Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-02
STRESSES NEED FOR NEW
ZEAL IN THE NEW YEAR
Past Achievements Hindrance,
Unless They Furnish Incen.
tive, Says Mr.. Chenault.
breaches ON "A LOOK FORWARD,
NcccssIty for Concentration j. Urged
by Pastor Of BrOnd Street Metho-
dist = Morning Text Ia "a Look
backward"


ms remarks on the third chapter OF
philippians. thirteenth and fourteenth
verses: Brethren. L count not myself
70 nave aDprehended, but this one
thing / do, forgetting those things
which arc behind and reaching forth
unto those things which are before,
press unto the mark of tho prize
of tho high calling in Christ Jesus"
MT. Chcnault spoke. In part, as fol-
lows:
"FirEt of all. as we face the new
year. there must be forgetting. We
must. first OF all, forget our Injuries:
II some ono has harmed us in home
or business or social standing. let us
push II aside. II you cherish an i'm
jury, 1t fans spark into flame. and
the great trouble will: the fire Is
that 1t burns our own furniture.
What we hold In our heart towards
others will come back TO us; IL is
like the echo. what we give returns;
hkcwise, we must also forget the
old days. There are some who never
think that any day is like yesterday.
no people like the old people they
used to know, no church like the old
church. no sermons like the old SER
mons. Their life Is n Renaissance
they are like Hood. who says, 1 re-
member the house where I was born:
that feeling in childhood that we
were nearer Heaven than now. In
nocencc is good. but purity Is better
Forget Attachments.
Let us forget our attachments
they may he many and splendid, but
there Is always n better laurel to-
morrow than was ever yesterday or
today. What are the books Of yes
terday. the sermons OF yesterday, the
achievements of yesterday? They are
hindrance. unless they give US an
incentive to do better than we did
yce terday. Let US forget also our
failures. l have seen men whose
efforts were paralyZed because they
were always thinking of the mis-
takes they had made. Let US use our
mistakes as stcpping-stonSs to higher
things Let us forget our sorrows:
many or us have been deeply afflicted
this year. and / would minimize the
pain or the suffering, but we may
bend over our sorrows and nourish
them so long the future may lose
It's prospect. Let us, likewise for
get our sins. Do not think that they
arc beyond repair.
The second thought that comes to
me is this-thc need OF concentrat ton
Men who try to do everything usually
end by doing nothing well. 1t is
always tho man with one purpose
that makes good.
me third thought that comes tc
me from this text is the incompIete-
ness OF life. The greatest danger we
suffer is to be self-satisfied. The man
who is satisfied viii his business will
make no progress: IL he is satisfied
with his profession, he will go nc
further: IL he is satisfied with his
reiiSious experience, he will suffer
religious stagnation.
Our reach must exceed our rrasn
OF what Is HEAVIER: foe? Sclf-dissatis-
faction is the basis of the progress
OF men. We must ever feel an in
completeness. an unSatisfied longing.
an unrealiZed outrcaching: an ideal
realized would be fatal TO the growth
or the soul. an ideal unrealized. and
yet reached after, is the unfolding OF
the life and the magn!fying of the
Divine powers within.
Urges Need of New Zenl.
The fourth thought that comes TO
me from this text is that we need a
new zeal for the new year. We can
never convince others until we have
convinced ourselves: IL we have n
message for the world. 1t must first
possess us and transform us before
IL can inspire others to like enthu-
siasm. Lukewarm water is not only
distasteful. hut almost useless; water
mas to be heated to gig degrees be-
iore II VIII boil or will drive an
engine. Two hundred degrees will
rot do 1t. 21o will not do IL; 1t takes
2l2. Lukcwarm water doesn't drive
an engine and lukewarm Christians
don't bear the standards OF Christ
very far into the ranks OF the enemy
May the zeal of Paul that made him
press forward in the face OF seem
insly insurmountable difficulties and
prosecutions be our portion for this
new year"
Yesterday morning Mr.. Chenault
spoke on the subject. "a Look Back
ward" using as his text Corinthians
1873. Examine yourselves" He spoke
in part as follows:
The text is an exhortation to cx-
anime ourselves, not our neighbors
IL Is easy and sometimes delightful
to examine our neighbors, we can
sec the mote in another's eye when
we cannot detect the beam In our
own. We cast stones, although we
may live in glass houses. The man
who talks about the other fellow
WILL IL given the same sort OF on
portunity. talk about you. Some live
on the plane of things and people
these arc the limit OF their CONVEX
sation-while others discuss ideals
and principles.
Examine not your neighbours bust
ness, but yourselves; there are some
men so busy with the job of conduct :.
Ing other business they never make
much success of their own. Exam
Inc yourselves, not the church. the
church has plenty Of faults. but II
has no more than those who are
members of it; IL tho church Is lack
ing. 1t Is because its membership Is
lacking. Are we doing anything to
raise the standards. the interest, the
efficiency and the spiritual power OF
the church? Examine yourselves
not the preacher IL you expect
perfect preacher, then you will have
to get an angel. not human being:
IL the time spent In destructive criti-
cism was spent in constructive work,
you would have n better church and
always better preacher. People
themselves do as much to make the
sermons as do the preacher. When
he has your whole soul, he can bet
ter give fun message
Threshold OF New Year.
1--WE need TO examine ourselves
as we stand on tho threshold OF this
now year. The self-righteous man
is in great danger. the Phaflsec was
In n worse condition than the Publ
can. and the worst OF 1t was he didn't