Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1901-12-20
WHAT Is YOUR LIFE?
SUBJECT ABLY CONSIDERED BY
REV. OSTROM.
The Motive of the Man Has A II to DO with
Determining n Life Main spring of n
Christians Life Is set in the VIII of GOD
announcements Here Given.

There is perhaps no question which
awskeDs with greater force the dor
mant energies of a soul, than the
thoughtful consideration OF "W hat is
your life?" Such question brings one
to the realization that unless he pos
sesses GOd-like character. HE life
stands for naught. a Chrie'ly charsc-
ter is the foundation stone of d noble
mans life. W hat man really is, his
| life Just as his heart knows il to be-
is q mans character A mans motive
has much, if not ali, TO say regarding
MS life; for while he might possibly
for a time live two lives one secret
| life ard the other one for the world,
still in time one of the lives would nee
essarlly become absorbed by the
stronger life and there would result
character, which would stand as ali ex
preston of the mans motives. Heredi-
tary Influences and environments have
much to do in determining a mans
character, but they are pOwerless when
compared with the ability of God to
mould the character of him who has
voluntarily given his life to Christ,
willing that jesus should work In him.
God has the power to crush the evil in
fuence that hereditary and ENVIRON
ment may be exerting over mans life
and transform the person into a new
creature, who shall he Unaffected by
either of these two infiuences-the only
condition being that the man so earn
estly desires Christ like character,
that he wills that God shall enter his
heart, and thereby cleansing it from all
impurities completes the transforms
ton. When man has become right
with God, then this Influence will be
for good, for the handspring of his life
is set in the Will of God, and thus he Is
empowered to do Gods purpose. When
man stops to think that each secret
thought of his leaves It's impression
upon some ones character, for the
thought leads to deed, he is brought
to the realization of what a responsible
ity he is assuming if his life is not in
harmony with Christ's. For he thinks
of the blightning influences that the
deeds of a non christian may exert over
someone's life, and realizing his own
weakness ne cries out to God, go, come,
and be the guidance of my life, that
my influence shall be TO uplift human
ity."
The sermon OF Friday night was an
appeal to the reason of man TO accept
Christ. The more we understand of
the christian religion, the more we are
convinced that 1t Is intelligent. 1t is
high tribute to the human intellect,
that God saves men through faith, and
this faith is no guess so, hope SO condi-
ton of the mind, but know so. Faith is
the thorough assurance of the realiza-
ton of g human desire, also desire be
ing consistent with the will of God, be-
cause he who has the desire is living 10
harmony with Christ. It's natural for
little child to believe 10 Goo, for siD
has not crept into his life and chOked
the work of truth out of his heart; but
as the child grows up, he may allow the
sorrows, the social conditions or the
business cares of this world to break
down the natural harmony that should
exist between God and man. Thus his
power of faith which he possessed
when child has become dwarfed, just
as the arm of man would become weak
and psrsized for the want of exercise
If the man would carry his arm in q
sling and refuse to make use of ii.
God never makes promise to man,
trusted-for back of every covenant is
first, Gods power. He is all powerful
thereby possessing the strength to per-
| form his works. Second, Gods Wis
dom. No mistakes are possible when
man is under the guidance of the III
finite. He cannot be prevented from
fulfilling his promises because of any
schemes of man. And third, the most
wonderful and blessed of all, is GODS
love. He has made the promises and IS
fulfilling them because he loves us so.
| o, the power of his love-lt is incom-
prehensible ale loved us so much that
he gave bis only begotten Son that
whatsoever beieveth in Him might have
life everlasting.
| The service of Friday afternoon
concluded the series of addresses that
| Rev. Ostrom had been giving in the
afternoon of last week Theee five SER
mons have been of wonderful benefit
to those who availed themselves of the
opportunity of hearing such masterful
discourses. They have brought to us
the realization that in order to be true
christians we must give ourselves, all
of self, to Christ; they have convinced
us that there can be no compromise in
christianity. We must either be for
Christ or against him, we cannot serve
two masters at the same time.
| Some Sober Reflections.
The gospel of Christ taught by an