Help For The Day

About the Book

Thoughts for every day of the year, by J. R. Miller, that are both challenging and helpful. Some readers may prefer to ignore the days, and read several days at a time, or perhaps select a thought to form the basis of a talk or magazine article. There is something here for everyone who wants to grow in the Christian life, and know the inner peace that only God can bring to their soul. Miller is aware of just how we often struggle to live out our faith and find God’s calling in our lives, and he shares his insight and long experience in the ministry. Readers can start at any time of the year, as the thought for each day is a separate unit.

Help For The Day

JR Miller

(1840-1912)

First published in the United States of America 1904

This eBook is taken from the 1904 British edition

This White Tree Publishing edition

©White Tree Publishing 2019

eBook ISBN: eBook ISBN: 978-1-912529-29-2

Published by

White Tree Publishing

Bristol

UNITED KINGDOM

More books on www.whitetreepublishing.com

Contact mailto:wtpbristol@gmail.com

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner of this abridged edition.

Scripture quotations from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown's patentee, Cambridge University Press.

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Book

Author Biography

Publisher's Introduction

1. January

2. February

3. March

4. April

5. May

6. June

7. July

8. August

9. September

10. October

11. November

12. December

More Books from White Tree Publishing

About White Tree Publishing

Christian non-fiction

Christian Fiction

Younger Readers

Author Biography

James Russell Miller was an amazingly prolific Christian author. In addition to having the post of Editorial Superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication, he was the pastor of several Presbyterian churches in Pennsylvania and Illinois during his working life. He was born on March 20, 1840 near Frankfort Springs, Pennsylvania. His parents had a total of ten children, but his older sister died before he was born. When James was about fourteen years old, his father moved to a farm near Calcutta, Ohio. In the new home James was as popular among his schoolmates as he had been in his Pennsylvania home.

We can see when reading about James Miller’s early family life, how it is that he was able to write with great understanding and sympathy about the needs of individual Christians. His biographer, John T. Faris, (The Life of Dr. J. R. Miller: Jesus and I Are Friends 1912) tells us that, The young people of the neighbourhood delighted to gather at the Miller [James’s parents] fireside to enjoy one of the evenings of good fellowship for which the household was noted.

Faris also tells us that family prayers in Miller’s family home, when he was young, were given absolute priority over everything else. There was to be no reading of a single Bible verse and a brief prayer!

Miller married Louise King in 1870. They had three children. He died in the Philadelphia at the age of seventy-two in July 1912, having been used by God to bring a great blessing to many thousands through his various pastorates, and to countless readers through more than thirty Christian periodicals, and through the sale of more than two million books in his lifetime.

White Tree Publishing has plans to publish eBooks editions of more of Miller’s books in 2019. Please see our website for updates.

White Tree Publishing Introduction

This book of helpful and challenging thoughts for living a fulfilled Christian life was assembled from a range of Miller’s books, and the sections were not originally written to be read in isolation. We have sometimes tracked down the original quotations, and included more of them in order to make some points clearer.

Some words have been updated where they have either fallen out of use today, or changed their meaning. In all his books, Russell uses the name Christ far more often than he uses that of Jesus. Readers nowadays generally prefer to think of God’s Son as Jesus rather than by the more formal title of Christ, which means the Messiah or Anointed One. While sometimes keeping the name Christ in this book, we have frequently made changes to that of Jesus, helping to make God’s Son more personal and immediate to us today. Russell’s teaching and doctrine are unchanged.

This eBook is taken from the original British printing of 1904. At the end are brief details of our other Christian books, both non-fiction, fiction and books for younger readers. Fuller details of these books are on our website:

www.whitetreepublishing.com

As always with our Christian non-fiction books, we have inserted references to Bible quotes in brackets where these are missing in the original. It may be that many older authors believed they were writing to readers who were so familiar with the Bible that references were unnecessary, but we believe it is important for all readers to be able to check the words and context in their own Bibles.

January

January 1

God-Given Strength

We have no power in ourselves to do the will of Jesus Christ, but, as we begin to obey, the needed grace is given. Young people often say that they are afraid to enter upon a Christian life because they cannot do what will be required. It would be as easy for them to climb to the stars as, unaided, to live a fine and beautiful Christian life.

Human strength in itself is inadequate to life’s sore needs. But the young Christian who sets out in obedience to Jesus, depending upon Him to open the path of duty, will never fail to receive needed help at the moment of need.

Older Christians also often shrink from duties because they have not the ability to perform them. But for them, and for all who attempt any work or service in obedience to Jesus, it is true that the effort to obey will always bring with it the strength to obey.

January 2

Realised Longings

Continued longing after God's blessings lifts us up into the blessings. The heavenly ideal ever kept before the mind, and longed after with intensity of desire, carves itself in the soul. Every true Christian longing should at once become an impulse in the soul. The hand should instantly be reached out to paint or carve the beauty of which the heart dreams, and for which it longs.

Our longings should lead us into all paths of Christian service and all fearless duty. Mere gazing heavenward after the ascending Jesus, and waiting and watching for His return, is not the way to realise the blessed glory. There is work to do to prepare for His coming, and He will come with greatest joy to those who do most to advance His kingdom.

January 3

Jesus in the Home

Did you ever think what a wondrous blessing it is to a home when the salvation of Jesus comes to it? Think what a dark and sad place a godless home is, with no prayer, no recognition of God’s love and mercy, no shelter, no comfort in sorrow, no hope in death. Then think what Jesus brings when He is admitted.

Peace comes with Him, for sin is pardoned. God’s love builds a shelter over the home, for they are His children who dwell there now. There is communication direct from heaven, a ladder running up, with angels upon it and God above it. There is comfort in sorrow, help in trial, strength in weakness, and hope in dying.

January 4

Our First Duty

The great lighthouse pours beams far out to sea, but it does not lighten the space round its base. Some people send brightness far away, working overseas and doing deeds which benefit the world, while they fail to brighten their own homes and the lives close beside them.

We ought not to be such lights as these. While we send our influence abroad as much as possible, we should live so that we are blessings to those who are nearest to us.

January 5

Our True Place

God makes no mistakes in planting people in this world. He does not put any of us in a spiritual climate in which we cannot grow into beauty and strength. Wherever He plants us, He sends the streams of grace to refresh us. So, whatever our circumstances may be, it is possible for us to live a godly life.

The darker the night of sin about us, the clearer and steadier should be the light that streams from our life and conduct. Anyone should be able to live well in the midst of friendly influences and favouring circumstances, but it is doubly important that we be loyal and true to Jesus when surrounded by those who care not for Him.

January 6

Christ-likeness

Every true Christian life is beautiful, so far as it fairly and truly represents Jesus. Anything in our faith that is not beautiful is not a just or adequate expression of the Divine thought. Holiness of character is simply the reproduction in human life of the likeness of Jesus, and any feature that is not lovely and winning is not truly Christ-like, and hence misrepresents Jesus. It is not the Christian faith itself that is unlovely in such cases, but the human interpretation of it in disposition and conduct.

January 7

Daily Ministries

When Jesus was on the earth as a man, some women left their homes and went with Him, ministering to Him. It is probable that they made garments for Him, prepared food for His meals, and did every little personal kindness they could. That was a very sweet privilege.

No doubt, if He were here now, many young girls and women would do the same. He is not here in human form, but He has told us that if we do these same kindnesses even to the least and lowliest of His friends who are in need, it is the same as if we did them to Himself. So it is not hard to be a handmaid of Jesus.

January 8

Songs of Faith

We should seek to have our life so trained, so disciplined, that no sudden change of circumstances shall ever stop its music, so that if we are carried out of our summer of joy today into a winter of grief tomorrow, the song shall still go on ― the song of faith, love, peace.

St. Paul had learned this when he could say, I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know also how to abound (Philippians 4:11). Circumstances did not affect him, for the source of his peace and joy was in Jesus.

January 9

The Use of Sickness

The furnace fires of sickness burn off many a bond of sin and worldliness. Many now in heaven will thank God for ever for the ill health in this life which kept them from sin. We may be sure that God never calls any of His children into the sickroom without a purpose of blessing.

There is some lesson He wants to teach us, some new glimpse of His love He wants to show us, some beauty in us He wants to bring out. Sickrooms should always be to us sacred places, as we remember that God has summoned us there for some special work upon our souls.

January 10

God’s Messengers

The things which we call trials and adversities are really God’s messengers, though they seem terrible to us. If we will only quieten our hearts and wait, we shall find that they are messengers from heaven, and that they have brought blessings to us from God.

They have come to tell us of some new joy that is to be granted, some spiritual joy, perhaps to be born of earthly sorrow, some strange and sweet surprise of love that is waiting for us. We want to learn to trust God so perfectly that no messenger He ever sends shall alarm us.

January 11

Heart Purity

It is an evil world in which we live; but if we faithfully follow Jesus, doing His will, keeping our hearts open to every influence of the Holy Spirit, we shall be kept by His power from the corruption that flows about us. As the lily remains pure and unstained amid the soiled waters of the marsh in which it grows, so does the lowly, loving, patient heart of the Christian disciple remain pure in the midst of all this world’s corruption.

Over such a heart God’s face beams in perpetual blessing. The vision on earth, of course, is never full and clear, but it grows brighter and brighter as the believer walks ever toward the morning, and at last it will be unclouded and full in the perfect day of heaven.

January 12

True Repentance

Repentance is not merely a little twinge of remorse over some wrong thing. It is not simply a gush of tears at the recollection of some wickedness. It is not mere shame at being found out in some meanness, or uncleanness, or dishonesty. It is the revolution of the whole life.

Sins wept over must be forsaken for ever. Repentance is a change of heart, a turning of the face just the other way. It is well for us to make diligent quest, to be sure that we always abandon the wrongdoing which we deplore, that we quit the evil course which we regret, that we turn away from the sin which we confess.

January 13

Self-Help

It is God’s gift to us, this burden of ours, and to lay it down would be to lay down a blessing. Surely it is a wiser love that puts new strength into your heart and arm, so that you can go on with your hard duty, your heavy responsibility, your weight of care, without fainting, than would be the love which should take all the load away and leave you free from any burden.

God’s purpose always is to make something of us, to bring out the best that is in us. Hence He does not clear the forest for us, but puts the axe into our own hands, and bids us to cut it down for ourselves. And while we prepare the ground for cultivation, we grow healthy and strong ourselves through the toil. He does not drive out the enemies for us. He puts the sword into our own hands, and sends us to drive them out. The struggle does us good. The wrestling makes us