Daily Devotion

“The Swedish missionary Theodore Hamberg (1819-1854) arrived in Hong Kong in 1847 under the Basel Mission and worked with Karl Gutzlaff's Chinese Union. He found that many of its Chinese preachers did not understand the message of salvation, and some were opium smokers who sold their tracts back to the printers; favoring a more careful approach to conversion, he discharged all but a handful of them. He went on to build up a church among the Hakka, instructed Hong Rengan, who was baptized in 1853, and from Hong Rengan's account wrote The Visions of Hung-Siu-Tshuen, and Origin of the Kwang-si Insurrection (1854).”

Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Christianity · BDCC, "Theodore Hamburg" by Laura Mason (bdcconline.net)

Scripture

1 John 1:7, 9 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ... If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Reflection

Standing before a holy God, we often mistakenly believe that piety is built upon our own deeds or worldly achievements. However, Theodore Hamberg's wariness of false conversions and 1 John 1:7, 9 earnestly remind us: the true way out for the soul lies not in boasting, but in genuine repentance. Prayer is not a bargaining chip to seek fame and wealth from God, but a channel to lay down our disguises and confess our guilt. When we dare to step into the light, the cleansing of Jesus' precious blood dispels the darkness, allowing our lives to be thoroughly reconstructed and transformed in His faithfulness and righteousness.