Proverbs 16:20. Trust in God—True Wisdom

A sermon (Number 392) delivered on Sunday Morning, May twelfth, 1861, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon.

*“He who handles a matter wisely shall find good: and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy *is* he.”*—Proverbs 16:20.

Wisdom is man's true path—that which enables him to accomplish best the end of his being, and which therefore gives to him the richest enjoyment and the fullest play for all his powers. Wisdom is the compass by which man is to steer across the trackless waste of life. Without wisdom man is as the wild ass's colt; he runs hither and thither, wasting strength which might be profitably employed. Without wisdom, man may be compared to a soil untilled, which may yield some fair flowers but can never yield a harvest which shall repay the labor of the reaper, or even the toil of the gleaner. Give man wisdom, wisdom in the true sense of the term, and he rises to all the dignity that manhood can possibly know; he becomes a fit companion for the angels, and between him and God there is no creature; he stands next to the Eternal One because Christ has espoused his nature, and so has linked humanity with divinity. But where shall this wisdom be found? Many have dreamed that they discovered it, but they have not possessed it. Where shall we find it? It were worth while to pierce the bowels of the earth, to scale the heights of heaven, to traverse the deserts, to plough the sea, to fly through the illimitable fields of ether—all were too little if we might but find this precious thing at last. But “the depth says, It is not in me: and the sea says, It is not with me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold. From where then comes wisdom? And where is the place of understanding? seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the air. Destruction and death say, We have heard the fame thereof with our ears. God understands the way thereof, and he knows the place thereof.

Let us listen then to the voice of the Lord, for he has declared the secret; he has revealed to the sons of men wherein true wisdom lies, and we have it in the text, “whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he;” and that sentence is put in conjunction with another which teaches us this truth, that to handle a matter wisely is to find good, and the true way to handle a matter wisely is to trust God. This is the short and brief method of escaping the greatest difficulties: this is the clue to the most intricate labyrinths; this is the lever which shall lift the most tremendous weights. He who trusts in the Lord has found out the way to handle matters wisely, and happy is he.

I shall take the text this morning by God's assistance in two ways. First, we shall apply it to *the wise handling of matters with regard to time and this present state;* and then secondly with regard to *the handling of the eternal matters relating to our destiny beyond the grave, and endeavor to show how trusting in the Lord is handling this matter wisely*.

1. First then my dear friends, with regard to *the wise handling of matters of time which concern our bodies and our souls, whilst we are here below*.

A man must be prudent in such a world as this. He will soon cut his feet if he does not pick his steps. He will soon tear his garments with thorns and briars if he does not choose his way. This is a land full of enemies; we must be wise or the arrow will suddenly find out a vulnerable place in our armor. We must be cautious, for we are not travelling in noonday on the king's highway, but rather at nightfall, and we may therefore be attacked by robbers and may lose our precious treasures. He who is in a wilderness, and in a wilderness infested with robber bands, must handle matters wisely if he would find good.

How shall we handle these matters wisely? Three or four come forward to instruct us, and the first lesson is one which Satan often teaches the young and foolish spirit. He says, ‐To handle a matter wisely is to *make your own will your law*, and to do that which seems to be the best for you, be it right or be it wrong.” This was the lesson which he taught to Eve when in the serpent's form he spoke the serpent's wisdom, “You shall be as gods,” said he. “Mistrust the goodness of your Maker; believe that he is afraid lest you should attain to equal power and dignity with himself. Pluck the fruit. ‘It is true he forbids, but who is Jehovah that you should obey his voice? ‘It is true he threatens to punish, but do not believe the threatening, or if you believe it, dare it. He who cannot risk anything will never win. He who will not venture something shall never make great gains. Do and dare, and you will be handling the matter wisely.” She plucked the fruit and the next instant she must have perceived something of her folly; but before many hours had passed over man's head, his discovered nakedness, pains of body, weariness, toil, expulsion from Paradise, and tilling a thankless, thorny land, taught man that he had not handled the matter wisely, for he had not found good. And you too, you sons and daughters of Eve, when the old serpent whispers in your ear, ‐Sin, and you shall escape from difficulty; be just when you can afford to be so, but if you cannot live except by dishonesty, be dishonest; if you cannot prosper except by lies, then lie”—oh! men, listen not to his voice I pray you. Listen to a better wisdom than this. This is a deception which shall destroy you; you shall find no good, but you shall find much evil; you shall sow the wind and you shall reap the whirlwind. You think that you dive into these depths for pearls, but the jagged rocks shall break you, and from the deep waters you shall never rise, except your lifeless corpse swim on the surface of the pestilential waves. Be wise, and learn of God, and close your ears to him who would have you destroy yourself that he may gloat his malicious spirit over your eternal misery. It is never wise to sin, brethren, never. However it may *seem* to be the best thing you can do, it must always be the worst. There never was a man in such a position that it would be really profitable to him to sin. “But,” say you, “some men have become rich by it!” Sirs, they have had sorrow with their riches; they have inherited the blasting curse of God, and so they have been really poorer than poverty could have made them. “But,” say you, “men have mounted to the throne by breaking their oaths.” I know they have; but temporary success is no sure sign of constant happiness; the Emperor's career is not ended yet; wait in patience; but should he escape in this life, the perjurer shall meet his Judge, and then—. He who measures what man gains by what he seems to gain has taken a wrong standard. There was never yet—I will repeat it—there was never yet any man who broke his word, who forfeited his oath, who turned aside from God's Word or God's law, who in the end found it be profitable to him. He heaped up deceptions, he gathered together delusions, and when God awoke, and when that man awoke, as a dream when one awakes, so did he, or so shall he, despise the image on which his soul had doted.

But now the serpent moderates his hiss. “Do not sin,” says he; “there is no necessity for downright dishonesty or theft; do not absolutely plunge yourself into vice, but be wise,” says he, by which he means, “*Be crafty;* trim your sails when the wind changes, how can you reach your haven unless you learn to tack about? The straight road is thorny; take the by-path; there will be another path which will bring you back after the thorns and flints are passed. Why” says he, “will you dash your head against a stone? If there be a mountain in your way, why not wind about the base; why climb the summit? Does not wisdom teach you that that which is easiest must be best, and that which is most in consistence with the dictates of your own nature must after all be best for you?” Ah! slimy serpent! Ah! base deceiver, how many multitudes have been thus deceived! Why, brethren, the reason why we have not more men in this age whom one could trust, why we have not in our high places more men in whom we could place confidence, is because *policy* has been the law of individuals, and the law of nations too, instead of that course of honesty which is like the flight of the arrow, certain and sure to reach its mark, not by tortuous windings, but by one onward straight line. Why do persons so frequently inquire what they ought to do in such a case, not meaning what God's law would have them do, but what will bring the best result? The rules of modern craft and time-serving morality are difficult because they are inconsistent, but honesty is simple and clear as the sunlight. It takes years to make a clever lawyer, grace however can make an honest man in one hour. Brethren believe me, *policy* is not *wisdom*, and craft is not understanding. Let me give you the case of another woman—Rebecca. Rebecca heard that God had decreed that her favorite son Jacob should be ruler of the two. “The elder shall serve the younger.” She could not wait for God's providence to fulfill God's purpose, but had to deceive her blind husband. She dresses up her son with skins of goats and wool, provides the savory meat, and sends Jacob who was, though a good man, the very picture of a politic and prudent professor, to meet his father and to deceive him. Ah! if Rebecca had been wise she had not done this. Little did she foresee that the effect of this stratagem would be to drive her favorite son away from his affectionate mother, give him years of toil under Laban, cause him to make the great mistake of his life, the commission of the error of polygamy, and make him a far more afflicted man than he might have been had he been like Abraham or Isaac who leaned not to their own understandings, but trusted in God with all their hearts. Brethren, you shall never find in any case that any turning aside from a straightforward course will be for your profit. After all, you may depend on it that the way to be most renowned among men is to have the strange singularity of being a downright honest man. Say what you mean; mean what you say. Do what you believe to be right, and ever hold it for a maxim that if the skies fall through your doing right, honest men will survive the ruin. How can the godly sin? If the earth should reel, would he fail? No, blessed be God, he should find himself in the honorable position of David of old when he said, “The earth is removed; I bear up the pillars thereof.”

But now the serpent changes his note and he says, “Well, if you be not sinful or crafty, at any rate, to succeed in life you must be very *careful*.” You must fret, and worry, and think much about it; that is the way to handle a matter wisely. “Why,” says he, “see how many are ruined from want of thought and want of care.” Be careful over it. Rise up early, sit up late, and eat the bread of carefulness. Stint yourself; deny yourself. Do not give to the poor; be a miser, and you shall succeed. Take care; watch; be thoughtful.” And this is the path of wisdom according to him. My brethren, it is a path which very many have tried, very many have persevered in it all their lives, but I must say to you this is not handling a matter wisely after all. God forbid we should say a single word against prudence, and care, and necessary forethought, industry and providence. These are virtues; they are not only commendable, but a Christian’s character would be sadly at fault if he had them not. But when these are looked upon as the foundations, the staple materials of success, men are desperately in error. It is vain for you in that sense to rise up early, and sit up late, and eat the bread of carefulness, for “so he giveth his beloved sleep.” Oh! there are many who have realized that picture of old Care, which old Spenser gives in his Faery Queene.

“‘Rude was his garment, and to rags all rent; So better had he, nor for better cared; With blistered hands, among the cinders burnt, And fingers filthy, with long nails unpared,

Right fit to rend the food ere which he fared: His name was Care: a blacksmith by his trade, That neither day nor night from working spared, But to small purpose iron wedges made: Those are unquiet thoughts that careful minds invade.’”

Who wishes to have that picture come true of himself? I would infinitely rather that we could be photographed as being like Luther’s bird, which ate upon the tree and sang,

“‘Mortal cease from care and sorrow, God provideth for the morrow.’”

Care is good, mark, if it is good care; but care is ill when it comes to be ill care, and it is ill care if I dare not cast it upon him who careth for me. Cotton has well said of covetous earthworms, “After hypocrites, the greatest dupes the devil has are those who exhaust an anxious existence in the disappointments and vexations of business, and live miserably and meanly, only to die magnificently and rich. For like the hypocrites, the only disinterested action these men can accuse themselves of is that of serving the devil without receiving his wages: he that stands every day of his life behind a counter until he drops from it into the grave may negotiate many very profitable bargains; but he has made a single bad one, so bad indeed that it counterbalances all the rest; for the empty foolery of dying rich, he has paid down his health, his happiness, and his integrity.”

Once again, there is another way of handling a matter wisely which is often suggested to young men, and suggested too, I am sorry to say, by Christian men who little know that they are giving Satanic advice. “Well,” say they, “young man, if you will not be exceeding careful and watch night and day, at least be *self-reliant*.” Go out and tell the world that you are a match for it, and that you know it; that you mean to carve your way to glory, to build yet for yourself an edifice at which men shall gaze. Say to the little men round about you, ‘I mean to tower above you all and bestride this narrow world like a Colossus.’ Be independent young men. Rest on yourselves. There is something wonderful in you; act like men; be strong.” Well brethren, there are many who have tried this self-reliance, and their deception in this case has been fearful too, for when the day of fiery trial has come they have discovered that “Cursed is he that trusts in man,” even though that man be himself, “ and makes flesh his arm,” though it be his own flesh. Broken in pieces they have been left as wrecks upon the sand, though they sailed out of harbor gaily with all their sails filled with the wind. They have come back like knights unhorsed and dishonored, though they went out with their lance in hand and their proudly flaunting pennon, intending to push like the horns of unicorns and drive the whole earth before them. No man was ever so much deceived by others as by himself. Be warned, Christian man, that this is not handling a matter wisely.

But what then is the way of wisdom? The text answers the question—“He that trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” So then, if I understand the text aright, if we learn to trust in God in temporal things we shall be happy. We are not to be idle, that would show we did not trust in God who worketh hitherto, but in the devil who is the father of idleness. We are not to be impudent and rash; that were to trust chance, but not to trust God, for God is a God of economy and order. We are to trust God; acting in all prudence and in all uprightness, we are to rely simply and entirely upon him. Now I have no doubt there are many here who say, “Well, that is not the way to get on in the world; that can never be the path of success, simply trusting in God.” Ay, but it is so, only one must have grace in the heart to do it. One must first be made a child of God and then he can trust his affairs in his Father’s hands; one must come to depend upon the Eternal One, because the Eternal One has enabled him to use this Christian grace which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I am persuaded that faith is as much the rule of temporal as of spiritual life, and that we ought to have faith in God for our shops as well as for our souls. Worldly men may sneer at this, but it is none the less true; at any rate I pray that it may be my course as long as I live.

My dear friends, let me commend to you a life of trust in God in temporal things by these few advantages among a great many others. First, trusting in God you will not have to mourn because you have used sinful means to grow rich. Should you become poor through it, better to be poor with a clear conscience than to be rich and guilty. You will have always this comfort should you come to the lowest position of nature, that you have come there through no fault of your own. You have served God with integrity, and what if some should say you have missed your mark, not achieved to success, at least there is no sin upon your conscience.

And then again, trusting God you will not be guilty of self-contradiction. He who trusts in craft sails this way to-day and that way the next, like a vessel propelled by the fickle wind; but he that trusts in the Lord is like a vessel propelled by steam, she cuts through the waves, defies the wind, and makes one bright silvery track to her desired haven. Be you such a man as that; never bow to the varying customs of worldly wisdom. Let men see that the world has changed, not you,—that man’s opinions and man’s maxims have veered round to another quarter, but that you are still invincibly strong in the strength which trusting in God alone can confer. And then dear brethren, let me say you will be delivered from anxious care, you will not be troubled with evil tidings, your heart will be fixed, trusting in the Lord. I have read a story of an old Doctor of the Church who, going out one morning, met a beggar and said to him, “distI wish you a good day.” “Sir,” said he, “I never had an ill day in my life.” “But,” said the Doctor, “your clothes are torn to rags and your wallet seems to be exceedingly empty.” Said he, “My clothes are as good as God wants them to be, and my wallet is as full as the Lord has been pleased to make it, and what pleases him pleases me.” “But,” said the Doctor, “suppose God should cast you into hell?” “Indeed, sir,” said he, “but that would never be; but if it were I would be contented, for I have two long and strong arms—faith and love—and I would throw these about the neck of my Savior, and I would never let him go, so that if I went there he would be with me, and it would be a heaven to me.” Oh, those two strong arms of faith and love! If you can but hang about the Savior’s neck, indeed, you may fear no ill weather. No fatal shipwreck shall I fear, for Christ is in my vessel, he holds the helm, and holds the winds too.

“Though winds and waves assault my keel, He doth preserve it, he doth steer, Even when the bark seems most to reel. Storms are the triumphs of his art, Sure he may close his eyes, but not his heart.”

The practical lesson from all this is—“trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.” Whatever your trouble be, take it to God this morning; do not bear it till the night. Whatever your difficulty and peculiar exercise of mind, tell it unto the Lord your God. He is as able as he is willing, and as willing as he is able; having sent the trial he will surely make a way of escape for you.

2. But now I turn to the second part of our discourse. *In spiritual matters, he that handles a matter wisely shall find good*.

But what is the right way of handling this dread matter which stands between our soul and God? We have immortal spirits, and spirits that are responsible. The day of judgment draws near, and with it heaven’s happiness or hell’s torment. What, my brethren, shall we do to handle this matter wisely? And here comes up the old serpent again and he says, “Young man, the easiest way to handle this matter is to let it alone altogether, you are young as yet, there is plenty of time—why put old heads on young shoulders? You will have need enough to think of religion by and by, but at present, you see, it will be much in your way. Better leave it alone; it is only these ministers that try and make you thoughtful, but they only bother you and trouble you, so drop it. You can think of it if there be anything in it by and by; but for the present, rejoice in your youth and let your joy be in the morning of your days, for the evil days come, and then let your thoughtfulness come with them.”

Well now young man, does this strike you after all as being the wisest course? I will tell you one thing, whatever you may think it, such a course as that is the direct road to hell. Do you know the road to heaven? Well, it might take us some little time to tell you about that, but if you want to go to hell we will tell you that in one moment. You need not go and swear, you need not be drunk, you need not become a monster in iniquity or a fiend in cruelty. No, no, it is easier than that, it is just a little matter of neglect, that is all, and your soul is lost to a certainty. Remember how the apostle puts it, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation”! Now, can that which is the surest road to hell be a wise way? I think I may leave it with your reason, certainly I may leave it with your conscience. You know it is not the right way, ay, and I have noticed this, that men who laugh most at religion when they are well and are most careless, are the most frightened when they meet with a little accident. If they have a little illness, oh how bad they feel! It is an awful thing for them to be ill, they know it is, they are dreadfully shaken, and the strangest thing is that the minister they hated most when they were well becomes the very man they have the most faith in, and most long to see when they become sick. I know when the cholera was here last, there was a certain man for whom no word in the English language could be found that was bad enough to describe me, and in the cholera when he lay sick, who should be sent for? The clergyman of the parish? No, certainly not. Who should be sent for? Some minister of good repute? No, send for the man whom he had cursed before; and until that man should come and speak to him and offer prayer, he could not even indulge a hope—though, alas! poor soul, I fear he had no hope even then. Yet so is it, God will honor his ministers, he will prove the utter futility of man's brag and boast. You may be careless sir while you are well, you may neglect this great salvation, but a little sickness shall make you tremble and your knees shall shake, and you shall be convulsed with agony and find that this is not handing the matter wisely. You are something like a bankrupt who knows that his accounts are going wrong and fears that he is insolvent. He does not look at his books, he does not like to look at them for there is no very pleasant reading there; there may be a few assets, but the entries are mostly on the other side and so at last he does not keep any book. It would be troublesome to him to know where he was. So is it with you. It is because things are not right, you do not like to sift them and try them lest you should find out the black reality. Be wise I pray you, and look a little beyond you. Why shut your eyes and perish? Man, I charge you by the living God, awake, or hell shall wake you; look man, or eternity shall soon amaze you.

But Satan comes to some and he says, “If you won't be careless the next easiest thing is to be credulous.” “There,” says he, “is a man over there with a shaven crown who says he'd manage the thing for you.” Now, *he* ought to know. Does not he belong to a Church that has an infallible head? ‖Give yourself up to him,” says he, ‖and it will be all right.” ‖Or,” says he, ‖I hate popery; but there is a clergyman, let him give you the sacrament; rely upon him and it will be all safe.” ‖Or,” says he, ‖if you could but join the Church and be baptized; there, that will do—take it for granted that it is all right.” Why should you trouble yourself with theological squabbles? Let these things alone; be credulous, don't search into the root of the matter; be content so long as you swim on the surface and do not care whether there be rocks down deep at the bottom of the sea.” And is this the way—is this the way to handle this matter wisely? Assuredly not, sir. Better trust a lawyer with your property than a priest with your soul. Better hand your purse to a highwayman upon the heath than commit your soul to a Romish priest. What will he do for you but make his penny of you, and your soul may be penniless for him. So shall it be with the best of men, if you make saviors of them. Go, lean upon a reed; go, build a throne of bubbles; go, sleep in a powder magazine with your candle burning in a bag of gunpowder; but do not trust even a good man with your soul. See to it that you handle this matter wisely, and you cannot do it thus.

‖Ah, well!” says Satan, ‖if this will not do, then try the way of working out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” ‖Do good,” says he, ‖say a great many prayers, perform a great many good works, and this is handling the matter wisely.” Now, I will take you to Switzerland for a minute to give you a picture. There was a poor woman who lived in one of those sweet villages under the Alps, where the fountains are always pouring out their streams of water into the great stone tanks, and the huge overhanging roofs cover the peasant homes. She had been accustomed to climb the mountain to gather fodder for her cows, and she had driven her goats to the wild crags and the sheer solitudes where no sound is heard except the tinkling of the bell. She, good soul, had read nothing but the Bible, and her dreams and thoughts were all of heavenly things, and she dreamed thus, that she was walking along a smooth meadow where there were many fair flowers, and much soft grass. The pathway was smooth, and there were thousands winding their way along it, but they took no notice of her; she seemed alone. Suddenly the thought crossed her that this was the path to destruction; and these were selfish sinners; she sought another way for she feared to meet their doom. She saw a path up the mountain-side exceedingly steep and rugged, as mountain paths are, but up this she saw men and women carrying tremendous burdens, as some of us have seen them carry them, till they stoop right down under the tremendous weight as they climb the stony staircase. Here there was a tree across the road, and there a bramble, and there a brook was gushing down the mountain-side, and the path was lined with stones, and she slipped. So she turned aside again, but those that went up the hill looked at her with such sorrow that she turned back again, and began to climb once more, but only to find the way rough and impossible. She turned aside again into the green meadow, but the climbers seemed to be very sad, yet though they pitied her, she did not pity them, for their toil made them wet with perspiration and faint with fatigue. She dreamed she went along the green meadow till she came to a fair house, out of which looked a bright spirit. The side of the house where she was was all windows without a door, and the spirit said to her, “You have come the wrong road, you cannot come in this way, there is no entrance here,” and she woke. She told a Christian woman who visited her of this dream, and she said, ‖I am sorely troubled for I cannot go up that mountain path, I know.” ‖I understand that to be the way of holiness, I cannot climb it, and I fear that I shall choose the green meadow, and when I come at last to the gates of heaven, they will tell me that is not the way and I cannot enter there.” So her kind instructress said to her, ‖I have not dreamed, but I have read in my Bible this morning that one day when the corn was ripening and the sun was shining brightly, there went three men out of a city called Jerusalem, one of them was the Savior of the world and the other two were thieves.” One of them, as he hung upon the cross, found his way to the bright city of heaven; and it was said ‘To-day you shall be with me in paradise.' Did he go up that hilly path do you think? ‖No,” said the poor woman, ‖he believed and was saved.” ‖Ah,” said her friend, ‖and this is your way to heaven.” That hilly path you cannot climb; those who were ascending it with so much labor perished before they reached the summit, tottering from some dizzy height, they were dashed to pieces upon some jagged rock. Believe, and this shall be the path of salvation for you.” And so I come to the poor soul and I say, if you would handle matters rightly, happy is he that trusts in the Lord. You have done the right thing for eternity, with all its solemnities, when you have cast your soul just as it is on him who is ‖able to save to the uttermost them that come unto God by him.”

And let me now tell you what are the excellencies of so doing. That man who believes in Christ and can say, ‖Salvation is finished; all is of Christ and all is free; my faith is in Jesus Christ and in him alone,”—that man is freed from fears. He is not afraid to die, Christ has finished the work for him. He is not afraid to live, he shall not perish, for his soul is in Jesus Christ. And he is not afraid of trial, or of trouble, for he that bought him with his blood shall keep him with his arm. He is free from present fears, and he is free from present cares too. He has no need to toil and labor, to fret and strive, to do this or to do that. He feels no more the whip of the slave-driver on his back; his life is happy and his service light, the yoke he wears he scarce knows to be a yoke, the road is pleasant, and the path is peace—no climbing upwards except as angel hands assist him to climb the road which else no mortal feet could traverse. He is free too from all fatal delusion. He is not a deceived man, he shall never open his eyes to find himself mistaken, he has something which shall last him long as life shall last, which shall be with him when he wakes from his bed of clay to conduct him joyously to realms of light and endless day. This man is such a man that if I compared him with the very angels I should not do amiss. He is on earth but his heart is in heaven; he is here below, but yet he sits together with Christ in heavenly places, he has his troubles but they work his lasting good; he has his trials but they are only the precursors of victory, he has weakness, but he glories in infirmity because the power of Christ rests upon him, he is sometimes cast down, but he is not destroyed, he is perplexed, he is not in despair, he does not grovel, but he walks upright; his foot may be in the mire, but his eye is above the stars; his body may be covered with rags, but his soul is robed in light, he may go to a miserable pallet to find an unresting rest, but his soul sleeps in the bosom of his beloved, and he has a perfect peace, ‖a peace which passes all understanding, which keeps his heart and mind through Jesus Christ.” Christians, I would that you and I could believe God better and get rid of these wicked fears of ours. Gracious Father, I do to-day cast all I have on thee, and all I have not, too, I would cast on thee. My cares, my sorrows, my labors, my joys, my present, my past, my future—take thou and manage all. I will be nothing, be thou all.

‖O God, I cast my care on thee, I triumph and adore, Henceforth my chief concern shall be To love and serve thee more.”

Brethren, believers in Jesus, do the same, and you shall find that happy is the man who trusts in the Lord. As for you who fear not the Lord Jesus—may his Holy Spirit visit you this morning, may he quicken you, for you are dead in sin; may he give you power, for you are strengthless of yourselves. Remember, the way of salvation is simple and plain before you—“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.” Trust my Master's blood, depend upon his finished righteousness and you must, you shall be saved; you cannot, you will not be lost.

“Oh believe the promise true God to you his Son has given.”

Depend on his Son, and you shall thus escape from hell, and find your path to heaven.

The Lord add now his own best blessing for Jesus' sake. Amen.

A sermon (Number 392) delivered on Sunday Morning, May 12, 1861, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon.

"He who handles a matter wisely shall find good: and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." — Proverbs 16:20.

Wisdom is man's true path — the quality that allows him to accomplish his highest purpose and thereby brings him the richest enjoyment and the fullest use of all his powers. Wisdom is the compass by which a man steers across the vast, uncharted sea of life. Without wisdom, a man is like a wild donkey's colt, running here and there, wasting energy that could have been put to good use. Without wisdom, a man is like untilled soil — it may produce a few pleasant flowers, but it will never yield a harvest that rewards the reaper or even the gleaner. Give a man true wisdom, and he rises to the full dignity that humanity can know. He becomes a fitting companion for the angels, and no creature stands between him and God — for Christ has taken on human nature and thereby linked humanity with divinity. But where is this wisdom to be found? Many have claimed to discover it, but they have not truly possessed it. Where shall we find it? It would be worth piercing through the depths of the earth, scaling the heights of heaven, crossing deserts, sailing the sea, and flying through the boundless skies — all of it would be a small price to pay if we could find this treasure at last. But the deep says, "It is not in me," and the sea says, "It is not with me." It cannot be bought with gold, and silver cannot pay its price. It cannot be compared to the gold of Ophir, or to the precious onyx, or the sapphire. Gold and crystal cannot match it, and it cannot be traded for jewels of fine gold. Coral and pearls are not worth mentioning alongside it, for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, and pure gold cannot measure its worth. Where, then, does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of every living being and kept out of sight from the birds of the sky. Destruction and death say, "We have only heard rumors of it." God alone understands the way to it, and He alone knows its location.

Let us listen to the voice of the Lord, for He has declared the secret. He has revealed to humanity where true wisdom is found, and our text states it plainly: "whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he." That declaration stands alongside another truth — that handling a matter wisely leads to good, and the true way to handle anything wisely is to trust God. This is the simple solution to the greatest difficulties; this is the key to the most tangled labyrinths; this is the lever that can lift the heaviest weight. He who trusts in the Lord has found the way to handle matters wisely, and he is happy.

With God's help, I will take up this text in two ways this morning. First, we will apply it to the wise handling of matters in everyday life and this present world. Second, we will apply it to the eternal matters of our destiny beyond the grave, and show how trusting in the Lord is the wisest way to handle those concerns.

First, then, let us think about the wise handling of matters in this present life — those things that concern our bodies and souls while we are here on earth.

A man must be careful in a world like this. He will quickly cut his feet if he does not watch where he steps. He will soon tear his clothes on thorns and briars if he does not choose his path. This is a land full of enemies — we must be wise, or an arrow will suddenly find a gap in our armor. We must be cautious, for we are not traveling in broad daylight on a safe road, but more like travelers at nightfall who may be attacked by robbers and lose what is precious to them. A man crossing a wilderness filled with bands of robbers must handle matters wisely if he hopes to find any good.

So how shall we handle these matters wisely? Several voices come forward to instruct us, and the first lesson is one that Satan often teaches young and foolish souls. He says, "Handling a matter wisely means making your own will your law — doing whatever seems best for you, right or wrong." This was the lesson he taught Eve when, in the serpent's form, he spoke the serpent's wisdom: "You shall be as gods." "Doubt your Maker's goodness," he said. "Believe that He is afraid you might rise to equal power and dignity with Him." "Take the fruit." "Yes, He forbids it — but who is God, that you should obey His voice?" "Yes, He threatens punishment — but don't believe the threat, or if you do, dare it anyway." "He who risks nothing wins nothing." "He who ventures nothing gains nothing great." "Act boldly, and you will be handling the matter wisely." She took the fruit, and in the next moment she must have sensed something of her folly. Before many hours had passed, Adam's shame at his nakedness, his bodily pain, weariness, hard labor, expulsion from Paradise, and the task of working a thankless and thorny ground — all of it taught humanity that they had not handled the matter wisely, for they had not found good. And you too, you sons and daughters of Eve — when the old serpent whispers in your ear, "Sin, and you will escape your difficulty; be honest when you can afford it, but if you cannot survive without dishonesty, then be dishonest; if you cannot prosper without lying, then lie" — oh, I beg you, do not listen to his voice. Listen to a wiser counsel than this. This is a deception that will destroy you. You will find no good, but much evil. You will sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. You think you are diving into deep waters to find pearls, but the jagged rocks will shatter you, and from those depths you will never rise — except as a lifeless corpse floating on the surface of a poisoned sea. Be wise. Learn from God, and close your ears to the one who would have you destroy yourself so he can gloat over your eternal misery. It is never wise to sin, brothers and sisters — never. However much it may seem like the best thing you can do, it is always the worst. No man has ever been in a situation where sinning was truly profitable to him. "But," someone says, "some men have become rich through sin!" Yes, but they carried sorrow with their riches. They inherited the blighting curse of God, and so they were truly poorer than poverty could have made them. "But," someone says, "men have risen to power by breaking their oaths." I know they have — but temporary success is no proof of lasting happiness. That emperor's story is not finished yet. Wait patiently. And if he escapes judgment in this life, the oath-breaker will still meet his Judge — and then —. Whoever measures what a man gains by what he appears to gain has chosen the wrong standard. There has never been — and I will say it again — there has never been any man who broke his word, forfeited his oath, or turned away from God's Word and God's law, who in the end found it profitable. He piled up deceptions and gathered delusions. And when God awoke — when that man awoke — like a dream that fades at sunrise, so did he, or so shall he, despise the empty image his soul had once adored.

But now the serpent softens his hiss. "Don't sin," he says. "There's no need for outright dishonesty or theft. Don't throw yourself headlong into vice — just be wise," by which he means, "Be crafty. Adjust your sails when the wind shifts — how will you reach your destination if you don't learn to tack about?" "The straight road is full of thorns. Take the side path. There will be another path that brings you back once the thorns and flints are behind you." "Why," he asks, "would you smash your head against a stone wall?" "If there's a mountain in your way, why not wind around its base? Why climb to the summit?" "Doesn't wisdom teach you that whatever is easiest must be best, and that whatever feels most natural to you must in the end be best for you?" What a slippery, deceptive creature! How many multitudes have been deceived in exactly this way! Brothers and sisters, the reason we have so few trustworthy people in this age — the reason we have so few men in positions of leadership whom we can truly depend on — is that cunning strategy has become the guiding principle of individuals and nations alike, instead of the honest course that, like an arrow in flight, is certain and direct in reaching its mark. Why do people so often ask what they should do in a given situation — not meaning what God's law requires, but what will produce the best outcome for themselves? The rules of modern cleverness and self-serving morality are complicated because they are inconsistent. But honesty is as simple and clear as sunlight. It takes years to make a skilled lawyer; but grace can make an honest man in a single hour. Believe me, brothers and sisters — strategy is not wisdom, and craftiness is not understanding. Let me give you the case of another woman — Rebecca. Rebecca knew that God had decreed her beloved son Jacob would rule over the two brothers. "The older shall serve the younger." But she could not wait for God's providence to accomplish God's purpose. Instead, she resorted to deception against her blind husband. She dressed her son in goatskins and wool, prepared the savory dish, and sent Jacob — who, though a good man, was the very picture of a calculating and self-serving schemer — to meet his father and deceive him. If Rebecca had been truly wise, she would not have done this. She could not foresee that the result of this scheme would be to drive her beloved son away from his devoted mother, force him to endure years of hard labor under Laban, lead him into the great mistake of polygamy, and make him a far more troubled man than he might have been had he trusted God as Abraham and Isaac did — leaning not on their own understanding but trusting God with all their hearts. Brothers and sisters, in no situation will you ever find that a departure from a straightforward course works to your lasting benefit. In the end, you can count on this: the surest path to being truly respected among people is the remarkable distinction of being a completely honest man or woman. Say what you mean; mean what you say. Do what you believe is right, and hold to this as a firm conviction: if the skies should fall because of your doing right, honest men will survive the ruin. How can the godly man ultimately fail? If the earth itself should shake, would he fall? No — blessed be God — he would find himself in the honored position of David, who said, "The earth trembles; but I hold up its pillars."

But now the serpent changes his approach and says, "Well, if you won't be sinful or crafty, then at least succeed in life by being very careful." You must fret and worry and think constantly about it — that is how to handle a matter wisely, he says. "Look at how many people have been ruined by carelessness and lack of thought," he argues. "Be careful. Rise early, stay up late, eat the bread of anxious toil." "Scrimp and sacrifice. Don't give to the poor. Be a miser, and you will succeed." "Watch. Think. Be vigilant." This, according to him, is the path of wisdom. Many people have tried this path, and many have stuck to it their whole lives. But I must tell you: this is not truly handling a matter wisely. God forbid we say a single word against prudence, careful planning, necessary foresight, diligence, and wise preparation. These are virtues — not merely commendable, but qualities a Christian's character would be seriously lacking without. But when these things are treated as the very foundation and core of success, people fall into serious error. It is pointless, in that sense, to rise early and stay up late eating the bread of anxious worry — for "He grants sleep to His beloved" (Psalm 127:2). There are many who have lived out Spenser's picture of old Care from the Faery Queene.

"His garment was rough and worn to rags, which suited him, for he cared nothing for better. With blistered hands, scorched among the cinders, and fingers filthy with long, untrimmed nails —"

"He was fit only to tear apart the food he ate. His name was Care — a blacksmith by trade, who spared himself neither day nor night from working, but made iron wedges to little purpose. Those wedges are the restless thoughts that invade anxious minds."

Who would want that picture to describe themselves? I would far rather we could all be like Luther's little bird, which perched in the tree and sang —

"Mortal, cease from care and sorrow — God provides for the morrow."

Care is a good thing when it is the right kind of care. But it becomes harmful when it is the wrong kind — and it is the wrong kind if I cannot cast it onto the One who cares for me. Cotton said it well about people consumed by greed: "After hypocrites, the greatest fools the devil has are those who spend their anxious lives in the disappointments and frustrations of business, living miserably and cheaply only to die magnificently and rich." "Like hypocrites, the only selfless act these men can charge themselves with is serving the devil without receiving his wages. The man who stands behind a counter every day of his life until he drops into the grave may strike many profitable bargains. But he has made one terrible deal — so terrible that it outweighs all the rest. For the hollow vanity of dying rich, he has paid with his health, his happiness, and his integrity."

There is yet another approach to handling matters wisely that is often suggested to young men — and suggested, I am sorry to say, even by Christian men who have no idea they are giving advice that comes straight from the enemy. "Well," they say, "young man, if you won't be obsessively careful and vigilant night and day, at least be self-reliant." "Go out and show the world you're a match for it — that you know it, and that you intend to carve your own path to glory and build something that will make men stop and stare." "Say to those around you, 'I intend to rise above you all and bestride this narrow world like a Colossus.'" "Be independent, young men." "Stand on your own two feet." "There is something remarkable in you — act like it; be strong." Many have tried this self-reliance, brothers and sisters, and the outcome has been a frightening deception. When the day of fierce trial came, they discovered that "Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind" — even if that man is himself — "and makes flesh his strength," even his own flesh (Jeremiah 17:5). They went out of harbor boldly, with full sails and bright prospects, but came back as wrecks stranded on the sand. They rode out like knights with lances raised and pennants flying, intent on charging like unicorns and driving everything before them — and came back thrown from their horses, stripped of honor. No man has ever been so thoroughly deceived by anyone as by himself. Be warned, Christian friend: this is not handling a matter wisely.

What, then, is the way of wisdom? The text answers plainly: "He who trusts in the Lord, happy is he." So, if I understand this rightly, learning to trust in God in everyday matters will make us happy. We are not to be idle — that would show we trust in the devil, who is the father of idleness, rather than in God, who works continually. We are not to be reckless and impulsive — that would be trusting to chance, not to God, for God is a God of order and purpose. We are to trust God — acting with full prudence and integrity, resting simply and entirely upon Him. Now, I have no doubt many here are thinking, "That can't be the way to get ahead in the world. Simply trusting in God can't be the path to success." But it is — only a man must have grace in his heart to live it. One must first become a child of God, and then he can entrust his affairs to his Father's hands. He must come to depend on the Eternal One, because the Eternal One has enabled him to exercise this Christian grace, which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that faith is as much the rule for everyday life as it is for spiritual life, and that we ought to trust God for our businesses just as much as for our souls. Worldly people may scoff at this, but it is no less true for that. At any rate, I pray it will be my own practice for as long as I live.

Dear friends, let me commend to you a life of trust in God in everyday matters, and here are just a few of its many benefits. First, by trusting in God you will never have to grieve over having used sinful means to get ahead. If trusting God leaves you poor, it is far better to be poor with a clear conscience than to be rich and guilty. Whatever difficulty comes your way, you will always have this comfort: you arrived there through no fault of your own. You have served God with integrity — and even if some say you have missed the mark or fallen short of success, at least there is no sin on your conscience.

And then again, trusting God keeps you from contradicting yourself. The man who trusts in clever scheming sails one way today and another tomorrow, like a ship tossed by a shifting wind. But the man who trusts in the Lord is like a ship driven by steam — he cuts through the waves, holds his course against the wind, and carves a bright, straight track toward his destination. Be that kind of man. Never bend to the ever-changing fashions of worldly wisdom. Let people see that the world has changed — that opinions and maxims have shifted — but that you remain unshakeable in the strength that only trusting in God can give. And dear brothers and sisters, let me add this: you will be freed from anxious worry. You will not be shaken by bad news. Your heart will be steady, trusting in the Lord. I once read of an old teacher of the Church who, going out one morning, met a beggar and said to him, "I wish you a good day." "Sir," said the beggar, "I have never had a bad day in my life." "But," said the teacher, "your clothes are in rags and your bag looks quite empty." "My clothes are as good as God wants them to be," said he, "and my bag is as full as the Lord has seen fit to make it — and what pleases Him pleases me." "But," said the teacher, "suppose God were to cast you into hell?" "Indeed, sir," said the beggar, "that could never be. But if it were, I would still be content — for I have two long and strong arms, faith and love, and I would throw them around the neck of my Savior and never let go. So if I went there, He would be with me, and it would be heaven to me." Oh, those two strong arms of faith and love! If you can only cling to the Savior's neck, you need fear no storm. I will fear no fatal shipwreck, for Christ is in my vessel — He holds the helm, and He holds the winds too.

"Though winds and waves assault my keel, He preserves it, He steers it, even when the vessel seems most to reel. Storms are the triumphs of His art — surely He may close His eyes, but not His heart."

The practical lesson from all this is this: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). Whatever your trouble is, bring it to God this morning — do not carry it until tonight. Whatever your difficulty or the particular struggle weighing on your mind, tell it to the Lord your God. He is as able as He is willing, and as willing as He is able. Having sent the trial, He will surely make a way of escape for you.

Now I turn to the second part of our message. In spiritual matters, he who handles a matter wisely shall find good.

But what is the right way to handle this fearful matter that stands between our soul and God? We have immortal spirits — spirits that are accountable. The day of judgment draws near, bringing either heaven's joy or hell's torment. What shall we do, brothers and sisters, to handle this matter wisely? And here comes the old serpent again, saying: "Young man, the easiest way to handle this is to leave it alone entirely. You're still young — there's plenty of time. Why put an old head on young shoulders?" "You'll have time enough to think about religion later. Right now, it will only get in your way." "Better to drop it. These ministers just want to make you anxious and burdened — leave it alone." "If there's anything to it, you can think about it later. For now, enjoy your youth. Let the morning of your days be full of joy. The hard times will come soon enough — let your serious thoughts come then."

Now, young man — does that honestly strike you as wise? I will tell you one thing: whatever you may think of it, that path is the direct road to hell. Do you know the road to heaven? It might take some time to fully explain it, but if you want to know the road to hell, I can tell you in a moment. You don't need to swear. You don't need to be drunk. You don't need to become a monster of wickedness or a fiend in cruelty. No, it is far simpler than that — it is just a small matter of neglect, nothing more, and your soul is certainly lost. Remember how the apostle puts it: "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3). Can the surest road to hell be a wise choice? I think I can leave that to your reason — and certainly to your conscience. You know it is not the right way. And I have noticed this: the men who laugh most at religion when they are healthy and most careless are the most terrified when some small accident befalls them. A little illness throws them into a dreadful state — they are badly shaken, and they know it. And the strangest thing is that the minister they hated most when they were well becomes the very man they trust most and desperately want to see when they are sick. I know that when cholera last swept through this city, there was a man for whom no word in the English language was too harsh to describe me. And when he lay sick with cholera, who was sent for? The parish clergyman? No, certainly not. Some minister of good standing? No. They sent for the very man he had cursed — and until that man came and spoke to him and prayed with him, he could not even allow himself a shred of hope. Though, alas, I fear he had no real hope even then. Yet so it is — God will honor His ministers and prove the utter emptiness of human boasting. You may be careless while you are well, you may neglect this great salvation — but a little sickness will make you tremble, your knees will shake, you will be convulsed with dread, and you will discover that this is not handling the matter wisely. You are like a man on the verge of bankruptcy who knows his accounts are going wrong but suspects he is already insolvent. He does not look at his books — he cannot bear to, because there is nothing pleasant in them. There may be a few assets, but most entries are on the wrong side, and in the end he stops keeping records altogether. It would be too painful to know exactly where he stands. And so it is with you. Because things are not right, you don't want to examine them and face the dark reality. I urge you to be wise — look a little further ahead. Why shut your eyes and perish? Man, I charge you by the living God: wake up, or eternity will wake you. Look now, or you will soon be utterly overwhelmed by what you refused to face.

But Satan comes to some and says, "If you won't be careless, then the next easiest thing is to be gullible." "Over there," he says, "is a man with a shaved head who says he can manage the whole thing for you." "He ought to know. Doesn't he belong to a Church with an infallible head?" "Hand yourself over to him," says Satan, "and everything will be fine." "Or," he says, "if you hate that — there is a clergyman. Let him give you the sacrament. Trust him and you'll be safe." "Or, if you could just join the Church and be baptized — there, that will do. Take it for granted that everything is settled." "Why trouble yourself with theological debates? Leave those things alone. Just float on the surface and don't worry about what rocks might lie at the bottom." And is this the way to handle this matter wisely? Absolutely not. You would be better off trusting a lawyer with your property than a priest with your soul. You would be better off handing your purse to a highway robber than committing your soul to a Roman priest. What will he do for you but take his fee, while your soul remains bankrupt? And the same is true of even the best of men — if you make saviors of them. You might as well lean on a reed, build a throne out of bubbles, or sleep in a powder magazine with a candle burning in a bag of gunpowder — as trust even a good man with your soul. See to it that you handle this matter wisely — and you cannot do so by handing it to another.

"Well then!" says Satan, "if that won't work, try working out your own salvation with fear and trembling." "Do good," he says. "Say many prayers, perform many good works — that is how to handle this matter wisely." Let me take you to Switzerland for a moment to illustrate this. There was a poor woman who lived in one of those charming villages beneath the Alps, where fountains constantly pour their streams into great stone basins and the wide overhanging roofs shelter the peasant homes. She was accustomed to climbing the mountain to gather fodder for her cows and to drive her goats to the wild crags and lonely heights where the only sound is the tinkling of a bell. This woman, a simple soul, had read nothing but the Bible, and her thoughts and dreams were full of heavenly things. She dreamed that she was walking along a smooth meadow covered in fair flowers and soft grass. The path was pleasant, and thousands were making their way along it — but they took no notice of her, and she felt entirely alone. Suddenly the thought struck her that this was the road to destruction, and that these were selfish sinners. She looked for another way, afraid of sharing their fate. She saw a path climbing steeply up the mountainside — rough and rugged, as mountain paths are. Along it, men and women struggled upward carrying enormous burdens, bent nearly double under the weight as they climbed the stony steps — much as she had seen people carry loads in her own mountains. There were fallen trees across the road, brambles on the sides, and a brook rushing down through the path, and the way was lined with loose stones — and she slipped. She turned aside again, but those climbing the hill looked at her with such sadness that she turned back and tried to climb again — only to find the way steep and impossible. She turned away once more into the green meadow. The climbers seemed sorrowful, though they pitied her — and though she did not pity them, their labor made them sweat heavily and grow faint with exhaustion. In her dream she continued along the green meadow until she came to a beautiful house, from which a shining figure looked out. The side of the house where she stood was all windows and no door, and the figure said to her: "You have come the wrong way. There is no entrance here." Then she woke. She told a Christian woman who visited her about the dream and said, "I am deeply troubled, because I know I cannot climb that mountain path." "I understand it to be the way of holiness, but I cannot climb it. I am afraid I will take the easy meadow road, and when I finally reach the gates of heaven, they will tell me that is not the way in." Her kind friend replied: "I have not had a dream, but I have read in my Bible this morning that one day, when the grain was ripening and the sun was shining brightly, three men left the city of Jerusalem — one of them was the Savior of the world, and the other two were criminals." "One of those criminals, as he hung on the cross, found his way to the bright city of heaven, for it was said: 'Today you shall be with Me in paradise.'" "Do you think he climbed that steep mountain path?" "No," said the poor woman. "He believed, and was saved." "And that," said her friend, "is your way to heaven." "That steep path you cannot climb. Those who struggled up it with such labor perished before they reached the summit, tumbling from some dizzying height and dashed to pieces on jagged rocks." "Believe — and that will be the path of salvation for you." And so I come to every struggling soul and say: if you would handle this matter rightly, happy is he who trusts in the Lord. You have done the right thing for eternity, with all its weight and solemnity, when you have cast your soul — just as it is — onto Him who is "able to save completely those who come to God through Him" (Hebrews 7:25).

Let me now tell you about the blessings that come from doing this. The man who believes in Christ and can say, "Salvation is complete — all of it is from Christ and all of it is free; my faith is in Jesus Christ and in Him alone" — that man is freed from fear. He is not afraid to die, for Christ has finished the work on his behalf. He is not afraid to live, for his soul is secure in Jesus Christ and he will not perish. And he is not afraid of trial or trouble, for the One who bought him with His blood will keep him with His power. He is free from present fears, and he is free from present anxieties too. He has no need to toil and fret and strive and scheme. He no longer feels the slaveholder's whip on his back. His life is happy and his service is light. The yoke he wears he scarcely recognizes as a yoke. The road is pleasant and the path is peace — climbing upward only as angels guide him along a road that no human feet could otherwise travel. He is free from every fatal delusion as well. He is not a deceived man. He will never wake up to find he was mistaken. He has something that will last as long as life itself — something that will be with him when he rises from the grave and lead him joyfully into realms of light and everlasting day. This man, if I were to compare him to the angels themselves, I would not be going too far. He is on earth, but his heart is in heaven. He is here below, yet he sits together with Christ in heavenly places. He has his troubles, but they work lasting good for him. He has his trials, but they are only the forerunners of victory. He has weakness, but he glories in his weakness because the power of Christ rests on him. He is sometimes cast down, but never destroyed. He is perplexed, but never in despair. He does not grovel — he walks upright. His feet may be in the mud, but his eyes are fixed above the stars. His body may be covered in rags, but his soul is clothed in light. He may go to a hard bed for a restless night, but his soul rests in the arms of his Beloved, and he has a perfect peace — "a peace that surpasses all understanding, which guards his heart and mind through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). Christians, I wish that you and I could trust God more fully and be rid of these anxious fears of ours. Gracious Father, today I cast all that I have on You — and all that I lack, I cast on You as well. My cares, my sorrows, my labors, my joys, my present, my past, my future — take them all and manage everything. I will be nothing; be You everything.

"O God, I cast my care on You — I triumph and adore. Henceforth my chief concern shall be to love and serve You more."

Brothers and sisters who believe in Jesus — do the same, and you will find that happy is the man who trusts in the Lord. As for those of you who do not yet fear the Lord Jesus — may His Holy Spirit visit you this morning. May He give you life, for you are dead in sin. May He give you strength, for you have none of your own. Remember: the way of salvation is simple and plain before you — "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31). Trust in my Master's blood; depend on His finished righteousness — and you will be saved. You cannot be lost.

"Oh, believe the promise true — God to you His Son has given."

Depend on His Son, and you will escape hell and find your path to heaven.

May the Lord now add His own best blessing, for Jesus' sake. Amen.