More Precious Than Gold - 1 Peter 1

The Ides of March are upon us bearing the joyous celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. A mixture of Irish lore and traditions, combined with commercialism and hedonism, our modern memorial is a far cry from the true meaning of St. Patrick’s life. 

Patrick wasn’t a Brit who wanted to go party with the Irish pagans at their Spring festivals. He was captured and enslaved by the Irish, and eventually escaped back to England. As he became a priest, he felt a deep concern for those enslaved in sin back in Ireland. He went back to the land that enslaved him with the freeing message of Jesus Christ.

Patrick knew the Gospel was more precious than gold, and that the souls of men and women were more important than comfort in his homeland. The reason Patrick is remembered is because of his faithfulness to the Gospel, but folklore and other traditions have removed the holiday from its true meaning. 

I must confess that I haven’t done a deep dive into St. Patrick’s story recently, and I am sure there is a lot of information on what motivated him and what he wrote about. But perhaps it was reflecting on 1 Peter 1 that captured his heart for spreading the Gospel. 

Read 1 Peter 1

Salvation is more precious than gold. Trials will come to test our faith, as gold is purified, so too will God purify our faith. Peter reminds us that we were ransomed by the blood of Christ, which is worth more than gold. 

Gold is a valuable metal, and it holds its value when currencies struggle. It has become a sign of great wealth and importance in our culture. And yet, Revelation describes it as the paving stones of heaven, “streets of gold.”  Perhaps that is a reminder that the temporal things we value in this life are of little value in the next. 

This is the point here in 1 Peter, that the Gospel, our faith in Christ, is more precious than gold. Because of Jesus’ work on the cross and the merciful kindness of the Father, we can be in a right relationship with God. This should cause us to strive to live obedient lives as a reflection of the One who saved us. Seeing the eternal significance of the Gospel will cause us to be willing to risk everything for the sake of Christ.

St. Patrick saw it, and he left his comfort to see his enemies become his brothers and sisters. There is much we can learn from his faithfulness. I will leave you with his prayer as an encouragement: 

"Christ be within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ inquired, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me."