The following devotional spoke loudly to me because I have been stuck in deep discouragement for some time; beaten down by life, by troubles such as those J. R. Miller touches on below.
Devotional highlights precede the 3 minute video:
Life’s Highest and Best Lesson, by J.R. Miller / Christian Audio Devotion
- Joseph was a capable, true and trustworthy servant of Potiphar
- He could not have been a good servant had he given himself up to discouragement; if he had brooded, sulked, complained, or spent his time in regret; if he had given himself to vindictiveness
- We should learn this lesson
- The problem of life is to keep the heart warm and kindly amid all injustice and wrong; to keep the spirit brave and cheerful in the midst of the difficulties of life; to be true and strong in all moral purpose and deed however others may act towards us
- Our inner life should not be affected by our external experiences: right is right no matter what other around us do
- If all the world is false to us, we must be true
- We must be unselfish and loving even if our nearest friends prove selfish and cruel to us
- We must keep our spirit strong, cheerful and hopeful although adversities and misfortunes seem to leave us nothing of the fruit of all our labors
- We are to live victoriously, truly, nobly, sweetly, cheerfully, joyfully in spite of whatever maybe unpleasant in our condition
- This is the lesson of all Christian life, we should not let the outside darkness into our soul; we should seek to be delivered from all unwholesomeness; not allowing anything to crush us
- Remember, our task in living is to keep sweet, to keep our heart gentle, brave, strong, loving, full of hope under the worst the years can bring of injustice, suffering, hardship and trial
The following link is to the above video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbqY4P-bzDA
The following link is to all the devotionals at the YouTube site, Christian Sermons and Audiobooks:
https://www.youtube.com/c/stack45ny/search?query=devotionals
James Russell Miller was born on March 20, 1840 at Frankfort Springs, Pennsylvania and died on July 2, 1912. Besides authoring over 80 books, booklets, and pamphlets, Dr. J.R. Miller was the Editorial Superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and a very active pastor in a succession of churches.
The crucible of J.R. Miller’s education was his service with the United States Christian Commission, an agency set up to minister to the troops, during the civil war. When the war ended Miller completed his theological studies and was ordained and installed on September 11, 1867. On June 22, 1870, when he was thirty, he married Miss Louise E. King.
The end of life on earth came without warning on the afternoon of July 2, 1912. JR’s wife, Louise Miller, and their only daughter, Mary Wanamaker Miller (Mrs. W.B. Mount), were present, but it was impossible to summon the sons — William King Miller and Russell King Miller. One moment Dr. Miller seemed to be resting quietly; the next he was at rest.
JR Miller DD was one of the best selling Christian authors of his era. Rev. Miller’s books had a total circulation of over two million copies during his lifetime and in 1911 the Presbyterian Board of Publication, under his direction, published over 66 million copies of its periodicals.