DEVOTION – DAY 422

Devotion, 12 Feb 2024

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here!”

During the lunar new year, Chinese people like to wear new clothes. They like to spring clean their homes so that it feels clean and fresh. They decorate their homes as if it is new. This is to welcome a new lunar year and it is to enjoy the time with one’s family. But all these activities deal with the external. Inwardly, people remain the same and nothing has changed. But the apostle Paul said in 2 Cor.5:16, that before his conversion to Christianity, he had followed the world’s thinking that Jesus Christ was a heretic. When he was confronted by the truth about Jesus Christ, his understanding of Jesus was changed forever. From being a persecutor against Christians, he became a strong supporter and promoter for Christianity to the Gentiles. He is able to say in 2 Cor.5:17 based on his own personal experience that if anyone had converted to Christianity, he or she is a new creation. Inwardly, they have been changed forever. Christians have the Holy Spirit in them that slowly changes them from the inside out into the kind of people that God wanted them to be. The old has gone, and the new is here!

John Sung was born in Putian, Fujian, China in 1901. His father was a Methodist pastor. From an early age, he helped his father in church and even substituted for his father when he was too busy or too ill to preach. But his early Christian upbringing was all just in his head. His faith in Jesus had not taken root in his heart. He was sent to USA for studies and he was a brilliant scholar getting a doctorate in Chemistry within 5 years. In 1926, he thought he would complete his education by enrolling in a Seminary. In Seminary, John Sung diverted his attention to Buddhism, mysticism and he even translated Laozi’s Tao Te Ching into English. He wanted to consider if Laozi’s teaching might be for him. But one day, he was invited to an evangelistic meeting and he was so struck by the message of Jesus Christ and the gospel that he went four more times. For the first time, he understood the gospel and recognized that he was sinner. He opened his heart to Jesus and he was changed from that day. He began to share the gospel with everyone he met causing his fellow students and lecturers to think he was insane. They had him committed to a mental asylum where he spent 193 days. During that time, he read the Bible 40 times. He did not complete his seminary studies and returned to China in 1927. He began preaching about Jesus and he became well-known as a zealous and compelling preacher. He was invited to speak across China and by 1936, more than 100,000 Chinese were converted through his ministry. Between 1938-39, he preached revival meetings in Thailand and he shared gospel in parts of South-east Asia. Sadly, he died of Tuberculosis in 1944 at the age of 43. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, thank you for your gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit that changes us from within. Please help us to obey and serve you all the days of our lives. We humbly pray in the glorious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. Share how you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
  2. How have you been changed in terms of your character, outlook and habits once you have become a Christian? What changes have your family and friends noted in you?
  3. If you have not yet become a Christian, what is preventing you from making the decision to follow Jesus?
  4. How can you tell someone about Jesus during the lunar new year holidays?