This being St. Patrick’s Day, and me being of Irish descent, I thought I’d look up a little bit of information about him. He was born in England sometime in the fifth century when the Romans controlled it. At sixteen, young Patrick was captured by pirates and taken to Ireland as a slave, where he was held for six years. He spent much of that time as a shepherd, and he wrote that it really helped his spiritual development.

It’s interesting to me that he would go back to Ireland—to the place where he had been enslaved—to share the gospel with them. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” It’s one thing to forgive the coworker who blows his stack at you and then apologizes. Choosing to go to the country where you spent six years as a slave, in order to win them to Christ, is at an entirely different level.

But then again, when you think that Jesus chose to come to earth, to live among the people who were sinning against Him, for the express purpose of sacrificing His life for those people, it seems like he was just trying to be a good follower of Christ. You and I should be so dedicated.

As you pray today, thank God for Jesus’ incredible dedication to us—the very people who sin against Him—and ask for His help to have the same love for others that He had for us.