I am left amazed by what God has done and continues to do in his people.  I had the chance to talk with my man Wes (Pendulum) Pendleton about a myriad of things pertaining to music, ministry, and most importantly the faith we share in Christ.  He is one of many I am grateful for.

What am I grateful for exactly?  This is been a reoccurring thought in the past few days.  I’ve been evaluating how much stock I put in the different relationships I have.  I have 311 friends on facebook… (I had to look that up as I rarely login to facebook anymore).  What I am getting at is the hard truth that there are many people that I don’t have a relationship with.  The most meaningful relationships in my life are those with people who are interested in me, not because of what I can do for them, but solely because of what they can do for me and vice versa.

My desire is to truly serve my friends well.  My enemies also, but this post is about friends.  I find that I cannot have real conversations with people I am fearful of offending.  This comes from not feeling a true relationship with them.  Therefore I won’t even pursue conversation with some people.  Though I have a true desire to develop my relationships even further.  I pray God would help me in this, that my life would glorify him by me freely sharing my life and joy in Christ with others, regardless of presumption or circumstance.

Sorry for rambling, it’s late for me…

This was terribly convicting but all truth.  My prayer is that God will keep me from presumptuous sin.  This article is talking about ME!

(J. R. Miller, “The Way of Safety”, 1912)

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.” Psalm 19:12, 13

Here the Psalmist prays to be kept from committing presumptuous sins. He knows the danger there is in such sins—and so pleads to be held back from them, that is, from willful, conscious, high-handed sins.

Mark the teaching, too, that these presumptuous sins spring out of the minute hidden faults. From hidden, obscure, undiscovered faults—come presumptuous sins.

A slight moral weakness—grows into an evil tendency;
and the evil tendency indulged—develops into a loathsome vice;
and the loathsome vice—ripens into a presumptuous sin!

We need to guard against carelessness concerning ‘little sins’. The hidden fault lurking in the nature—may grow into a presumptuous sin!

Sow a thought—and you will reap an act;
sow an act—and you will reap a habit;
sow a habit—and you will reap a character;
sow character—and you will reap a destiny!

The course of sin is terrible! The little beginnings of sin—grow into appalling consequences! Be afraid of little sins and temptations.

There are some people who are always courting danger. Sin seems to have a fascination for them. One of the petitions of the Lord’s Prayer is, “Lead us not into temptation.” To expose ourselves needlessly to temptation, is presumption! Yet there are many who do this. They play with fire—and wonder why they are burned! They dally with ‘little sins’, and end in shameful degradation at the last! They pay the penalty in moral and spiritual ruin.

(J. R. Miller, “Devotional Hours with the Bible” 1908)

“I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.” Exodus 16:4 

They were not to lay up in store—but were taught to live simply by the day. When night came, they did not have a supply of food left over for the next day—but were entirely dependent upon God’s new supply to come in the morning.

In this method of providing, God was teaching all future generations a lesson. When the Master gave the disciples the Lord’s Prayer, He put this same thought of life into it, for He taught us to say: “Give us this day—our daily bread.”

This is a most valuable lesson for every Christian to learn. We should make a little fence of trust around each day, and never allow any past or future care or anxiety to break in. God does not provide in advance for our needs. We cannot get grace today—for tomorrow’s duties; and if we try to bear tomorrow’s cares and burdens today—we shall break down in the attempt.

TIME comes to us, not in years, not even in weeks—but in little days. We have nothing to do with ‘life in the aggregate’ —that great bulk of duties, anxieties, struggles, trials and needs, which belong to a year or even to a month. We really have nothing to do even with tomorrow.

Our sole business is with the one little day now passing, and the one day’s burdens will never crush us; we can easily carry them until the sun goes down. We can always get along for one short day—and that is really, all we ever have.

This is another  gem from J.R. Miller.  I need to work on this in my own life.  The fatal mistake any of us can make is believing we have time…

This really ministered to me today.  I’m having on of those mornings.  Praise God for a timely message.

J. R. Miller

True religion will manifest itself in every phase of life. We sit down in the quiet and read our Bible—and get our lesson. We know it now—but we have not as yet got it into our life—which is the thing we must really do.

Knowing that we should love our enemies, is not the ultimate thing—actually loving our enemies is.

Knowing that we should be patient, is not all—we are to practice the lesson of patience, until it has become a habit in our life.

Many know the cardinal duties of Christian life—who yet have not learned to live them. It is living them, however, that is true religion.

It must always be our aim, to live our religion—to get Christ’s love of our heart, wrought out in a blessed ministry of kindness to others. Christ lives in us; and it is ours to manifest the life of Christ in our daily living.

We worship God on Sunday—in order to gather strength and grace to live for God in the six days that follow. It is evident therefore, that it is in the experiences of weekday life, far more than in the quiet of the Sunday worship and the closet, that the real tests of religion come.

It is easy to assent with our mind to the commandments, when we sit in the church, enjoying the services. But the assent of the life itself can be obtained, only when we are out in the midst of temptation and duty, in contact with others. There it is, alone, that we can get the commandments wrought into ways of obedience, and lines of character. This is the final object of all Christian teaching and worship—the transforming of our life into the beauty of Christ!

(J. R. Miller, “Paul’s Message for Today” 1904)

“Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake
that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
At once all the prison doors flew open, and
everybody’s chains fell off!” Acts 16:26 

There is no prison too strong for God to break open;
there are no chains too heavy for Him to snap asunder,
there are no walls too thick for Him to shatter.

There are other kinds of prisons besides those built
with stone—prisons of trial, of temptation, of trouble,
of circumstances. If we are in any of these prisons,
God is just as able to bring us out of them!

(J. R. Miller, “Living up to our Prayers” 1905)

If we only tried seriously to live up to our praying—it would have a powerful effect upon our character and conduct!

There is no prayer that most Christians make oftener—than that they may be made like Christ. It is a most fitting prayer, and one that we should never cease to make. But if we very earnestly wish to be transformed into Christ’s likeness—we will find the desire growing into great intensity in our daily lives, and transforming them. It will affect every phase of our behavior and conduct. It will hold before us continually, the image of our Lord, and will keep ever in our vision—a new standard …
of thought,
of feeling,
of desire,
of act,
of speech.
It will keep us asking all the while, such questions as these, “How would Jesus feel about this—if He were personally in my circumstances? What would Jesus do—if He were here today where I am?”

There is always danger of mockeries and insincerities in our praying for spiritual blessings. The desires are to be commended. God approves of them and will gladly bestow upon us the more grace we ask for:
the increase in love,
the greater faith,
the purer heart,
the new advance in holiness.
But these are attainments which are not bestowed upon us directly, as gifts from heaven. We have much to do in securing them. When we ask for spiritual blessings or favors, the Master asks, “Are you able to pay the price, to make the self-denial, to give up the things you love—in order to reach these attainments in holiness, in grace, in spiritual beauty?”

If our lives were as good as our prayers, we would be saint-like in character.

If we find that our prayers are beyond our living, our duty is not to lower them to suit the tenor of our living—but to bring our lives up to the higher standard of our praying!

(J. R. Miller, “When the Song Begins” 1905)

“Having loved His own who were in the world—He loved them unto the end!” John 13:1 
A friend is one who loves—and does not cease to love. Christ having loved His people—loves them unto the end.

One quality of true friendship, is trust. What could be more sacred than this comfort of feeling safe with a person, absolutely safe? That is the kind of friend Jesus is. You may always feel safe with Him. You may confess all your sins to Him. You may tell Him all your faults and your failures—how you denied Him the other night, how you failed to be true to Him, and all the evil thoughts of your heart; and He will be just as tender and gracious—as if you never had sinned! He loves unto the end!

None of us would want to have our hearts photographed, and the picture held up before the eyes of our neighbors! We would not want even our best friends to see a full transcript of our secret life—what goes on within us:
the jealousies,
the envyings,
the bitter feelings,
the impure thoughts,
the meannesses,
the selfishnesses,
the suspicions,
the doubts and fears!
Yet Christ sees all this unworthy inner life—He knows the worst that is in us—and loves us still! We do not need to hide our weaknesses from Him. He never withdraws His love. We may trust Him absolutely and forever!