Aim at Your Best Every Time.
By C. H. Spurgeon
SIR JOSHUA REYNOLDS was one of the most distinguished painters of his day; and in answer to the inquiry, how he attained to such excellence, he replied, "By observing one simple rule, viz., to make each painting the best." Depend upon it that the same thing is true in the service of God. He who wishes to preach well should endeavor each time to preach his best. The audience may be small, and the hearers illiterate; but the best possible sermon will not be thrown away upon them. It may be that the minister is invited to make one among several speakers at a tea-meeting. Never let him talk mere nonsense to fill up the time, as so many have done in days past; but let him use the occasion as an opportunity for quietly uttering most important truths. It is for the preacher's own good that he should never descend into mere dribble. Beyond all expectations, he may be accomplishing a great work, when his only idea is that he is doing a little one as well as he can. Our firm opinion is that we often accomplish most when the occasion appears to be the least favorable. Well do we remember a young man who was called to preach on a certain week-day morning, at the anniversary of a village chapel. He was somewhat surprised to find that only eight persons were present in a spacious edifice; but he gave himself up, heart and soul, to the service as thoroughly as if eight thousand had been gathered together. It was the time of refreshing to the eight, and to the preacher himself, and so nine were benefited! What was the result? In the evening the audience filled the place; the rumor of the morning sermon had been industriously spread by the villagers, the scantiness of the audience being a factor in the singularity of the news; and every available person was mustered to cheer the poor young man who was such a singular preacher. What was far better, there were memorials of good having been accomplished in the salvation of souls. A brother minister, who was present in the morning because he was the preacher of the afternoon, remarked that if it had been his lot to conduct that morning service the slender congregation would have taken all the life out of him, but that he saw the wisdom of always doing one's best under all sorts of circumstances, for it would be sure to lead up to something larger by and by. Let every young speaker think of this, and throw all his energies into a discourse in a cottage to a dozen old ladies. It is an old saying that when the farrier's name is up, he need not take care how he makes his horse-shoes; but it is a gross and wicked falsehood; for the more a man has succeeded, the more it is incumbent upon him to do better, and still better, that his reputation may not become a falsehood, and that younger men may not find in his example an excuse for trifling. He who can do best should still do his best; the best of the best is no better than our God deserves. Perhaps there is no greater evil under the sun than "a great sermon," which people speak of as "quite an intellectual treat;" and yet, in another sense, every sermon should be great, and every address should be solid. The toleration of slight work in the service of God shows a want of reverence for his holy name. If Dr. Johnson was right in his proverbial saying, that "Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well," with what emphasis should we accept the sentence if the work is to be done for the Lord of hosts. How dare we offer to him that which costs us nothing? How dare we think that any workmanship which has been performed in a slovenly manner is fit to present before the infinitely glorious One? A high respect for the Lord God should be the leading motive for holy carefulness in every service, but next to this, self-respect ought to urge us to thoroughness. Let us do nothing unworthy of servants of the Lord Jesus. We treat ourselves with contempt when we perform inferior work; we ought not to condescend to such drudgery.—C. H. Spurgeon.