Daily Devotion

“The preacher of the gospel proclaims everywhere those great truths which lie at the foundation of democratic principles, as for instance, the intrinsic value of each individual soul in the eyes of God and its latent power of sonship to the Highest; the brotherhood of man; and the Fatherhood of God. Then, in addition, he awakens in the minds of his hearers new conceptions of righteousness and sin, and puts before them higher moral ideals than any they have ever apprehended. Furthermore, he implants in their hearts new hope in regard to salvation and personal immortality.”

Francis Lister Hawks Pott · The Emergency in China (1913), ch. "The Influence of Christianity"

Scripture

Acts 17:27-28 That they may seek God and perhaps find him, for he is near to each one of us, in whom we live and move and have our being. Even some of you psalms say, ‘We are his offspring.’

Reflection

F. L. Hawks Pott's account of the gospel in China, proclaiming "the Fatherhood of God" and a new hope of immortality, echoes Paul's preaching in Athens, reminding us that God has long instilled a thirst for truth in the hearts and minds of people across different cultures. Christianity is not cold dogma, but rather responds to and fulfills humanity's search for the highest good with boundless sublimity and love. God is not far away; every breath and every moment of our existence is imbued with His Fatherly presence. This endows us with the moral zeal to practice our faith in daily life and with spiritual conviction and eternal hope in a turbulent world.