Daily Devotion

“They (the ancients) called this supreme and divine being 'Heaven' or 'God,' meaning the sovereign, the divine reason, the creator and protector of all things.”

Louis Le Comte · Recent News in China

Scripture

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In the beginning the Word was with God, and through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

Reflection

Li Ming's interpretation of the ancient Chinese tradition of reverence for Heaven resonates with the theology of "natural revelation" in Romans. This reminds us that God's universal grace and divine reason (Logos) are deeply imprinted in creation and human history. We cannot use narrow cultural prejudices to imprison the universality of the Gospel. Reflecting on our current missionary work and life testimonies, we should emulate the "contextualized" wisdom of Christ's physical manifestation, keenly perceiving the traces of God's grace left in different cultures and even in the wilderness of individual lives, using respect as a bridge to connect with truth, so that the Gospel can truly take root.