CT Studd
Well, when we talk about Christian cricketers, we can't leave out CT Studd. Way back in the late 1800s, he was one of the most famous cricketers in England, very talented, and he actually played in the original Test between England and Australia, which the Ashes were named after—for those of you who know what I'm talking about.
CT Studd's Legacy
But in 1884, his brother George became very ill, and Charles began to wonder about his own life, asking himself “What is all this fame and flattery worth in light of eternity?” He ended up becoming a missionary, and his life is worth reading about in his books or in biographies about him.
But let me share two quotes of his, which I think will give us inspiration for the day. The first is his motto: "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." This was his story. He gave up his famous life of cricket in order to do the work of God and become a missionary for Him. No sacrifice was too great to make for God.
This reminds me somewhat of Jesus' words in Matthew 16:25: "Whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it. What good would it be for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul?” CT Studd gave up the world—really—for the good of his soul. Are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of Jesus?
Eternal Impact Matters
Then here's another famous quote from CT Studd, which was written in a poem that most people don't know he wrote. It goes like this: "Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." Live your life for Christ, friends. What you do for Him will last for eternity.
And so, like CT Studd, friends, let's live our lives for Christ so that what we've done in this life will last. Maybe not here on earth, but in eternity—for all ages to come.
