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Selwyn Hughes
Selwyn Hughes (April 27, 1928–January 9, 2006) was a Welsh Christian preacher, evangelist, and author, best known for his daily devotional Every Day with Jesus, which reached nearly a million readers worldwide. Born in Fochriw near Caerphilly, Wales, to a coal-mining family, Hughes worked as a miner during his teenage years, including a stint as a “Bevin Boy” in 1946–1947 during National Service. Converted at 16 in 1944, he felt a divine call to ministry, leading him to study theology in Bristol after leaving the mines. Ordained in the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, he served churches in Cornwall, Wales, Yorkshire, Essex, and London for 18 years, beginning his writing career in the 1960s with Bible-reading notes on postcards for his congregation. In 1965, Hughes founded the Crusade for World Revival (CWR), an international ministry focused on training Christian counselors and producing resources, including Every Day with Jesus, which he wrote for over 40 years. He authored over 50 books, blending pastoral insight with practical faith, such as The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success and his autobiography My Story (2004). Despite personal tragedies—the death of his wife Enid from cancer in 1986 and both sons in 2000 and 2001—his faith remained unshaken, earning him praise from George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, as a “giant in the faith.” Hughes died of cancer in 2006, leaving a legacy of spiritual encouragement and revivalist zeal. He received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Brunel University in 2005.
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Selwyn Hughes delves into the radical difference between Christianity and other religions, emphasizing that while religion is mankind's search for God, Christianity is God's search for man. The gospel, as opposed to religion, is the Word made flesh, exemplified by God becoming man in the Person of His Son. Despite the ancient Greeks' disbelief in God revealing Himself in bodily form, the gospel reveals the profound truth that the Son of God became the Son of Man so that humanity could become children of God, a concept beyond the Greeks' comprehension.
The Thrilling Truth
"... but made himself nothing ... being made in human likeness ..." (v. 7) For reading & meditation: Philippians 2:1-11 We are reflecting on the fact that the Christian faith is not just a little better than other faiths but radically different. Religion is mankind's search for God; Christianity, however, is God's search for man. Therefore there are many religions, but only one gospel. Religion is the word become word; the gospel is the Word become flesh. The commentator William Barclay, when writing on the verse "And the Word became flesh" which we looked at yesterday, said that this phrase explains why John wrote his Gospel. John apparently could not get over the fact that God had become man in the Person of His Son, and he sustained that thought throughout the whole of his writings. Augustine, the great saint of the fourth and fifth centuries, remarked that in his pre-Christian days he had never read anything comparable to that phrase: "And the Word became flesh." One thing the ancient Greeks could never contemplate was that God could reveal Himself in bodily form. To the Greeks the body was a prison in which the soul was shackled, a tomb in which the spirit was confined. Plutarch, the wise old Greek, believed it was nothing short of blasphemy to expect God to involve Himself in the affairs of the world. Yet in the face of this, the highest thought of the New Testament world, the gospel unfolded the thrilling truth that the Son of God became the Son of Man in order that the sons of men might become sons of God. Could anything in heaven or earth be more wonderful than that? If so, I have yet to hear it. Blessed Lord Jesus, how can we thank You enough for taking on Yourself a human form and showing us what God is really like? For we could never have known unless we had seen. Having seen, it is sufficient. We want no other. Amen.
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Selwyn Hughes (April 27, 1928–January 9, 2006) was a Welsh Christian preacher, evangelist, and author, best known for his daily devotional Every Day with Jesus, which reached nearly a million readers worldwide. Born in Fochriw near Caerphilly, Wales, to a coal-mining family, Hughes worked as a miner during his teenage years, including a stint as a “Bevin Boy” in 1946–1947 during National Service. Converted at 16 in 1944, he felt a divine call to ministry, leading him to study theology in Bristol after leaving the mines. Ordained in the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, he served churches in Cornwall, Wales, Yorkshire, Essex, and London for 18 years, beginning his writing career in the 1960s with Bible-reading notes on postcards for his congregation. In 1965, Hughes founded the Crusade for World Revival (CWR), an international ministry focused on training Christian counselors and producing resources, including Every Day with Jesus, which he wrote for over 40 years. He authored over 50 books, blending pastoral insight with practical faith, such as The 7 Laws of Spiritual Success and his autobiography My Story (2004). Despite personal tragedies—the death of his wife Enid from cancer in 1986 and both sons in 2000 and 2001—his faith remained unshaken, earning him praise from George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, as a “giant in the faith.” Hughes died of cancer in 2006, leaving a legacy of spiritual encouragement and revivalist zeal. He received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Brunel University in 2005.