The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1920-02-12
THE PEOPLES FORUM.
LOTS CHOICE


He did not realize the danger of it.
1t was sin against himself. 1t en-
dangered his spiritual interests. He
had time to calculate the chances of
material prosperity; he should have
considered the moral hazards before
deciding to drive his focks to Sodom.
Fretting because of the evil he saw,
ne had no will to escape and so eXper-
! fenced positive injury. His character
was enervated. He tired of the plain
and moved into the city. There he
found new associates. lie was irres-
olute and fingered when he was told
to escape. His prayer was only for
self, but he was saved, though it was
as by fire.
He gained what most people long
| for, that was a home. The home in
| stinct is strong in US, but we must
needs be careful in selecting our home
and be sure to pitch it IN the best pos
! sible surroundings In gaining this,
however, he lost heavily. He lost the
helpful influence of Christian fellow
ship.
We do not always realize the value
of this until we are deprived Of it.
Have you this fellowship? By all
means hold on to it. Cultivate it and
retain it at all costs.
He lost also moral tone in his char
acter. He started on the downward
grade. Who can fully estimate such
loss. Take the pep" out of ones
character and he will soon slide down
the scale and bump up against an OBJ
stacle that he is not looking for. He
will have a wreck It's always the
case. The journey to Sodom, though
inviting, is down grade, sinful and
| dangerous. Do not travel in that
| road.
He lost what he was seeking with
all his heart, what he longed for, what
he would gain at all hazards-that
was happiness. Like many another
man, he sought it in the wrong way.
The best way and the surest to be
| happy is to make others happy.
Dwelling among the Goddess Sod
omites, in seeing and hearing he vexed
his righteous soul from day to day
Even good men may make improper
| choices in life, but their goodness will
not save them from the evil conse-
| quences of their error Be careful of
your company. Choose the best COM
panions you can get, and if you can t
| find those who are suitable to you, do
without.
he lost his property, too That was
heavy blow. He was not the first
one to lose his property because of
| bad choice. Many good, hard work
ing man has been persuaded to en-
dorse for another only to find himself
| deprived of all his property and his
family suffering loss by reason of
false friends. His prosperity for
sock him.
1t is sad to see adversely pushing
out prosperity and one loss succeeding
another until everything is gone
Then he found himself plunged into
war. Enemies swooped down upon
him; fire assaulted him and licked up
what he greatly cherished. He had
won many friends down in the city
and had many adherents. He was
doubtless popular and had a credita-
Bile following. But he lost all his ad-
| herents and part of his family. His
| daughters married and persisted with
| the Sodomites. His wife, during their
flight from the doomed city, still
longed for it's pleasures and though
commanded of the Lord not to look
back, her hearts desires were too
strong for her and she disobeyed the
Lord. That was her undoing. She
was turned into a pillar of salt. She
became perpetual warning to future
generations against the sin of DISC
bedience to the divine commands.
Abraham allowed God to choose for
him, so he under the divine influence
chose to suffer loss rather than have
a quarrel with his kinsman. His was
an unselfish choice Selfshness always
defeats itself. 1t never pays to be
selfish 1t always pays to be unset
fish.
All is not gold that glitters. So
never judge merely by appearances
1t IS unwlse to do so. Be modest in
yonr desires. Do not seek too much.
nor expect too great things. Choose
the best things and make your choice
in the fear of the Lord and you will
make no mistake.
Naturally we desire and seek pros
perity, and that is right, too, but we
may pay too great price for worldly
prosperity. what shall it profit a
man if he gain the whole world and
lose his soul?" The greatest worldly
success is an awful failure if we have
missed the heavenly goal-if we have
lost our soul. Better never to have
been born.
Remember, too, that it is a poor
outcome of piety that prefers self in
terest to the claims of affection or re-
ligion. The man who loves self better
than his neighbor lacks the spirit of
Jesus, Selfishness nowadays seems
to be exalted into the chief virtue. But
it always overreaches itself and ac-
complishes its own ruin. We must
choose for ourselves what our future
shall be. Shall it be as Lot chose, or
as Abraham, who followed the divine
principles and guidance?
The Lord will give us a better por-
ton than any worldly inheritance if
we will only choose Him for our por-
ton.
Storm tossed, troubled, tempted
soul, the Lord is thy Keeper Fear
not. He has hold of thy hand and will
bring thee through all the storms of