April 27, 2026
— David Hill · Source: Letter to his father, April 25, 1875; in W. T. A. Barber, David Hill, Missionary and Saint, 3rd ed. (1899), p. 138
James 2:15-17 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warm and well fed,” but does not provide them with the necessities of life, what good is it? In the same way, faith without works is dead.
David Hill's letter serves as a mirror: even as he traveled by boat circulating Christian books along the river, he grieved over young men enslaved by opium. We often oscillate between the extremes of "only preaching" and "only doing charity." The Book of James reminds us that faith without compassion is pale; but if we only focus on social reform, we forget that the root of suffering is the loss of life. True love, like David Hill's, is both bowing to touch the wounds of the times (such as poverty and addiction) and looking up to guide us to our eternal destiny. In today's workplace or neighborhood, am I using hypocritical spiritual slogans to mask my indifference to the material needs of others? Or am I ashamed to speak up, limiting the other person's needs to mere temporary material comfort?
Dear Lord, grant me a balanced love like that of David Hill. In this age of intertwined materialism and nihilism, remove my false piety, and let me value the coldness of the naked, and sympathize with the struggle of those bound by desire. Lord, grant me a broken heart, so that I may not only offer a cup of cool water or a gesture of care, but also, with trembling heart, share your eternal and unchanging gospel of rebirth with those who thirst for it. Let my life be a bridge, so that the world may see your unwavering light in my genuine service. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.