As a young man, missionary Charles Thomas Studd (1860-1931) had it all. A famous cricket champion during his days at Eton and Cambridge, fame and success were his. But after the death of his older brother George, he began to question it all. “What is all the fame and flattery worth,” he wondered, “when a man has to face eternity?”
“I knew that cricket would not last, and honor would not last. Nothing in this world would last,” he said, “only the world to come is worth living for.”
Only God’s Kingdom
CT, as he was known, was already a missionary in China when he inherited £29,000 at the age of 25. A veritable fortune in those days!
But he wanted to prove that we can always count on God to provide for our needs. So he gave it all to orphanages and missions. All that is except for £3,400. That was his wedding present to Priscilla, his fiancée.
But Priscilla did not want to be outdone by her husband, so she gave that away as well.
Things weren’t always easy for the Studds on the mission field. On one occasion Charles said, “Our funds are low again, hallelujah! That means God trusts us and is willing to put His reputation in our hands.”
He saw hard times as an opportunity to show the world that God provides. That we can trust Him to take care for us. And that, in a certain sense, God’s reputation is in our hands.
The Studds left an outstanding example of faith and faithfulness. They firmly believed that no sacrifice was too great to make for God. They gave both their fortunes and their lives to serve the Lord on the mission field.
And they left us with the lesson that God trusts each of us with His reputation. He entrusts us to show that He is faithful.
And they left us with the lesson that no sacrifice is too great to make for Him.
If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him.
CT Studd
God entrusts us with His reputation
What a privilege! We are entrusted with the reputation of Almighty God, the Creator of the universe!
For the Studds, this meant leaving everything behind to serve as foreign missionaries. They longed to share the peace and joy they’d found in knowing Christ. And to faithfully represent God’s character.
1. Are the funds dwindling?
Are the cupboards bare? That’s when God trusts us to show the faith and peace He has put in our hearts. The unshakeable peace that only He can give. He wants us to look to Him with confidence, knowing that He has only good things planned for us.
2. Has someone has wronged you or you’ve had a fight?
God trusts us to extend forgiveness and restoration to others, as He has done for us. He waits for us to take the first step. To apologize, even when we’re not in the wrong. And to extend the mercy and grace that He gives us.
3. Are you afraid of what’s happening in the world?
God trusts us to show that His unfailing love casts out fear. To reach out in love, not retreat in fear. To give and give and give, no matter the cost.
And in doing so, we show who Christ is. We uphold His reputation. Because the only thing some may ever know about Christ is what we show in our lives. What message of Christ do others receive through us?
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