Daily Devotion

“The long fight for Tibet has continued for many decades and will be carried on and on until at last it is His. … Let no young man think that it was a mistake that he should bury his particularly fine abilities in mission work in Asia; for it requires in the service of the Kingdom of God just as high an order of intelligence, just as great concentration, just as fine tact, and just as much "punch" as are required to run any great business concern. Come on, young men, and let's help to make the last nation on earth a part of the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

Albert L. Shelton · Pioneering in Tibet (1921), ch. XXXV "Come On!", p. 214

Scripture

2 Timothy 2:3-4 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

Reflection

In the last chapter of Pioneering in Tibet, Albert L. Shelton called the mission "the long fight for Tibet" and urged young men not to think it a mistake to give their abilities to it, but to come and join. Second Timothy reminds us that a soldier does not get entangled in civilian affairs, but seeks only to please the recruiter. We often compromise and shrink back in times of monotony or hardship, forgetting that following Christ is a spiritual warfare with no discharge. Ministry is not about seeking worldly security, but standing firm in the post given by the Lord. Whatever our circumstances, may we not be trapped by present hardships and anxieties, but fix our eyes on that eternal calling. With the loyalty and courage of a good soldier, let us rise to the challenge at the passes of life, until we have finished the race.