Daily Devotion

“Wang Mingdao (1900–1991) had no theological education; his Bible-grounded preaching stressed repentance, conversion, holiness, purity and truth, and his Christian Tabernacle in Beijing baptized no one who had not shown real fruits of salvation. Arrested in 1955, he for a time signed a confession against his conscience; released with a grieved conscience, he revoked it in 1958 and was at once returned to prison, not to be freed until the end of 1979. From then on he set himself a standard of absolute honesty, resolving that it was better to die in prison than to lie.”

Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity (BDCC) · BDCC, "Wang Mingdao (Revised and Updated)" by Yading Li, bdcconline.net

Scripture

2 Timothy 2:21 If anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy beings useful to the Master of the house, ready to do every good work.

Reflection

We often fall into worldly evaluation systems, focusing on displaying talent, accumulating knowledge, and pursuing fame, while neglecting whether the essence of our lives is pleasing to God. Wang Mingdao's lifelong witness to holiness and honesty, like the Apostle Paul's reminder, is a powerful wake-up call: God does not care about the material or ornamentation of the vessel, but only whether it is clean. Without holiness and reverence, even the most outstanding abilities are nothing more than empty warnings. Today, we should examine our hearts and turn away from impurity and vanity.