Charles Thomas (C. T.) Studd was born in England in 1860. And before he passed away in 1931 he literally spanned the globe as a Christian missionary in China, India, and Africa. C.T. was an outstanding British cricketer and had a wonderful career in sports ahead of him but all that changed when God chose to use an atheist to redirect young C.T. in a new direction. As providence would have it one day C.T. read a pamphlet from an atheist that said, if he believed in the Christian message, he would do everything he could to share the gospel with an many people as possible. As a result, C.T. was challenged to share the message of Christ with all he came in contact with.
This fervent desire became channeled into what would become his life’s work as a missionary when one day he heard the famous missionary, Hudson Taylor, speaking at a meeting about the millions of lost souls in China. He and several other Cambridge classmates were so moved by Taylor’s talk that they decided to dedicate their lives to missionary work, starting in China.
So, in 1885 C.T. and six other classmates left for China. These new missionaries adopted the Chinese traditional dress and C.T. gained many converts to Christ as he preached at evangelistic meetings with his young band of friends. C.T. once said that: “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.”1 Not only did he live out this motto by becoming a missionary but when he received a sizable inheritance from his father, he gave most of the money to organizations that were working to help the poor. C.T. loved being a missionary so much that he once famously said: “Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.”2
Unfortunately, as it happens with many missionaries, ill health forced C.T. and his young bride to return to England in 1894. However, in 1900 C.T. felt a call to go to India where he became a pastor. He labored in South India for six years and many came to Christ under his ministry there. After returning home to England again C.T. felt another call and this time it was to the continent of Africa. While his doctor felt his tenuous health made ministering in Africa a high health risk, C.T. was undaunted and after several attempts he finally made it to the Congo in 1913. And until his death in 1931 he faithfully ministered in the Congo and was instrumental in leading many to the Lord.
C.T. Studd is a classic example of an individual who gave up everything this world could offer in order that he might gain Christ. After weighting what he could have achieved by staying in England and enjoying his wealth C.T. once said: “How could I spend the best years of my life in living for the honours of this world, when thousands of souls are perishing every day?”3 In the end C.T. Studd made a choice that had eternal significance not only for him but for the thousands of souls his sacrificial life was able to touch.
In tomorrow’s devotion I plan to share a very moving poem that C.T. Studd wrote that I pray you will spend time in meditating over each verse.
1 Quotes of C.T. Studd | Web Truth