Living for the Best

In Short

Living for the Best by James G. K. McClure is a collection of spiritual reflections designed to guide readers toward a higher quality of moral and religious life. Drawing extensively on figures and narratives from the Old Testament, the book explores how individuals can awaken their highest faculties, overcome profound personal obstacles, and dedicate themselves fully to divine principles. It has lasted because of its warm, accessible encouragement and its timeless focus on personal integrity, unselfish love, and spiritual resilience.

The Story

The book opens by examining how a receptive attitude toward the highest spiritual truths shapes a person's entire outlook, turning existence into a realm of broad horizons and hopeful purpose. From this foundational openness, the text moves into the nature of personal achievement, arguing that true success is measured by the inner victories won against difficult obstacles. Using the life of David, the author illustrates how mastering one's own bitter or jealous impulses is far greater than conquering external foes, and how true penitence heals the wounds of moral failure.

The progression continues by looking at how individuals make the best use of their lives through daily fidelity and a steady belief in God, much like Joseph did through his varied and trying experiences. The argument then shifts outward to the profound impact of human influence, exploring how mentors, teachers, and everyday friends awaken latent potential in others. Along this path, the text confronts the inevitable trials of loneliness, misunderstanding, and opposition, finding in the struggles of figures like Jeremiah and Paul an example of how to stand firm when deserted by allies.

As the book advances, it reflects on the preservation of wisdom and the dangers of spiritual decline, holding up the brilliant yet compromised life of Solomon as a warning. In contrast, it examines the radiant strength of unselfish friendship through Jonathan, and the deep internal crises of faith and surrender experienced by Jacob at Bethel and the riverside. Finally, the work culminates in the supreme act of giving one's most treasured possessions and energies to God, echoing the supreme trial and trust manifested by Abraham. Through these biblical archetypes, the text traces a complete spiritual arc from initial awakening to mature, self-sacrificing devotion.

How It Unfolds

• Open to the best: The text begins by urging readers to greet each morning with a hopeful heart and an open mind toward the highest spiritual truths found in Christianity.
• Winning the best victories: The focus shifts to personal triumph, illustrating how true success lies in subduing one's own internal flaws, jealousies, and pride rather than merely conquering external foes.
• Making the best use of our lives: Drawing on examples of steadfast service, the author shows how absolute fidelity in everyday tasks transforms ordinary circumstances into meaningful opportunities.
• Putting the best into others: The narrative explores the immense power of unconscious influence and deliberate mentorship, celebrating those who awaken hidden virtues in the unpromising or forgotten.
• Developing our best under difficulties: Facing loneliness, threat, and opposition head-on, figures like Jeremiah and Paul demonstrate how adversity molds a character to its finest shape.
• The need of retaining the best wisdom: Examining the contrast between Solomon's early discernment and later decline, the text stresses the vital necessity of guarding one's moral insight across a lifetime.
• The best possession: Unselfish love and deep friendship are celebrated as the highest human attainments, rising far above envy, pride, and self-seeking motives.
• Using aright our best hours: Through the lens of Jacob's night at Bethel and his subsequent wrestling, the book highlights the turning points of deep repentance, spiritual crisis, and ultimate surrender to God.
• Giving our best to God: The journey concludes by challenging every reader to consecrate their most cherished possessions, talents, and youth to divine service, mirroring the supreme trust of Abraham.

The People

• Daniel: Represents the attitude of keeping an open mind and a receptive heart toward the highest spiritual realities amidst the distractions of the world.
• David: Serves as a primary illustration of moral growth, showing how a person triumphs not just through outward bravery against beasts or enemies, but by conquering a bitter heart through genuine penitence.
• Joseph: Exemplifies uncomplaining fidelity, using every sudden change in circumstance—from household servant to national ruler—as an opportunity to serve faithfully under God.
• Jeremiah: Embodies the courage required to stand entirely alone against corrupt popular consensus, enduring estrangement and threat to deliver truth.
• Solomon: Acts as a cautionary figure of immense initial brilliance and discernment whose failure to preserve his wisdom throughout his years dimmed his legacy.
• Jonathan: Represents the peak of unselfish friendship and love, remaining steadfastly devoted to David despite the intense envy and wrath of his own father, Saul.
• Jacob: Portrays the hesitant, sin-scarred seeker who wrestles with fear and doubt until he confronts divine mercy and commits his life fully to a higher purpose.
• Abraham: Stands as the ultimate example of soul-searching trust, willing to offer his most treasured possession to God and thereby entering into a deeper, sweeter fellowship.

In Its Own Voice

"If every morning we would fling open our windows and look out on the wide reaches of God's love and goodness, we could not help singing."

This observation opens the book's foundational reflection on greeting each day with a receptive and hopeful spirit.

"Was it because he could fight beast and man well? No; but because he could fight his own jealous, bitter heart and make it generous and kind and magnanimous."

This line marks the author's moral reinterpretation of David's heroism away from mere physical combat toward spiritual self-mastery.

"The man that can and will prove a generous, unselfish, devoted friend is the highest type of man."

This sentence captures the book's core ethical standard regarding the supreme value of love and friendship in human society.

What It's Really About

The book is fundamentally concerned with the cultivation of spiritual excellence and moral resilience through the conscious dedication of one's highest powers to divine service. It investigates the persistent tension between human frailty—such as envy, impatience, and hesitation—and the call to a higher, more magnanimous life. Underneath the biographical sketches of biblical heroes lie probing questions about how individuals find purpose amid suffering, how personal character is forged through opposition rather than ease, and how unselfish love serves as the ultimate solution to human discord. The central argument posits that true fulfillment comes only when a person stops clinging to self-preservation and instead consecrates what they prize most to the betterment of others and the glory of God.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate classic spiritual reflections, character-driven moral philosophy, and Victorian-era prose will find much to admire in this work. Reading it feels like sitting down with a thoughtful, earnest mentor who genuinely desires to elevate the human spirit without resorting to modern motivational tricks or artificial urgency. It possesses an earnest, contemplative rhythm that encourages quiet introspection.

At the same time, contemporary readers must be prepared for the book's distinct nineteenth-century religious idiom, its sustained use of biblical narrative as direct historical proof, and its occasional dense, didactic phrasing. Period assumptions about duty, oriental monarchies, and strict moral dichotomies appear throughout the text. Yet, for those willing to look past these historical boundaries, the book offers a steady, comforting reminder of the enduring power of forgiveness, unselfish friendship, and personal integrity. What stays with you long after closing the cover is the quiet challenge to examine your own life, conquer your inner bitterness, and give your absolute best to the world.

What specific aspect of these biblical lives or moral lessons interests you most?