Daily Devotion

“Young John Allen (1836–1907) arrived in Shanghai in 1860 and served in China for forty-seven years. In 1868 he founded the Church News (Jiaohui Xinbao), renamed the Globe Magazine (Wanguo Gongbao) in 1874; in 1881 he founded the Anglo-Chinese College in Shanghai, later merged into Soochow University. Advocating "using learning to support the faith," he was at once missionary, educator, translator and newspaper editor.”

Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (BDCC) · "Lin Lezhi (Young John Allen)," Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (bdcconline.net)

Scripture

Psalm 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen for their inheritance!

Reflection

Young John Allen's lifelong work of publishing, teaching and proclaiming the true Way resonates with the psalm, directly addressing the essence of civilization and life. In this age that reveres technology and efficiency, we often mistake political and economic development, academic and technical expertise, for panaceas, neglecting the fact that without the true faith as its foundation, prosperity ultimately amounts to nothing. The prosperity of a nation, the stability of a family, and even the transformation of an individual's life do not depend on external material accumulation, but on whether the heart reveres the true God and submits to the righteousness of Heaven's will. Only by returning to the foundation of faith, being chosen and molded by God, can life enjoy true happiness and eternal peace.