“If Jesus Christ be the Son of God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”
Charles Thomas (“C.T.”) Studd was born into a very wealthy family in England on December 2, 1860. His family had “made it rich” in India during a time of British colonization and trade.
By age 16, Studd was a notable cricket player. Cricket is a game that looks a little bit similar to baseball but uses a “bowler” and a “striker” instead of a pitcher and a batter. By his late teen years, Studd had become the captain of his cricket team in college – an honor that is kind of like American sports’ “Most Valuable Player” awards.
When Studd was 18, he was on his way to a game of cricket when a preacher visited his home and stopped him on his way out the door. The preacher asked him whether he was a Christian, and the teenager answered honestly: “No.” He was genuinely converted, though, later during that day. Unfortunately, his life did not immediately change. He would later write,
Instead of going and telling others of the love of Christ, I was selfish and kept the knowledge to myself. The result was that gradually my love began to grow cold, and the love of the world began to come in. I spent six years in that unhappy backslidden state.
The Lord continued to work in Studd’s heart, and eventually he surrendered his other ambitions so that he could be free to go to the mission field of China. This decision went against the wishes of his family.
He became part of a group of pioneering young missionary-candidate friends who were called “The Cambridge Seven.” When he was 25, he received a large sum of money from his family as an inheritance. Rather than spending some of it for himself, he gave it all away for Christ. He gave the money to orphanages and churches and preachers who needed it most.
It cost God more to forgive you than it did for you to receive His forgiveness. You could never pay Him back, but are you giving to Him and to His people as a way of showing your love and gratitude? Are you telling others about the good news that Jesus Christ’s sinless life and sacrificial death took away the curse for anyone who trusts Him as Lord and Savior?
2 Corinthians 9:7 – So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.