Daily Devotion

“I, too, with my two children, moved back into the abandoned home — now so empty and desolate. But let no lament take away the gratitude for ten years of happy marriage, for fellowship in the work of the mission, in faith, in love and in harmony. It was a great gift from God, and I have kept her memory as a precious jewel.”

Lars Erik Högberg · Lars Erik Högberg, En missionärs minnen (Stockholm: Svenska Missionsförbundets förlag, 1924), pp. 49–50, after his wife Eva's death from cholera at Tabriz, Persia, in 1892

Scripture

Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Reflection

Reflecting on Högberg's life of toil amidst the winds and sands of Persia and the Western Regions, as well as Paul's confession of 'not accounting his life of any value,' we often easily limit our self-worth to immediate gains, losses, and security. However, our limited years pass in a flash, and worldly joys and sorrows will eventually fade. The supreme value of life lies not in what we keep for ourselves, but in whether we unreservedly integrate this fragile life into God's eternal Great Commission. When the gospel becomes the direction of our lives, the hardships of time are no longer a torment, but are transformed into badges of grace, granting us peace and fulfillment that transcend our circumstances in both ordinary and difficult ministry.