Happy St. Patrick's Day - whether you're Irish or wish you were....I just happen to be Mediterranean Irish and prefer pizza to pickled cabbage or whatever it is ya'll REAL Irishmen eat - chuckle!! Blessings to the REAL Irish on this special day - and we "fake" ones will just join in for the food and fun, OK?
Connecting anything "St. Patrick" and "green" with a Red Letter Edition of the Bible and our verses could be a bit of a challenge - but here goes......as WE go out to the fields and pick three-leaf clovers that will well illustrate today's thought, I promise!
First, you must enjoy a wonderful poem by Pastor/Poet Asimakoupoulos: "I'm Looking Over a Three-Leaf Clover". Now note how each leaf of the clover will fit into the "rest" that God's Word talks about in the verses above.
God's Rest for the Body: We beat our bodies to death with stress, stress, and more stress. God, the Creator of the body, says, "Take a break - rest that body I made." Learn how to relax long enough to hear the Father say, "Be still and know that I am God" and you will find HIS rest this day.
The Savior's Rest for the Soul: We weary our souls to death. Our minds, emotions and wills can all wear down the soul for which Jesus died. We carry the burdens He wants to bear, forgetting to lay them down at the Cross and find rest for our souls. Listen long enough to hear our Lord say, "Be still and know that I am God!" and you will know HIS rest this day.
The Holy Spirit's Rest for the Spirit: We wear down our spirits to death. We become so stressed and even discouraged that our spiritual energy registers close to "zero" - we can't pray, we can't listen, we can't learn - we're just beat! He, the Holy Spirit, wants us to rest long enough so He can pour into our downcast spirit His life, energy and power. "Be still and know" that He TOO is God and wants to give you rest this day.
Saint Pat sez, "Next time you see a three-leaf clover, listen close and you'll hear me preach my best illustrated sermon while not saying one word!" Can YOU do that? Try it today! Preach to yourself, "Rest, rest, rest!" - don't say a word, just DO it like St. Pat and the three-leaf clover and you'll have a wonderful, restful, God-empowering, choco-rich, wearing-of-the-green day!
St. Pat's Preferred Link List:
"Saint Pat and Saint Peg!?!"
"Will the Real Saint Patrick Please Stand Up?"
St. Patrick's Day - Holidays at ChristianityToday.com
"A Little St. Patty Day Lovin'" . . . "Irish Blessing"
Enjoy St. Pat's Day Dining (but don't you dare imbibe - or I'm tellin' Mama!)
Fabulous Foods - St. Patrick's Day
Family fun: St. Patrick's Day games/recipes/crafts
St. Patrick's Day Recipes - Hholiday and Events - All Recipes
--by Peggie C. Bohanon. Copyright 2008, Springfield, MO. All rights reserved.
