We Blunder and Stumble in our Holiest Endeavors – J. R. Miller (Christian devotional)

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The following 6-minute video is a Christian devotional that will help those who mourn about the ‘stumbling’ they do in their own Christian walk.

[After publishing this post, I discovered a ‘short’ of a John MacArthur sermon, and one of a Baucham sermon, each of which confronts the matter discussed in this post differently than Miller; these were inserted below the J R Miller video. I think that all of these are applicable to the problem, as in the Bible, God issues threats and promises, each are meant to move His people towards Him.]

This brief devotional will give you some clarity about what God would have you doing with your life. To be more specific, and to summarize Miller’s words: God has placed you in a specific place, amid a specific group of people, with specific needs…; He has given you talents, interests, abilities… that He expects you to use to SERVE those around you….

J R Miller states that message in a pleasing and kind manner. His words will help you to see and act on those little specific things all around you.

Devotional HIGHLIGHTS:

  • This devotional is from J R Miller’s work, Life’s Byways and Waysides
  • Act 13:36  “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid among his fathers and saw corruption…  [LSB]
  • It gives dignity and sacredness to our life to be serving our generation
  • Every true-hearted Christian who realizes this truth, seeks to work out God’s will in his own character and life
  • We cannot do this perfectly
  • At our best, we do but a little of the beautiful work we intend to do or plan
  • We blunder and stumble in our holiest endeavors…
  • We set out in the morning with high resolves, but our evening confessions tell of many a shortcoming
  • However, there is a sense in which, not attaining perfection, a Christian may fulfill God’s plan for himself
  • King David’s life illustrated that
  • The secret of such a life – David served his own generation by the will of God
  • When we look closely at this inspired description, of a life that so pleased God, we may learn how to work out the divine will for ourselves
  • “David served”
  • ‘Serving’ is not a favorite word, it seems to have an ignoble meaning, BUT it really is one of the most royal words
  • One who has not begun to serve, has not begun to live a godly life
  • God never yet made a life for selfishness
  • Jesus showed us the perfect divine ideal of human living, He served unto the uttermost
  • He indicated that ‘serving’ was His central purpose
  • He described the one who serves as the greatest in His kingdom
  • With our lives, we are to live, to give, to bestow
  • “David served in his generation”
  • Our ‘generation’ is the entire human family living in this present time
  • How can we serve the hundreds of millions we will never even see?
  • One way of serving in our generation is to fill well, the little place God has assigned us in His Providence
  • Begin serving in the little circle in which God placed you
  • We can give, in our little circle, something that will enrich it
  • We can show, in this circle, an example of godly living; patience under trial; purity and uprightness under temptation; love and meekness under injury and wrong; THEREBY, being an uplifting, enriching influence in the world
  • We think we are but little people who cannot serve in the way King David served
  • Yet, EACH individual life has its distinct place in the plan of God, and each may fill out its own pattern
  • Even the smallest life lived well, blesses the world
  • Every godly deed we do makes it a little easier for others to do godly deeds and lifts the standard of living a little higher
  • Many people are oppressed and disheartened by seeing the smallness and insignificance of their own lives
  • But we can serve ‘our generation’ by lightening one burden;making one heart nobler and stronger; comforting one sorrow; guiding one perplexed soul into peace; showing one bewildered child the path of holiness; teaching one tempted person how to overcome sin…

 

 

 

The following ‘shorts’ are from the YouTube site, Solus Christus. This site consists only of shorts by biblical preachers such as MacArthur, Baucham, Washer….

Link to Solus Christus: https://www.youtube.com/@SolusChristus

The MacArthur short: “Do you love Me more than these?”

 

 

The Baucham short: “Love not the world:”

 

 

The J R Miller video is from the YouTube site, Christian Sermons and Audio Books.

Link to the VIDEO PAGE of this site:  https://www.youtube.com/@ChristisLord/videos

Below are two links to that site for devotionals: J R Miller’s devotionals; and all devotionals:

J R Miller playlist link:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2085C7193D4C2AAE

Devotional playlist link:

https://www.youtube.com/@ChristisLord/search?query=devotionals

The narrative and links below accompanied the above video at YouTube:

A large video collection of classic hymns, contemporary Praise and Worship songs, and the works (audio books, devotional readings, and sermons) of men greatly used of God, such as: Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, A.W. Tozer, A.W. Pink, John Owen, Oswald Chambers, Andrew Murray, E.M. Bounds, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, and many more, covering topics on many aspects of the Christian life. May your time spent here be blessed.

http://vid.io/x3F

  1. R. Miller – We Blunder and Stumble in our Holiest Endeavors

J.R. Miller playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list…

Link to my “Christian Devotional Readings” Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christ…

A Treasury of Ageless,

Sovereign Grace,

Devotional Writings http://www.gracegems.org/

Acts 13:36 “Now when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his ancestors and his body decayed.

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, he was the Editorial Superintendent of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and a very active pastor in a succession of churches.

The crucible of his 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 he 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 he seemed to be resting quietly; the next he was at rest.

He was one of the best selling Christian authors of his era. His 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.