Daily Devotion

“Mary Ann Aldersey (1797–1868) came from a wealthy nonconformist family in London. She studied Chinese under Robert Morrison in London and paid for other women missionaries to go to Malacca. Never an agent of any missionary society, she went to Asia on her own in 1837 and started a school in Surabaya; after the treaty ports opened in 1843 she moved to Ningbo and opened a school for girls, becoming the first Christian missionary woman to serve in China proper. In 1861 she handed the school over to the Church Missionary Society and retired to South Australia.”

Wikipedia · Wikipedia, "Mary Ann Aldersey"; see also The Spirit of Missions, Sept. 1847 ("an English lady not connected with any society")

Scripture

Philippians 3:7-8 But whatever I considered gain to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Moreover, I consider everything loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost all things; I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.

Reflection

Mary Ann Aldersey came from a wealthy London family, yet, attached to no missionary society, she went at her own expense to Southeast Asia and then to Ningbo to open schools; her life resonates deeply with the Apostle Paul's account of his own. In the eyes of the world, leaving a comfortable home for a distant land may seem senseless; but on the scales of the Kingdom of Heaven, all things treasured by the world may be counted "loss" and "dung." True wisdom lies in recognizing what truly constitutes an eternal and indestructible crown. When we completely surrender our lives and exhaust ourselves for the Lord, what may seem like a tremendous sacrifice is in fact the greatest gain. This is not asceticism, but a willing, joyful, and romantic journey undertaken after recognizing the supreme treasure of Christ.