Daily Devotion

“I settled in Luyi, near Jiangnan, with the purpose of bringing encouragement and support to the desolate church from there.”

Gottfried Xaver von Laimbeckhoven · Standard Biography, Krahl 1964

Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Reflection

Gottfried Xaver von Laimbeckhoven was appointed Bishop of Nanjing in 1752, yet was never able to enter his own diocese throughout his life. From 1759 onwards, he lived in Luyi, Henan, for nearly thirty years, aiming to bring encouragement and support to the desolate church from there. Though his title was never realized and the post never attained, he did not leave. If today I feel I have been placed in the wrong position or am doing insignificant work, I might first ask: Can I right here bring a little encouragement and support to the desolate people around me?