Daily Devotion

“Devello Z. Sheffield (1841–1913) was sent to China by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and reached Tongzhou in 1869. Finding little success in direct preaching, he turned to education; in 1893 the Tongzhou schools were reorganized as the North China College, and he served as its president until 1909. He wrote numerous Chinese textbooks, including Universal History (1881) and a Political Economy (1896). In 1895 he was attacked by two men and left with more than thirty wounds; after recovering, he petitioned for the release of the attacker who was still in custody.”

Wikipedia · Wikipedia, "Devello Z. Sheffield" (citing Smith 1913, Latourette 1935, Paterno 1970, et al.)

Scripture

Luke 12:20-21 But God said to him, ‘You foolish man, this very night your life will be demanded of you. And to whom will your preparations go?’ So it is with everyone who stores up wealth for himself, yet is not rich in God’s sight.”

Reflection

The rich man in Luke's Gospel was "foolish" because he mistook temporary trust for permanent ownership, building walls around material possessions while his soul remained barren. Scripture reminds us that all worldly wealth is God's trust. True wisdom lies in recognizing one's role as a steward, not building security on accumulation, but directing resources towards righteousness and love, becoming truly rich before God.