Daily Devotion

“The secret of the success of the Apostles lay not in what they did and said, but in the presence of Christ in them and with them. … Brethren, this is what we must be, if this mighty Empire is to be moved through us. But to be this the throne of grace must be our refuge — the secret place of the Most High must be our daily and hourly habitation. We must take time to become filled with His power; we must take time to be holy.”

Griffith John · "The Holy Spirit in Connection with Mission Work", Shanghai Missionary Conference, 1877; in R. Wardlaw Thompson, Griffith John: The Story of Fifty Years in China (1906), pp. 326–327

Scripture

James 2:17, 22 So faith without works is dead. ... Therefore, faith works in harmony with his works, and faith is perfected through works.

Reflection

Griffith John's call to make "the throne of grace" our refuge reminds us that faith should not merely be intellectual knowledge or self-satisfaction confined to a secluded room. Reflecting on our lives today: Do I only cry out in times of difficulty, yet shrink back when action is needed? True piety is drawing love from above in prayer and then transforming that love into concrete steps of serving others. Without a burden for others, prayer easily becomes hypocrisy; without God's power, action will ultimately wither. Only by balancing spirituality and practice can life have depth.