Daily Devotion

“Over the long span of thirty years, we have witnessed countless lives transformed before the Cross. Whether they were drug addicts in the ancient cities of Shanxi or wanderers in the depths of the desert, whenever the power of Christ was infused into them, broken lives were made new.”

Francesca French · Hwochow: Three Decades in a Chinese City

Scripture

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Reflection

In Shanxi and the Gobi Desert, Francesca French witnessed opium-bound addicts and helpless wanderers transformed before the Cross. We often think that certain habits, hurts, or desolate circumstances are impossible to change, but the power of the gospel never depends on a person's past or the desolation of their environment. A new life is not achieved through self-repair, but by allowing the life of Christ to be infused into us. Today, no matter which part of your heart is as dry as a wilderness, or if you are weighed down by the baggage of the past, believe deeply that the love of the Cross can still transcend all that lies behind. It can carve out rivers of living water in the midst of despair, giving you a brand-new beginning.