August 10, 2026
— Francis Lister Hawks Pott · Source: The Emergency in China (1913), ch. "The Influence of Christianity"
Acts 17:27-28 That they may seek God and perhaps find him, for he is near to each one of us, in whom we live and move and have our being. Even some of you psalms say, ‘We are his offspring.’
F. L. Hawks Pott's account of the gospel in China, proclaiming "the Fatherhood of God" and a new hope of immortality, echoes Paul's preaching in Athens, reminding us that God has long instilled a thirst for truth in the hearts and minds of people across different cultures. Christianity is not cold dogma, but rather responds to and fulfills humanity's search for the highest good with boundless sublimity and love. God is not far away; every breath and every moment of our existence is imbued with His Fatherly presence. This endows us with the moral zeal to practice our faith in daily life and with spiritual conviction and eternal hope in a turbulent world.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for never being far from us; every step we take, every breath we take, is in you. Grant us spiritual vision to see your divine guidance in all things and in life; fill us with the deeper love of Christ, and bestow upon us a zeal for good and the hope of eternal life. May your Holy Spirit constantly remind us of your presence, so that we may not be afraid in this world, but live out your light and truth in our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.