...I do not say, Don't play games or cricket and so forth. By all means play and enjoy them, giving thanks to Jesus for them. Only take care that games do not become an idol to you as they did to me. What good will it do to anybody in the next world to have been the best player that ever has been? And then think of the difference between that and winning souls for Jesus.
Interpretation
Enjoy activities like games, but prioritize spiritual pursuits over worldly achievements.
This quote reflects on the balance between enjoying life's pleasures, such as games, and maintaining a focus on spiritual growth and responsibilities. Charles Studd suggests that while it is permissible to engage in recreational activities, one must be wary of allowing these pastimes to overshadow more important pursuits, particularly in the context of one's faith and the impact on others' lives. Ultimately, he emphasizes the significance of spiritual achievements over earthly accolades.
In practice
During a group discussion about values, this quote can emphasize the importance of keeping priorities straight.
I cannot tell you what joy it gave me to bring the first soul to the Lord Jesus Christ. I have tasted almost all the pleasures that this world can give. I do not suppose there is one that I have not experienced, but I can tell you that those pleasures were as nothing compared to the joy that the saving of that one soul gave me.
Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible, by faith in the omnipotence, fidelity, and wisdom of the Almighty Saviour Who gave the command. Is there a wall in our path? By our God we will leap over it! Are there lions and scorpions in our way? We will trample them under our feet! Does a mountain bar our progress? Saying, 'Be thou cast into the sea,' we will march on. Soldiers of Jesus! Never surrender!
Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.
I realized that my life was to be one of simple, childlike faith, and that my part was to trust, not to do. I was to trust in Him and He would work in me to do His good pleasure. From that time my life was different.
Real Christians revel in desperate ventures for Christ, expecting from God great things and attempting the same with exhilaration.
This much I can say with definiteness - namely, that there is no scientific basis for the denial of religion - nor is there in my judgment any excuse for a conflict between science and religion, for their fields are entirely different. Men who know very little of science and men who know very little of religion do indeed get to quarreling, and the onlookers imagine that there is a conflict between science and religion, whereas the conflict is only between two different species of ignorance.
The moment good taste knows itself, some of its goodness is lost.
Once you see that everything is unreal, you can't see why you should bother to prove it.
And if tonight my soul may find her peace in sleep, and sink in good oblivion, and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created.
When the great Tao is abandoned, benevolence and righteousness arise.
Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.
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