All the goodness I have within me is totally from the Lord alone.

In the sacred words of Charles Spurgeon, the prince of preachers, we hear a cry from the depths of humility: “All the goodness I have within me is totally from the Lord alone. When I sin, it is from me and is done on my own, but when I act righteously, it is wholly and completely of God.” These words are not the boast of a saint, but the confession of a man who knew the frailty of the human heart and the boundless mercy of God. In them echoes an ancient truth — that man, in his natural state, is but dust animated by divine breath, and all that is truly good, pure, and holy within him flows not from his own strength, but from the eternal Source.

The ancients would have nodded in solemn understanding. For even King David, in his psalms, declared, “I have no good thing apart from Thee.” The heart of man, left to itself, wanders like a ship without a star. But when the light of the Lord enters, the soul finds its compass once more. Spurgeon’s words remind us that human virtue is not self-born — it is grace, descending like dew from heaven. When we love purely, when we forgive freely, when we act justly despite the cost, it is not our will that triumphs, but God working through us. Without Him, our righteousness crumbles into pride; with Him, our weakness becomes strength.

Yet Spurgeon speaks also of sin, and here his wisdom burns like fire. “When I sin,” he says, “it is from me.” How heavy those words! For in them lies the mirror of every human soul. Sin is not the act of a distant demon, nor the whim of fate — it is the fruit of our own rebellion, our own turning away from the light. We are quick to claim our virtues, but slow to own our faults. Spurgeon strips away this illusion: all that is low, all that is cruel, all that is selfish, belongs to us; all that uplifts, redeems, and heals belongs to God. Thus, he teaches that true humility begins not in self-punishment, but in honest recognition — that we are the needful, and He is the giver.

Consider the life of John Newton, the sailor who became a preacher and wrote “Amazing Grace.” Once a trafficker in slaves, his heart was as hard as the sea upon which he sailed. But when he met despair in the storm, he cried out to God, and found mercy. From that moment, his life was transformed. His goodness was not his own creation — it was God’s mercy made visible. Newton would later say, “I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior.” So it is with all who awaken: the recognition of sin becomes the doorway to grace, and grace gives birth to new life.

To live in this awareness is to walk the path of dependence and gratitude. It is to rise each morning knowing that our power to love, to forgive, to endure, is not self-made but divinely granted. It is to fall on our knees when we stumble, not in despair, but in trust — knowing that the same God who gives goodness also gives forgiveness. For the proud heart says, “I am enough,” but the wise heart whispers, “He is my strength.” When we remember this, even our failures become lessons in humility, and even our victories become hymns of praise.

Let no one misunderstand this teaching. To say that goodness is from God is not to deny human effort, but to sanctify it. The farmer must still sow, the artist must still create, the soul must still choose righteousness. But the breath that moves the hand, the light that guides the mind, the love that softens the heart — these are gifts, not possessions. We labor, but it is God who makes the harvest grow. Thus, every act of goodness becomes an act of worship, every success a song of thanksgiving.

And so, the lesson stands eternal: humility is the root of holiness. Remember always that when you do good, it is the Lord who works through you; when you fall, it is your own heart that strays. Do not despair in your weakness, for it is through weakness that grace is revealed. Do not boast in your strength, for it is borrowed light. Instead, live as a vessel — open, willing, grateful — that the divine goodness may flow through you into the world.

Therefore, my child, if ever pride whispers that you are the maker of your virtue, remember Spurgeon’s truth: all goodness is of God, and all sin is of self. Bow low before this mystery. Walk humbly, act righteously, and let your life proclaim the glory of the One who makes all things good. For in the end, it is not the strength of man that redeems the world — it is the grace of God shining through the hearts of those who know they are nothing without Him.