Daily Devotion

“The expenses of this journey are borne entirely by myself—on this point, no one can have any cause for complaint.”

Mary Ann Aldersey · A Female Pioneer in China: The Life of Mary Ann Aldersey

Scripture

Acts 20:33-35 I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'

Reflection

At the age of forty, Mary Ann Aldersey traveled far alone, paying all her own expenses out of pocket, and largely shouldered the costs of the girls' school herself. Paul said in Miletus, "These hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me." Not burdening others, but instead being able to help the weak—such ministry relies neither on titles nor budgets, but on a pair of willing hands and a contented heart. Today, if I always wait for resources to be fully ready before taking a step, I might as well first ask myself: Is what I already have in my hands enough to help just one person?