Precious Jesus. . . ALL I need!!

My reader, it is the power of God alone that empties a man, that makes him clearly to see the imperfection of his own righteousness, his ignorance of truth, of God, and of Christ. It is the work of the Holy and Eternal Spirit to show to the poor sinner that all his righteousness is as filthy rags, that he has no spiritual strength, and not one pulse of love to God throbbing in his bosom. Oh, it is a power as great, as mighty, and as Divine as that which spoke this universe into being-which said, "Let there be light, and there was light,"-which alone can empty your soul of all its darkness, its rebellion, its ignorance, its love, homage of self, and bring you to the cross of Christ, to the feet of Jesus as a poor, empty beggar.
The means by which God the blessed Spirit accomplishes this great work are various. To begin with the minor ones: it is often by trial, adversity, and sorrow, that God opens a man's eyes to see the emptiness of himself and of all created things. Travel through the Church of God, and ask, What was it that first led you to Jesus? What first awoke spiritual, solemn, serious, and devout reflection in your mind? What first embittered and beclouded to you the sweet, sparkling streams and rivulets of created good?
The answer of thousands would be- God blighted my lovely flower, felled my stately cedar, laid low my heart's choicest treasure, blew on the accumulated earnings of many years, laid me on a sick and suffering bed. And thus was I brought to Jesus. Sorrow impelled me, the storms drove me, adversity led me to Him as the hiding-place from the wind, and the covert from the tempest. I sought the creature's sufficiency, the world's vanity, my own emptiness. He drew me with His love to seek and find all I needed in Himself. And now I can bless and praise Him blighting all, for blasting all, for ruining all, since it was but to make my soul His kingdom, my heart His home, my body His temple, and Himself more precious than countless worlds -my all and in all.
"In days when health and joy were mine,
And cloudless seemed my morning's shine,
I thought each bliss would still remain,
Nor knew how precious Christ was then.
But soon was dimmed my early light,
And sickness came with withering blight;
I turned to passed delights in vain,
But only Christ seemed precious then.
When sorrow sent her searching dart,
To probe and prove my erring heart,
Fainting beneath the bitter pain,
I felt that Christ was precious then.
And when before my startled eyes,
Sins past, and scarcely mourned, arise;
In vain my tears would cleanse the stain,
My Savior You are precious then.
And oh, when trembling near the tomb,
My spirit dreads the approaching gloom,
Then let the Cross my soul sustain,
And bid me think You are precious then."

Octavius Winslow, The Fullness of Christ