J. R. Miller Books: A Guide to All 28 and Where to Start
J. R. Miller (1840–1912) was a Philadelphia Presbyterian pastor and editor who wrote more than sixty short devotional books. TheWay Library has twenty-eight of them, all free to read. They're easy to pick up: each is a set of short chapters, a few pages apiece, most opening with a poem, on friendship with Christ, prayer, character, home life, kindness and sorrow. For his life story, see who was J. R. Miller.
Twenty-eight books is a lot, and many of them sound alike. This guide sorts them into groups and gives a few lines on each, so you can pick the one you need.
Where to start
If you're new to Miller, start with Silent Times. It opens with his call to keep a daily quiet time with God and then ranges over the whole Christian life, so it gives you the best sense of him. After that, choose by what you want:
- To know Jesus better: Personal Friendships of Jesus.
- For the inner life and quiet encouragement: The Hidden Life or A Heart Garden.
- For growth in character: The Building of Character or The Lesson of Love.
- For help with ordinary days: The Every Day of Life or Practical Religion.
- When you need to know God's will: Finding the Way.
- In a season of grief or discouragement: Things to Live For or When the Song Begins.
- For husbands, wives and parents: The Home Beautiful.
- For a new Christian or a teenager: In His Steps or Young People's Problems.
- On Christ's own teaching: The Master's Blesseds (the Beatitudes) or The Golden Gate of Prayer (the Lord's Prayer).
- To hear Miller as a pastor writing to one person: Intimate Letters on Personal Problems.
Every quotation below is checked against the book it comes from. For many more, see our collection of J. R. Miller quotes.
Christ and the inner life
Silent Times (1886)
Twenty-four short chapters named after the daily "silent time" for prayer at Wellesley College. Miller writes on time alone with God, personal friendship with Christ, God's will, the blessing of not getting what we ask for, sympathy, finding your mission, living one day at a time, the power of the tongue, conversation in the home, sorrow and dealing with our sins.
We must receive from God before we can give to others, for we have nothing of our own with which to feed men’s hunger or quench their thirst.
Silent Times, Silent Times
The text comes from a scan and has a few misread words here and there. Read Silent Times.
Personal Friendships of Jesus (1897)
Miller's study of Jesus as a friend, through His relationships in the Gospels. After a chapter on His truly human heart, he looks at Jesus with His mother, with John the Baptist, with the twelve He chose, and then with John, Peter and Thomas one by one. Other chapters take up Judas and the rich young ruler, the Bethany sisters, secret disciples like Nicodemus, the farewell in the upper room, and the friendships Jesus picked up again after He rose. It closes with Jesus as our friend.
Our hope does not rest in our love for Jesus, but in his love for us.
Personal Friendships of Jesus, Jesus and the Beloved Disciple
This is the book that shows Miller's heart most clearly. Read Personal Friendships of Jesus.
The Hidden Life (1898)
Eighteen chapters on the Christian's life "hid with Christ in God." Miller writes on the inner life and outer conditions, on being changed by a new love rather than by bare self-denial, on comfort in Christ's knowledge of us, contentment, unanswered prayer, people who feel they've failed, praying for others, growing old well, the critical habit and the blessing of a thorn. Read The Hidden Life.
A Heart Garden (1906)
Twenty chapters that start from an old woman's saying that her heart was "a little garden, and God is planting flowers there." Miller writes on the hidden possibilities in every life, Christ's call for our best, obeying Christ, living in the world unharmed, the Bible in daily life, the Christian home, rest, peacemaking and reporting our day to God.
The plainest of us carries concealed splendors within him.
A Heart Garden, The Awaking of Life's Glory
Our New Edens (1903)
Eight longer chapters, beginning with the first home as a garden and the call to make our homes new Edens. The others treat Christ as the way to God, prayer, Hosea's picture of growth, the beauty of quietness, the true glory of life and grieving the Holy Spirit. The chapter breaks in this edition are misplaced, so the first sections run into one another. Read Our New Edens.
Character and daily life
This is the biggest group, and the books in it are close cousins. Any one of them makes a good companion for a month of mornings.
The Building of Character (1894)
Twenty-three essays that start from the claim that building character is the main business of life, done stone by stone through daily choices. They cover faults we can't see in ourselves, life's second chances, getting help from criticism, the blessing of weakness, living victoriously, helping friends by prayer, judging others and the days of darkness.
We may not help God paint his clouds and sunsets, but we can put tints of immortal beauty upon human souls.
The Building of Character, Fellow-Workers with God
Read The Building of Character.
Making the Most of Life (1891)
Twenty-five chapters on living well for God in ordinary days. Miller writes on laying life on God's altar, Christ's interest in common work, the possibilities of prayer, the blessing of a burden, faithfulness, the shadows of influence we cast without knowing it, ingratitude, the secrets of a happy home and "iron shoes for rough roads." Read Making the Most of Life.
The Every Day of Life (1892)
Twenty-two chapters on living the ordinary day as a Christian: our debt to the past, a beatitude for the unsuccessful, quietness, making life a song, loneliness, the blessing of not knowing the future, patience, friendship, bearing burdens and the ending of the day. Read The Every Day of Life.
Practical Religion: A Help for the Common Days (1888)
Twenty-six practical chapters that Miller says were written out of his own experience. They cover prayer as incense, quietness, serving Christ in the needy, weekday Christianity, doing the next thing ("Doe ye nexte thynge"), worry, temper, failure, shut-in lives, tired feet and broken lives.
The art of true living, therefore, consists largely in doing always the thing that belongs to the moment.
Practical Religion, "Doe Ye Nexte Thynge"
Life's Byways and Waysides (1895)
Twenty-five chapters on the quiet, out-of-the-way places of the Christian life, where Miller believes many of the best things are found. He writes on John the Baptist in prison, the silent Christ, temptation, the women's spices for the tomb, friendship and prayer, slander, faithfulness, the manliness of Jesus and heaven. Read Life's Byways and Waysides.
The Lesson of Love (1903)
Twenty-two chapters built on Miller's conviction that to learn how to love is to learn how to live. He writes on loving the unlovable, suffering wrong and loving on, the hurt of flattery, the mind of Christ, the second mile, the gentleness of Christ, living a day at a time and Christian friendship.
We have to learn this love, and it is the great business of life to do it.
The Lesson of Love, The Lesson of Love
The Joy of Service (1898)
Twenty-four chapters opening with the claim that the purest Christian joy is found in loving service. Around that theme Miller writes on belonging to God, helpful and mistaken ways of ministering, uselessness, doubt, character, and living well on the days between Sundays. This edition comes from a scan, with misread words and page headings run into the text in places. Read The Joy of Service.
Finding the Way (1904)
Twenty-four chapters that begin with guidance: does God show each of us our way, and how can we learn His will? Then Miller turns to God's silences, Christ's sympathy, the abundant life, work, thanksgiving, suffering wrongfully, being over-sensitive and keeping a good name. A good pick for anyone facing a decision. Read Finding the Way.
The Wider Life (1908)
Twenty chapters urging Christians not to settle for a narrow life. Miller writes on visions and dreams, loyalty to Christ, God in common life, the risen life, the print of the nails, influence, whether God is always kind, life's changes, praying for others, the school of life and learning to pray.
We are made for breadth and fulness, and we rob God when we fail to reach our best.
The Wider Life, The Wider Life
For the Best Things (1907)
Twenty chapters urging readers to seek the things they can carry beyond this life. Alongside chapters on peace, crosses, temptation, prayer without ceasing and a plan for the day, Miller draws two small portraits of people barely named in Romans 16, Apelles and Persis. Read For the Best Things.
The Gate Beautiful (1909)
Twenty-one chapters that start at the temple gate where Peter and John healed the lame man, then move through praise, the heart's desires, guarding our thoughts, marriage, Mary at the cross, God's care, immortality and quiet work for the Lord. Read The Gate Beautiful.
Things That Endure (1913)
Thirty-seven short papers gathered from manuscripts found after Miller's death. Each runs only a few pages, on the cost of reaching the best, kindness that is really unkind, making a life, drifting, marriage, friends, success and failure, speech, temper and money. Good for a few minutes at a time. Read Things That Endure.
Sorrow and joy
Things to Live For (1896)
Twenty-four essays on what makes life worth living: simple goodness, service, thoughtfulness, the seeds of influence we scatter, discouragement, failure and helping others. A group of chapters in the middle is written for the grieving, on the blessings of bereavement and how those we've lost stay with us.
A feeling of discouragement creeping into our heart should be met, therefore, as a temptation.
Things to Live For, Dangers of Discouragement
This edition comes from an uncorrected scan, so expect scattered misread words. Read Things to Live For.
When the Song Begins (1905)
Twenty chapters on Christian joy that holds up under trouble. Miller writes on the mystery of suffering, thorns that blossom, Christ and the doubter, "it is well," the joy of the cross, the walk to Emmaus and finishing our work.
But the religion of the Bible is one of gladness.
When the Song Begins, When the Song Begins
The Christian home
The Perfect Home (1900)
Five long chapters on the family: the wedded life, the husband's part, the wife's part, the parents' part and the children's part. Miller treats the home as the spring that society, nation and church flow from. Read The Perfect Home.
The Home Beautiful (1912)
Arranged from Miller's writings after his death, following plans he had begun. It covers the same five parts as The Perfect Home and adds chapters on brothers and sisters, temper, forbearance, religion in the home, worry and coming to the end. If you read one Miller book on the family, make it this one. Read The Home Beautiful.
Woman's Ministry, and Other Papers (1875)
An early collection of twenty-seven short papers. The title essay calls Christian women to a personal ministry of love modeled on the women who served Jesus; the rest give warm counsel on friendship, lay work, prayer, discouragement in service and the witness of a godly home. The scan has damage at the start of many chapters. Read Woman's Ministry.
For young people and new Christians
In His Steps: A Book for Young Christians (1885)
A short handbook Miller wrote for pastors to give to people joining the church. It is not Charles Sheldon's later novel of the same name. Ten plain chapters cover beginning well, what a Christian is, consecration, temptation, service, prayer, the Bible, the church, providence and preparing for trial.
In prayer, we talk to God; in the Bible, God speaks to us.
In His Steps, Helps: The Bible
Young People's Problems (1898)
Twenty-eight short chapters on the questions young people face: why we are here, life at home, choosing friends, beginning the Christian life, prayer and the Bible, temper, getting along with people, time, work and doing your best. A good gift for a high-school or college student. Read Young People's Problems.
Christ's teaching and a Bible life
The Master's Blesseds (1898)
A short devotional study of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, one chapter on each. Miller shows how Christ's road to happiness runs the opposite way from the world's. It's one of the shortest books here, about two hours.
Affliction is not a mark of the divine disfavor, but a token of the divine love.
The Master's Blesseds, The Beatitude for the Mourner
The Golden Gate of Prayer (1900)
A study of the Lord's Prayer, phrase by phrase, in fifteen short chapters, from "Our Father" to deliverance from evil, with a chapter on choosing God's will over a self-chosen career.
The prayer which pleads “Father, give,” must cry also “Father, forgive.”
The Golden Gate of Prayer, “Forgive Us Our Debts”
A word of warning: this edition is an unproofread scan. Page numbers and running heads break into the text, and the poems at the head of each chapter are badly garbled. Read The Golden Gate of Prayer.
The Story of Joseph (1901)
Joseph's life from Genesis 37 to 50 in seven chapters, from the favored boy with his dreams to the old man who gave orders about his bones. Miller draws plain lessons on providence, envy, temptation, forgiveness and faith. The scan has scattered errors. Read The Story of Joseph.
Letters
Intimate Letters on Personal Problems (1914)
Sixty-seven of Miller's personal letters of counsel, published after his death with a sketch of him as a letter writer. They answer real people's questions on service, self-control, guidance, joining a church, doubt, prayer for healing, marriage, mothering, depression and grief. Many readers find this the warmest of all his books.
Let me say to you, my child, that religion is simply friendship with Jesus Christ.
Intimate Letters on Personal Problems, In Green Pastures
Read Intimate Letters on Personal Problems.
How to read Miller
Miller is best taken a chapter at a time. Read one in the morning and carry its thought through the day, or use a chapter to open a small group or a family devotion. The chapters stand on their own, so you can skip to the subject you need: grief, friendship, temper, prayer, a hard home. Because he came back to the same themes across many books, you don't need to read them all. Pick one from each group that fits your season.
Begin with Silent Times, then go to Personal Friendships of Jesus. All twenty-eight books are on the J. R. Miller author page. For other books in this spirit, see our list of the best Christian devotional classics.