THOMAS WINGFOLD, CURATE

(Written in 1876 by George MacDonald (1824-1905), this fictional story called ‘Thomas Wingfold, Curate’ is describing the years he has spent in the service of Christ and his Kingdom. (A Curate is a pastor)

“Whatever energies I may or may not have, I know one thing for certain: that I could not devote them to `anything else I should think entirely worth doing. Indeed nothing seems interesting enough; nothing to repay the labor, but the telling of my fellow-men about the one man who is the truth, and to know whom is the life. Even if there be no hereafter, I would live my life believing in a grand thing that ought to be true if it is not. No facts can take the place of truths; and if these be not truths, then is the loftiest part of our nature a waste? Let me hold by the better than the actual, and fall into nothingness off the same precipice with Jesus and John and Paul and a thousand more, who were lovely in their lives, and with their death make even the nothingness into which they have passed like the garden of the Lord. I will go farther, and say I would rather die forevermore believing as Jesus believed, than live forevermore believing as those that deny him.”

This is classic George MacDonald stuff. I believe this is one of clearest and deepest written sentiments that I have ever read and I also agree completely. If the Bible is untrue, Jesus is a hoax, the Kingdom is a lie and the Gospel is a fairy tale… it is still the way I prefer and choose to live and die.

“If I want glory for myself, it doesn’t count. But it is my Father who will glorify me. You say, ‘He is our God,’ but you don’t even know him. I know him. If I said otherwise, I would be as great a liar as you! But I do know him and obey him.” Jesus