A Diamond Mine

Sometimes in browsing the internet, not only do you find a gem worth sharing, but you find one that causes you to pause and think! Such is the following.

Reverend George Everard

George Everard (1828-1901) was born in Spalding, a small village in Lincolnshire, England. He became an evangelical Victorian vicar with all the hopes and cares that went with his calling. One of his earliest recollections was the gift of his first Bible given to him on Christmas day by his eldest sister. She had written inside: “Search the Scriptures,” and he did, and he came to think of them as a “diamond mine, filled with precious gems.”

One source has stated that, “Everard had the God of the Bible in his heart and on his shoulder. The Kingdom of God was more important and more real than this material world….” He wrote numberless tracts and books which have made his name famous as an author of evangelical literature. He continually challenged the disinterested of their need for Christ as Saviour, preaching anywhere, in workshops and factories, in cottages and fields.

The following is taken from a sermon in 1866 entitled, Daily Warfare.

A story is told of an old man who lived long ago. A friend asked him the cause of his struggles, since in the evening he so often had great weariness.
    “Alas,” answered he, “I have so much to do every day; I have two falcons to tame; two hares to keep from running away; two hawks to manage; a serpent to confine; a lion to chain, and a sick man to tend and wait upon.”
    “Why, this is only folly,” said the friend, “no man has all these things to do at once.”
    “Yet indeed,” he answered, “it is with me just as I have said. The two falcons are my two eyes which I must diligently guard lest something should please them which may be hurtful to my soul. The two hares are my feet which I must hold back lest they should run after evil objects and walk in the ways of sin. The two hawks are my two hands which I must train and keep to work in order that I may be able to provide for myself and for my brethren who are in need. The serpent is my tongue which I must always keep in with a bridle lest it should speak anything unfitting. The lion is my heart which I have to maintain a continual fight in order that vanity and pride may not fill it but that the grace of God may dwell and work there. The sick man is my own body which is ever needing my watchfulness and care. All this daily wears out my strength.”
    The friend listened with wonder, and then said, “Dear brother, if all men laboured and struggled after this manner, the times would be better and more according to the will of God.”

Something to think about, wouldn’t you agree!

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial because when he has stood the test,
he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.”
James 1:12

For further reading on Reverend Geroge Everard see: http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/genealogy/everard/everard01.htm