talents, our calling is to take what God has given us and invest it wisely, working by every means and in every situation to glorify God.
“Patrick did not worry about his daily provision. He knew Whom he served, and he was quite confident that God would provide everything he needed through His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. In our own ministries, the work we do in our Personal Mission Field, we should follow Patrick’s example, taking initiatives and looking for ways to spend our energies, resources, and time in bringing the grace of God to others. God will open doors for us and show us what to do if we will push on, press ahead, spend and be spent in an effort to reach others with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
For reflection or discussion
1. How are you eagerly investing God’s gifts to further His Kingdom and glory?
2. What can we do each day to improve the investments we make for the Kingdom of God?
Each of us has a niche in the world-field of the Lord. Let us be wise investors of our time, resources, attention, and hard work in sowing and nurturing the righteousness, peace, and joy of the Holy Spirt in that niche. God has invested much in us. Share today’s podcast with a friend, then get together to encourage one another in your Kingdom work. You can download a free PDF copy of our 30-day devotional, Patrick: A Devotional History, by going to The Ailbe Bookstore.
T. M. Moore
