Daily Devotion

“Benjamin Hobson (1816-1873), a medical missionary of the London Missionary Society, sailed for China in 1839 and ran mission hospitals in Macau and Hong Kong. From 1848 he ran the Wai Ai (Huiai) Clinic in the western suburbs of Guangzhou, assisted by Chinese co-workers such as Liang Fa; his Treatise on Physiology (1851) introduced Western anatomy to China. In 1857 he published his surgical work Xiyi lüelun in Shanghai; ill health sent him back to England in 1859, and he died near London in 1873.”

Wikipedia · Wikipedia, "Benjamin Hobson"

Scripture

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions and difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Reflection

We are accustomed to finding security in favorable circumstances and control, often viewing "weakness" as a flaw to be hidden. However, the Apostle Paul reveals a revolutionary spiritual truth: weakness is precisely the gateway to the manifestation of grace. When illness and setbacks shatter our pride, we realize the limits of human power. It is this "powerlessness" that opens our eyes to hope for salvation. Paul's "thorns" may not have been removed, but he received the promise of "sufficient grace." Weakness is not the end, but the starting point for letting go of attachments and allowing Christ's powerful protection.