The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-01-03
GOOD RESOLUTIONS
DISCUSSED
REV. w. n. BAGeY breaches At
CHRISTIAN CHURCH ON SUB.
JEer OF NEW YEAR.


theme of Rev. w. H. Ragby at the
Christian church yesterday morning.
Taking for his text Joshua ILL.,. he
spoke in part as follows:
At this time and place / am sure
that the great and good Joshua made
some good resolutions. Moved Il.
the promises. the opportuni!!sz and the
responsibilities which the ti:pe and tile
place brought to him he GOULD scarce
ly have done otherwise. 8 he heelrd
God say. Il will in no We fai. yotr.
neither Will i in any wise forsake
YOU as he beheld the land of promise
with all its possibilities. spread out
before him. and realized what an OPP
portunity it presented: and when he
felt the great responsibility which
had been laid upon him in being
chosen to succeed the great Moses as
leader of Israel. down deep in his
noble heart he must have resolved to
be worthy of the promises. alive to
the opportunities and faithful to the
obligation.
AS We stand today on the threshold
Of q new year. reasons similar to
those which actuated Joshua, move US
to make resolutions. We to have the
promises of God to impel us. If an
earthly parent said TO us: II will new
er leave you nor forsake YOU and all
else that God through Christ. has
said to us, we should feel compelled
to resolve in our hearts to be worthy
of it all. Surely the promises of God
VIII not have less weight with US.
Surely, as we listen to his exceeding
great and precious promises We will
be constrained to register a vow to
be in some measure worthy of the love
that lay back of those promises. When
Jacob interpreted the vision to mean
that God was in a friendly attitude
toward him his heart was full of
gratitude and his lips overlooked with
good resolutions. Surely we are not
less sensitive to the goodness of God
than was Jacob of old. AS we listen
to his promises and count his blessings
let us say in our hearts:
I'VE will be what you want US to he.
dear Lord.
We will go where you want us to GO:
We will do what you want us to do.
dear Lord
We will know what YOU want us to
know
The new year comes to us laden
with opportunities. We should resolve
To seize them. Gods promises. like
the poor, are always with us. If We
fail to appreciate them today we may
retrieve the mistake tomorrow. Not
themselves once. and II not seized. de-
part. never to return. Gods oppor-
tunities are as sacred as his promises
10 let them slip is as great an ar
front as to despise his promises. How
they should them, inspire in us the
resolution to buy them up even at the
greatest cost of watchfulness and toll
Improved opportunities will constitute
one OF our best credentials at the bar
OF God, while neglected opportunities
VIII constitute one OF the most damag-
ing counts in the indictment against
US. Let the new year. freiyhted with
golden opportunities. inspire to noble
resolve.
The responsibilities that are laid up
Oh us as members OF the home. So
cietE. the state and the church should
move us to register the resolution to
manfully discharge the duties that
grow out of these important relations
lhls church represents great re-
sponsfbility to both pastor and people.
IL ought to wiring from us the resolve
10 meet II in worthy manner. We
cannot settle the question as to
whether or not We are meeting our
obligations to Gods work. by consult
ing our consciences. I NAV satisfy
the demands of my conscience and
still fall very far short of meeting
the demands of the work the doing
OF which rests as an obligation upon
me. We each should have IA conscience
whose demands cannot be met until
the demands of the work have been
met God requires that we shall meet
the demands of His work We meet
the demands of our conscience nv civ
ing q pittance to the Lords work. buf
We can never meet the demands Of
the work I'm this way. We meet the
demands of our own conscience by "A
spdsnodic and half hearted attention
To the worship and the work of The
cnurch' but We cannot meet the de-
mands of the work i'm this way. And
only as We meet the demands of the
work can we hope to please Him who
assigned it. Paul did not s,ly: Il have
satisfied the demands of inv own
conscience. and am ready for nv
crown. No. III. He said: 4 have
fought the good fight: / have finished
my course; | have kept the faith. =
Jesus claimed restoration to the glory
that was his. only when he could SAY
II have finished the work Thou
saVest me to do" Car we then hone
10 receive crown as reward for
meeting the demands of our poor con-
sciences? Conseiences that allow MS
10 sleep on the post of duty. he deaf
ana indifferent to the promises of
God, obiivious to opportunities and ill.,
sensible TO obligation. To entertain
sucn hope is 10 triflc with God
ana this is serious thing IN do
BE not deceived. God is not IaorSad :.
The map who resolved the one talent
met the demands of his cons, fence
but Wnen he was tried, thu talent.
not his conscience Was accepted as
evidence. His conscience would have
acquitted him IL he had been the
judge. and the talent Convicted him
So II Will be in the Judgment There