Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends—- John 15:15

In 1914, J.R. Miller wrote a book entitled,”Intimate Letters on Personal Problems”. In one section he spoke about “My whole creed and duty”, which gives us great insight on the nature of our relationship with Christ and our need of Him:

“For myself, after all my years of teaching and helping others, and all my experiences as a Christian, my whole creed  is summed up into one little sentence, “Christ and I are friends!” No friend in all the world is so near to me as He is. I trust Him, I love Him, I take everything to Him, I lay every burden upon Him. I go to Him for wisdom, for help, for the love I need in my own heart. He is everything to me as Friend.

Christ is my personal Friend. He is my dearest, truest, strongest and best Friend!

Then for myself, my whole duty is summed up in being a friend of Christ’s. He says, “You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.” This includes all Scripture commands.

In telling you this, I want to help you to understand that the essential thing in the Christian life is knowing Christ, trusting Him, loving Him, following Him, having Christ for your Friend–and being His friend.”

“Yea, He is altogether lovely! This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!” Song of Songs 5:16

“For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.”–Psalm 50:10-12

Bible study and prayer are the two most important things that a Christian can do. We cannot neglect these and expect to be victorious. For that reason we need this reminder from the pen of Paul Chappell:

“The renowned teacher Harry Ironside was in a prayer meeting for a seminary at which he often lectured. The school was in critical need of $10,000 to keep the work going, and a group of men were praying together for this need. Ironside prayed, “Lord, you own the cattle on a thousand hills. Please sell come of those cattle to help us meet this need.” Shortly after the prayer meeting, a check for $10,000 arrived at the school, sent days earlier by a friend who had no idea of the urgent need or of Ironside’s prayer. The man simply said the money came from the sale of some of his cattle!

The popular teaching in our day of the “prosperity Gospel” is completely false. It is not God’s will and plan for every Christian to be rich. However, it is also true that when we pray, we are making our request to Someone who has unlimited resources. None of our needs pose any challenge to His ability to meet them. You will never offer a prayer that will require God to dig into His reserves to answer. He has more than enough for every need.

Andrew Murray wrote: Beware in your prayer, above everything, of limiting God, not only by unbelief, but by fancying that you know what He can do. The things that are impossible for us are fully possible for Him. Yet too often we pray small prayers, not expecting God to do great and mighty things. His loving nature and almighty power have not changed. God is still in the business of hearing and answering big prayers.– When you pray, make sure that your requests are made in view of all that God can do—don’t settle for less than He has for you.”

Prayer is the energy and life of the soul. It is the invincible armor which shields the devoted Christian from the poisoned missiles shot forth from the batteries of Hell. It is the mighty weapon with which he fights life’s battles unto victory. He who lives in prayer — reigns triumphant.–Charles Orr

I will help thee, saith the LORD—- Isaiah 41:14

If we would but hear and heed what God says it would make a world of
difference. Before you embark on the journey of another day, stop all else
and listen to Him. You just might hear something like this,by an unknown
author:

Let us hear the Lord speak to each one of us–
I will help you. It is but a small thing for Me, your
God, to help you. Consider what I have done already.
What! not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood.
What! not help you? I have died for you; and if I have
done the greater, will I not do the less? Help you! I
have done more, and will do more–. I laid aside My
 glory and became a man for you; I gave up My life for you;
and if I did all this, I will surely help you now. In helping you,
I am giving you what I have bought for you already.
If you had need of a thousand times as much help,
I would give it you; you require little compared with
what I am ready to give. It is much for you to need,
but it is nothing for me to bestow. ‘Help you?’ Fear not!

If there were an ant at the door of your granary asking for
help, it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your
wheat. And you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door
of My all-sufficiency.I will help you!

O my soul, is not this enough? Do you need more strength
than the omnipotence of the United Trinity? Do you need
more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than
displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest
in the influences of the Spirit?

Bring here your empty pitcher!
Surely this well will fill it.

Hasten, gather up your needs, and bring them here —
your emptiness, your woes, your poverty.
Behold, this river of God is full for your supply!
What can you desire beside?
Go forth, my soul, in this your might.
The Eternal God is your helper!

Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. –2 Timothy 2:3

Many who sing “Onward Christian Soldiers” on Sunday morning sulk away to pursue their own pleasures the rest of the week. They think of life as a playground rather than a battlefield. Consequently they shrink back far as possible from the front-line when duty calls. They are looking for fun rather than a fight. Those guilty of this crime, sin, need a reminder such as this:

We often get into states and frames of mind, where we need something else besides consolation. A child would not grow, if it were always fed upon sweets. It must have exercise, and be exposed to the weather, and have the cold winds blow upon its face, and be hardened, so as to enable it to bear the chill winter and the nipping frosts.

So the child of God is not always petted, and fed upon love-tokens. He is not always carried in the warm bosom, or nursing the breasts of consolation, but he has to learn lessons to fit him to be a soldier. The soldier, we know, has to endure hardships. He has to lie all night upon the wet grass; to be pinched with hunger, parched with thirst, and nipped with cold; to make demanding marches; to hear the roar of the cannon and the whistling of the bullets, “the thunder of the captains and the shouting;” to see the flash of the saber uplifted to cut him down, and the glitter of the bayonet at his breast, aye, and to feel painful and dangerous wounds.

So with the spiritual soldier in God’s camp. He has to hunger and thirst, to suffer cold, nakedness, and hard privations, to be shot at by the arrows of calumny and the fiery darts of Satan, to make demanding marches through an enemy’s country, to suffer painful wounds, and by these very exercises learn to be a soldier. Only so far as he is thus exercised spiritually can he learn the art of war, can he know how to fight and make effectual battle under the banners of the Lord against the enemies of his salvation. –From Daily Portions

But the salvation of the righteous is of the LORD: he is their strength in the time of trouble.–Psalm 37:39

Times of trouble try the saints–they’re suppose to. The righteous are often put to the test, and for good reason. Our heavenly Father designs the affairs of our life so as to correct us, conform us, compel us, and a myriad of reasons that we know nothing about. Although these troubles can be painful, we can have peace in knowing that they serve a purpose and that God’s promises are sure–“he is their strength in time of trouble. One writer put it like this:

When he breaks up the fountains of the great deep of sin and iniquity, he strengthens his people that they may not be carried away by the flood. When he hides his face, he strengthens them to say, “Though he slays me, yet will I trust in him.” When temptation besets them severely, when they are put into the furnace, the Lord is with them there, as he was with the three men whom Nebuchadnezzar cast in. The Son of God is there with them, so that not a hair of their head is singed, nor does the smell of fire pass upon them (Dan. 3:27).

In all their afflictions he is afflicted, and by sharing it with them supports them under it. He is thus their strength; for he strengthens them with strength in their soul. He enables them to bear the weighty cross–to sustain the heavy load of trial and affliction–to put their mouth in the dust as needing and deserving his chastising strokes, and submit to his righteous dispensations and dealings as plainly sent by a gracious and loving hand.

And ever and anon he drops in a sustaining word, gives an encouraging look, bestows a soft and healing touch, and thus helps them to wait in faith and hope until in due time he sends full deliverance. Thus he helps and delivers, and will do so in every time of trouble down to their dying-bed, when he will give them their full and final deliverance from the body of sin and death, and a world full of iniquity and sorrow. (Daily Portions)