Evening journal., 1916-01-19
The POlUcr of Christ
preached Tabernacle by Evangelist Lyon

deuteronomy xxX;19-"I Have Set
Before You Life and Death, Blessings
and Cursings, Therefore Choose Life.'
The greatest faculty in the human
mind is the power Of choice. This it
is that marks the difference between
a man and an animal-between man
and a machine. When God created
man He gave to him the greatest fac
ulty which was possible for Deity to
bestOw upon humanity, the power OF
deciding for himself of making or
marring his own eternal destiny. All
human activities wait upon the eNer-
else of this faculty of choice You
cannot buy a spool of thread or a one
thousand acre farm-yOu can engage
in no business, commercial, industrial,
social, political, or even matrimonial,
without first deciding 70 do so. Char
acter is the sum total Of our choices
up to date. No matter how great may
be the other faculties Of the mind yet
if there is lacking this quality of de-
cision the life must be weak and i'm
potent lndecisiOn which produces
inevitable failure in every other de-
partment of life is just as disastrous
in religion.
Much depends upon the exercising
OF this faculty of choice in education.
Aim to acquire just as snuch learning
as you can. You never will know too
much. Once in awhile hear of a
person that thinks he knows too
much. but his neighbors tell a differ
ent story. If you. young people, have
to stop school early. aim to begin
again as soon as you can. BE content
with nothing less than the best educa-
tion you can obtain. If you are poor
and have to work your way through
school. you are just so much the bet
ter of. The person who is born with
a silver spoon in .his mouth usually
amounts to very little The young
men and young women who have 10
come up through adversely are usually
those that win the greatest victories,
The college graduates Of this country
represent scarcely I per cent. of the
population. and yet i'm Americas Blue
Book. who's Who" they FIJI more
than so per cent. of prominent posi-
tions
Does an education pay asks Hor
race Lorimer. OF course il pays. Does
IL pay to take Texas steer that has
been raised on cactus and barb wire
and feed him Iowa or Illincis corr
and put fat upon his ribs and value
upon every pound of his flesh? BY nc
process of education can you change
fool into a wise man, but if you car
make a success in life without an edd
cation, you can make a far greater
success with one
Much depends also upon the bust
ness choice. Many of you are at tn,
age when you are forming your plant
for life. Every young man and younl
woman should be thinking about th'
future. What are you going to make
of yourself in years to come? ! askel
gaudily dressed young fellow one
evening if he was a Christian. Nav
he replied Il have no time for re
ligion." said. What are you plan
ming to do for your life work?" 60
don't know he replied. in a careless
flippant way. II never thought abou
it." AS Mrs. Paltington says, III
never would die with information o
the BRAIN" The reason why man
young people are not Christians,
because they have never thought ser
Ously upon any great subject.
Choose as your life work that 70
which you are fitted by your natura
talents. DO not spoil a good blacl
smith to make a poor lawyer. ChOOs
for your life work, that the considers
tion of which gives you pleasure. 70
can do best what you like to dc
Power, electrical or intellectual. tray
els over lines of least resistance. Blu
above all, choose as your life wOr
that i'm which you can do the mos
for yourself. for others and for Goo
And right here let me say a word {
you young people about the opportun
ties today along the lines of dehnit
Christian work The demands 70
workers in the ministry and i'm tn
mission fields. in the young mems an
young women's Christian associatiO
service. are almost unlimited. Othe
vOcations are being filled to overflow
Ing, but in religious work the suppl
is not equal to the demand. II Go
calls you into the Christian ministr,
or TO the mission of the fields. II
iOice In. that honor. ! would not trad
places with the President of th
United States or the King OF Englan,
DR. Theodore Cuyler of Brooklyn, we
said 1T is a long way from the pu
pit to the highest earthly throne
The social choice is also of much in
portance. Everyone of us is influence
more largely than we think by the Kin
of company we keep If l know Wl
your boon companions are, If ! do n,
know what you are today, | viii kno
what you are going to be tomorrow. On
of the reasons why many young peop
make no progress in the Christian lii
is because they hold ON to evil ass
ciatcs.
heard Of a family who had a csnal
bird, remarkably fine songster. Tn
bird was the pride of the house. Evei
visitor commented on his sweet sinein
But one summer they kept the birdcai
out ON the front porch, where the lit