April 4, 2026
— William Milne · Source: A Retrospect of the First Ten Years of the Protestant Mission to China (1820), Appendix
2 Corinthians 12:9 He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, that Christ’s power may rest on me.
In his Retrospect, Milne cautioned mission societies and public speakers against holding up one or two missionaries as idols of the public, because it breeds comparison and jealousy among small bands of workers who had labored in harmony—and because missionaries, however meritorious, are still men "compassed about by like infirmities." True unity is not an accumulation of talent, but ceasing to compare who is superior. Paul reminds us that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. When we stop rushing to prove ourselves and instead acknowledge our limitations and our need for our co-workers, Christ's power rests upon us. Today, in my own team, am I quietly comparing, or wholeheartedly helping my co-workers succeed?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for guiding my heart in service through Milne's words and Paul's teachings. Lord, forgive my vanity in always wanting to prove my abilities; I often hinder unity when I insist on my own opinions. Grant me the courage to embrace my weaknesses, so that I may understand that only when the ego shrinks can Your power be fully magnified. Lord Jesus, bless our ministry team, so that when integrating different resources and backgrounds, we may stop comparing ourselves with one another and work together for the same goal. May we experience Your sufficient grace in every act of yielding, so that our collaboration is no longer a contest of human strength, but a manifestation of Christ's power. May this door of the Gospel open wider because of our humility. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.