Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell

I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell. C. T. Studd

To live within the sound of church or chapel bell was not enough for Charles Thomas (C.T.)

Studd, (1860-1931), an English missionary to China, India, and Africa. C. T. Studd was born into privilege and wealth, but God had other plans for his life. His father, Edward, was converted after hearing the famous American evangelist Dwight L. Moody speak. Then subsequently, C. T. and his brothers were also converted.

But, 6 years after C. T.’s conversion, he realized that his commitment to the Lord was

lacking and he decided to give everything up, and seek God’s will. He wisely said, "I

know that cricket would not last, and honour would not last, and nothing in this world

would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come."

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

I currently live within the sound of church bells and I grew up within the sound of them as well. I think they are beautiful, but, it wasn’t the sound of church bells that brought me to Jesus Christ. It was the witness of so many authentic Christians, and it was hearing the message of the Gospel and my response to it that saved me. I didn’t need to hear bells, I needed to hear the Gospel and I did at a church service where a pastor explained Christ’s death, resurrection and transforming power to save. And then it took my softened heart to believe and accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

The Gospel message is the sound that we should want to hear, more than the sound of church bells, because it’s the Gospel that transforms and saves lives. And in response to what Jesus Christ has done, I am motivated to live for Him, volunteer at my church, and serve with ministries and organizations; that are passionate about saving souls and discipleship.

How many people are content to live within the sound of church or chapel bell, but never step foot inside of a church to hear the Gospel message. Or, how many are content to live within the sound of church bells and attend, but never take the Gospel to heart or share Jesus Christ with others.

They haven’t counted the cost of discipleship, but C. T. Studd did and he chose a life of hardship and sacrifice, because of His commitment to Jesus Christ.

And when others questioned him about the decisions he was making for the sake of the Gospel, he could only reply with this quote:

If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” –C. T. Studd

Although salvation through Jesus Christ is a free gift from God given to us by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9), it was not without cost to Him.

To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, one must realize the cost of His sacrifice and respond with a commitment to follow Him wholeheartedly; without reservation and whatever the cost.

Additionally, we should want more than to live within the sound of church bells, and be actively involved in helping to fulfill Jesus’ “Great Commission”. To do so we have to daily surrender ourselves to Him. As a result, we give up our own way of living and submit to His will and rule in our lives.

• Romans 12:1 says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (NLT)

• Mark 8:34-37 says, “Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (NLT)

Great missionaries like C. T. Studd, Hudson Taylor, Jim Elliot and so many more were not

content to merely live within the sound of church bells. They gave their lives, and left their

homes and families, to be used by the Lord to spread the Gospel.

We also shouldn’t be content to just live within the sound of church bells. We like them, should be passionate about spreading the Gospel; and endure hardship and danger if necessary, so people would be rescued from going to hell. If we can’t, then we should at least support the work of missionaries prayerfully and financially.

As Christians, we can follow in the steps of these great men of faith, by surrendering our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, seeking His will, and living by faith and trusting in Him.

John 12:24-26 says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives. 25  Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. 26  Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.” (NLT)

This famous quote from the poem, “Only One Life, Twill Soon Be Past” by C.T Studd, is a sober reminder of the brevity of life and that only what’s done for Christ has eternal value.

Only one life, ’twill soon be past,

Only what’s done for Christ will last. –C. T. Studd

Have you surrendered your life to Christ?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and

read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or

otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance.

Thanks for your help!

Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell. –C. T. Studd | Click To Tweet

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE.

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Podcast: What’s the value of 1 to 1 discipleship?

• The Power of Mentoring

• Video: The Great Commission is for ALL Christians

• 3 Reasons You Need a Strategy for Spiritual Growth

• How to Know if You are Truly Saved

• How to Know if You’re a Powerful, Fruitful Christian

• 5 Reasons God’s Definition of Success is Wonderful

• Submit to Get What You Want

• How to Attain Christian Nobility

• Four Kinds of People, Which One Are You?

• Vlog: Build Stuff that Will Last

• Quote Card: Someday, when in the presence of our Savior, we will thank Him

• 4 Great Questions to Ignite Passion for Evangelism in a Lost World

• Please DO Call Yourself a Christian If…

• Quote card: God, who foresaw your tribulation, has specially armed you…

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on

Earth.

The safest place in all the world is in the will of God. –Warren Wiersbe

Where is the safest place in the world? According to Independent News, the safest place to live in the world is Iceland. Statistically speaking, Iceland may be the safest place to live, but can one live there or anywhere else safely; unless they are in the will of God?

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Although the safest place is in the will of God, I sure haven’t lived this way perfectly. But I did

learn as a new Christian to be careful about taking advice, because, sometimes the counsel that I received was contrary to the Bible.

Many times, when I’ve been uncertain what to do, the Lord has made His will very clear to me through His Word. In that sense it’s been easy to make some decisions, because the Bible was clear, but that doesn’t mean that the decisions themselves were always easy. In fact, the decisions have not always been popular ones. But, in the end God has saved me from a lot of trouble on many occasions, by living according to His will.

Sometimes I have failed to live according to His will and I’ve suffered painful consequences.

However, I am grateful that He has allowed me to learn from the poor decisions I’ve made,

because they are reminders that it’s not worth being outside of His will.

The safest place is in the will of God, but that doesn’t mean we will be immune from suffering. The truth is that sometimes we can be in God’s will and be in grave danger. Just look at the lives of the Apostles or even Jesus Himself. They were all in God’s will, but faced persecution, danger and even death.

However, the safest place is still in the will of God, because we can trust His plans for us due to His flawless character. In other words, His will is best, because He is perfect in wisdom, love, faithfulness, goodness, and He is omnibenevolent which means; “Omni, meaning “all,” and the word benevolent, meaning “good” or “charitable.”

"Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 106:1 NLT)

The will of God is the safest place because, He is with us. Even if everything around us is

crumbling and our lives are in peril, our souls are secure in Christ, and God will remain with us in the midst of all calamities.

Psalm 46:1-3 says, “God is our safe place and our strength. He is always our help when we are in trouble.   So we will not be afraid, even if the earth is shaken and the mountains fall into the center of the sea, and even if its waters go wild with storm and the mountains shake with its action.” (NLV)

The safest place for us to live is in the will of God, yet, some people make decisions based on

their own ideas and values instead of God’s.

How can we know God’s will? It’s not always clear and sometimes we need to spend extended

time in prayer and receive Christian counsel along with the Word, to make the right decisions.

The Bible tells us to offer ourselves to God daily as a living sacrifice. This means that we surrender our lives to Him and trust Him to work in us. As we make it a priority to study His Word, He changes our minds and helps us to learn what He wants us to do.

Romans 12:1-2 says, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.   Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

Here are several Bible verses that reveal God’s will for us. His will for us is:

• To be saved (2 Peter 3:9).

• To pray always (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

• To give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

• To be sanctified (holy) (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

• To forgive others (Colossians 3:13).

• To love Him (Mark 12:30).

• To love others (Mark 12:31).

When we are in the will of God, we can know that we are in the safest place, because we have His blessing and His promises.

"The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.” (Psalm 18:2 NLT)

To live outside of the will of God, is to live a disobedient life that is characterized by sin,

deception and temptation; that can ruin and destroy lives.

However, even if we have chosen to live our own way, we can make a course correction and

choose to follow God’s will. We can confess our sins and receive forgiveness. In addition, we

can either receive Christ as our Lord and Savior if we have not already done so, or recommit our lives to Him if necessary.

In addition, we can ask for God’s help and we can trust Him to empower us to do His will.

Philippians 2:13 says, “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” (NLT)

Do you seek the will of God for your life?

Have you accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? Please click here if you would like to do so now.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word!

If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or

otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance.

Thanks for your help!

"The safest place in all the world is in the will of God." -Warren Wiersbe | Click To Tweet

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE.

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How to Know God’s Will in Difficult Decisions

• Who Needs a Vision Retreat?

• 4 Steps to Identify Core Values and Make the Best Decisions

• Quotecard: We Make Our Decisions…

• Jesus Wants More Fans

• How to Balance Content and Discontent in the Christian Life

• What Does God Owe Me?

• How to be Successful in Life When You Have Failed

• How to Overcome the Agony of Discouragement and Find Hope Again

• How I Moved from Doubting My Salvation to Assurance

• What Caused Me to Doubt My Salvation

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• Jesus Wants More FANS

• 6 Strategies to Handle Insults Without Becoming a Doormat

• Beware of Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

• Jesus Wasn’t Always “Seeker Sensitive”

• Video vlog: Twisting Scripture

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth.

Do not strive in your own strength. –Andrew Murray

Strength is definitely required to live the Christian life. However, not the strength that comes

through self-exertion; but the power that comes from yielding to God, who strengthens those

who acknowledge their weakness and dependence on Him.

This is a guest post by Beth Harris. She is a wife, mother, Bible study leader and volunteer editor for markalanwilliams.net.

Recently, during a prolonged cold, I completely lost my voice. At first, I insisted on trying to

speak anyway, but even whispering was difficult and painful. Soon my resistance gave way to

submission, as I realized the best treatment was to surrender my efforts to speak, obey the

wisdom of the doctor and just wait for God to heal me. I was dependent on note writing and

hand/head gesturing.

Initially it was very frustrating, but the more I trusted God for help, the more He gave me peace to accept my condition. Also, He strengthened my faith to believe that in time my voice would return. Soon my frustration gave way to contentment. My part was to rest, sip tea with honey and trust, and God’s part was to hopefully heal me, and He did.

But what if I had forced myself to keep speaking, without yielding, waiting and resting? I could have disregarded the advice of the doctor and insisted on pushing myself and exerting my own effort to regain my speech. I could have pushed through the pain and chosen to resist the help that God was providing. But that would have no doubt prolonged my condition and suffering, and possibly done irreparable damage to my vocal chords and health.

I learned a valuable lesson, just as I couldn’t force my voice to return, and had to submit to the doctor, obey and rely on him to get well; in a similar way, we have to submit to God, obey and rely on Him to live the Christian life.

If we don’t rely on God to live the Christian life, we may be doing more harm than good and we most certainly will become discouraged or burned out. But what about the verses in the Bible that tell us to “strive to enter the narrow door” (Luke 13:24); and to “work out your salvation” (Philippians 2:12); and to “be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:6)? Well, it may seem like a contradiction, to strive, work and be strong; but not if we rely on the strength of the Lord and not our own. Our part is to submit and obey and His part is to empower and sanctify us.

The problem with relying on our own strength to live the Christian life is that we are weak,

limited, frail, finite, fragile and sinful. Also, whatever strength we have can be taken from us at any given moment and we can also easily be led astray.

Therefore, we need to cooperate with God and submit to the work of His Holy Spirit in us. We need to acknowledge our need for Him and His strength, which shows up best in our weakness.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (NKJV)

"For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13 NLT)

We can be grateful for weakness, because it provides an opportunity for God to supply us with the courage and power that we do not possess. He will show Himself strong through a life that is fully surrendered to the Lord Jesus.

When God is our source of strength, we can trust Him to work in us to give us the power to accomplish His will.

• Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (NLT)

• Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (NIV)

• Colossians 1:11 says, “We ask him to strengthen you by his glorious might with all the power you need to patiently endure everything with joy.” (GW)

In addition, the Bible is filled with the blessings for those who rely on the Lord for strength, and reminders of His faithfulness to supply it to those who ask.

Psalm 59:17 says, “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.” (NIV)

Psalm 138:3 says, “As soon as I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me

strength.” (NLT)

"The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” (Psalm 28:7 NLT)

Sometimes the hardest thing for us to do is to admit our weakness, stop striving and simply wait on the Lord and depend on His strength.

It can be difficult to be patient sometimes, because it may seem like we are doing nothing. But that’s not true, because while we’re waiting, we can pray, worship and exercise our faith to believe that He will give us strength moment by moment as we continue to abide in Him.

• Psalm 84:5 says, “Happy are the people whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.” (HCSB)

• Isaiah 40:29 says, “He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.” (NLT)

• John 15:4 says, “Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (ESV)

Are you relying on the Lord for His strength?

Please click here if you would like to accept Christ as your personal Lord and Savior now and

read more about the next steps that you can take to grow spiritually in your new faith.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need iblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Discipleship Journeys with Jesus (DJJ), is a free tool for disciple-making based on biblical journeys with Jesus. You can join with them—just click the link.

Do not strive in your own strength. –Andrew Murray | Click To Tweet

For more FREE Inspirational Quote Cards you can use and share click HERE.

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How To Overcome the Agony of Discouragement and Find Hope Again

• Setting Goals and Solving Problems

• How A Life Vision Helps You Reduce Stress and Accomplish More

• What Is The Meaning of Life?

• How To Tackle A Mountain-Sized Goal In Faith

• 7 Steps To A Productive Vision Retreat

• So You Think You Can't Take A Prayer Retreat?

• Who Needs A Vision Retreat?

• What is The Worst Sin in the World?

• Video Vlog: Self Realization Fellowship

• Quotecard: We Make Our Decisions...

• Video Vlog: Feeling Low?

• Have You Written Your Own Bible?

• There Is No Failure In God's Will

• God Always Gives His Best

• 5 Reasons God's Definition of Success is Wonderful

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won't miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You'll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth.