The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1940-07-26

An intelligent approach to life
calls for an understanding of prin-
ciples governing thought and action.
Our lesson for today recognizes that
every act and thought Of man brings
consequences, either good or bad.
Man himself must make the deck
sions Of life, and what he sows he
must also reap.
Matters Of crucial Importance to
modern young people are involved
in our lesson. They are asking
these days. "Shall I listen to Gods
voice, or Is that Just old-fashioned
nonsense? What about obeying par
ents? Should I drink intoxicants7
Everybody does-why should be
different? OF course, don't want
to be drunkard or ruin my future
life, but I'd like to have my fling
can't have It and still avoid dis
astrous consequences7"
The answers to these questions
are in our lesson. May God help
young people to And the right
answers, and enable every teacher
to present the truth clearly and ef-
fectively.
I. Safe Counsel prov. 1:7-10).
No sane person wants to make .
fool Of himself. He Is looking for
the right way and will lend his ear
to good counsel. Here II is-"The
fear Of the Lord Is the beginning Of
knowledge" (R. w., "wisdomD.
Fear of God is not a cringing ter
FOR. but sincere appreciation Of His
wisdom and q desire to do His will.
The best counselors a boy or girl
has are father and mother. Only q
fool will pass up the golden oppor-
tunity Of profting by their expert
ences and avoiding their mistakes,
and will miss the opportunity Of car
rying forward their high hopes.
Those who fear God and honor their
parents will not be misled by the
enticement Of sinners ". 10Y. They
just will not consent" and that
settles 1t.
III. Steps TO Ruin elsa. SILL. IL,
1929.
Isaiah lived and ministered In q
time OF prosperity, which led to
drunkenness and immortality. This
In time led, as 1t always does, to
the decay and destruction Of the ma
ton. We face similar moral con-
ditions today. Let US not shut our
eyes to the lesson so oft-repeated in
history and In false security 60 on
to national ruin.
We need outspoken and deter
mined opposition in civic, social and
religious circles to the liquor traffic
and to all the vices that follow in
evitably in its train. The portion of
our lesson from. Isaiah wildly por-
trays the downward path Of the
drinker Of intoxicants. Ponder it
well, young man and young woman.
HI. Seedtime and Harvest (Gal.
6:7-9).
Everywhere about him man sees
the memorable operation of the law
OF cause and effect, of sowing and
reaping, and yet he listens to tho
lies Of Satan and of his own lustful
heart and tries to convince himself
that the law may be suspended in
the realm Of the moral and spiritual.
Sowing to the flesh always brings
corruption. No matter how well ed
ucated, no matter what his position
in life, or his family connection, the
man who takes his first drink has
started on the road to a drunkard's
grave. Statistics reveal that the
victims of drink come from every
strata Of society and every circun-
stance of life. Young people, the
sure way to avoid the consequences
Is to not take the first drink.
Sowing to the Spirit brings life
everlasting" That, too, Is always
true. There Is also another pre-
cious truth: namely, that by turning
to Christ the one who has begun on
the downward path may stay the
ruinous hand of sin upon his life.
Taking Christ as his Saviour, he
finds regeneration and renewal of
Life.