The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-09
Keeping After Great Goals.

Terse comments on the uniform prayer
meeting topics of the young peoples
societies-Christian Endeavor, etc.
for November IL: Seeking Worth
While Things Prov S:10-21;
Matt 6:33.
1t takes courage and resolution to
live for first things. Only rare souls
succeed in doing so. For it is easy
to slip down to the level of a second
rate life. There is great significance
in the fact that the larger part of
the world in perusing secondary
things. To dress well, to live well,
to win mems praises, to impress ones
neighbors, to crafty ones pride, to
pile up money, to show ones self
superior to the next man-such as
these are the ambitions of most of us.
True, we may not care to see them
catalogued thus, for they do not inn
press US as being very noble, yet the
plain truth is that for ends like
these we are giving the best of our
days and the reddest of our hearts
blood. All the objects that have
been enumerated may be condensed
as life's secondary things, because
they do not endure: they are of
time, perishing and not of eternity
everlasting. Because man is eternal
all of his goals should be eternal al
So
Lives are like buildings. They can
not endure without good foundations
the silent, unseen powers of the
spiritual nature on whose depths de-
pend all achievement. If we would
build high and permanently we must
prepare deep and broad foundations.
A bright writer has said that I'VE
fill our houses with poor pictures,
our libraries with worthless books,
our heads with second-rate thoughts,
our lives with unworthy friendships,
our days with unsatisfactory work
and our nights with unsatisfactory
pleasures. all because we don't know
good thing when we see it, He is
right. Poor choices make half the
tragedies of time and eternity. Every
one of us is every day passing by
the best and accepting the second
best or the worst. We some how
seem unable to realize the supreme
importance of choosing enduring and
essential things. Yet our choices
make or mar our lives
The great indictment that Christ
brought against the things for which
men were giving their lives was that
they were not worth while. They
were not in themselves bad, but they
were of minor Importance; they did
not last His summons to men was a
summons to rise to loftier concep-
ton of life He babe them lift their
aims and quit the mere existence
Jesus implanted in mems breasts
divine and eternal ambition. Seek
first the kingdom" cried he; these
lesser and incidental things will fall
into their proper place and be added
unto you. They of themselves as
life's aims are not worth a thought.
Where. there is no vision the peo-
pie perish" says the word of God.
The truth is one of wide meaning. 1t
applies to a nation. to church. to an
individual The power and peace OF
Christians life will be exactly in
proportion to his vision of spiritual
things. If the heavens are closed to
him; if he can see only the enemies
in front of him and not heavenly help
ers above and about him. if his eyes
are open to material things but shut
to the beauties of Gods word and of
Gods worship, then his religious life
will inevitably be a weak, declining
and joyous thing. Power to live be-
low depends on ability to look above.
Many of the deeds and professions
of a Christians life must seem as folly
to the wording; the simple reason is.