The Ohio Independent Baptist, November 1965

Every individual should ask himself Does my life (have a purpos·e? A young college tudent entered a department tore. found hi way to the information de k and asked in "'hat department he would find a :on1pa . To thi came the reply. ..Are }ou looking for a compa to make a circle or one that will give ou direction?" Certain]~, that i a peep into life t elf. Every individual hould a k him·~etf - ..Am I going in circle or doe my life have purpo e and direction?" So many of life' involve– ment toda)' are characterized by the trite expre ion ·a viciou circle.\' f a} I therefore challenge your thinking momentarily with the word. of Proverb 3: 5-6 "Tru t in the Lord with all thine heart ; and lean noc unto thine own undef'3tanding. (n all thy way acknowledge Him, and He hall direct thy path .' ' The tru ting heart doe not on1y look to ,ociety. to education, to cience nor o wealth - good though the e may e - and certainly, it doe not look o 1t elf for guidance! In,3 tead the ru ting heart look to God for the ~uidance and direction that only He • _an give. ln r elation to thi , however, I real– ze that life i filled with que tion n arks. From a child' earlie t word on through the un et year of life the 1ue tion '"WHY?" 1 that which char- 1c terize mankind. ot only i thi rue in the moral, the cientific , the _conomic and political realm of life ; 1ut a l o, and perhaps more import- 1nt ly so, it i.') found in the spiritual PATl!W.AYS C~·t R.15 l DI £ 0 10 J/i VE VJ F A._0111 S1N - •--+-- realn1. Therefore. the que tion co1ne again and again, "Why hoL1ld I let od control my life?" or even 'Wh)' hould 1 be born again - becon1c a hri tian .. . ?H The an wer to thi general 1 ine of que tion ing of cour3e i manifold yet may be ummed tip by aying that if a per on de ire ,to ,at– tain that de ired po ition in the pre - ence of God for a]l eternity a·~well a having that hie ed fellow hip and knowledge of in forgiven here on earth, the individual MUST choo~ e to follow hri t in thi life. Word of God is clear The Word of God i clear in tat– ing that for thir:- to become a realit in our heart and life we mu t fir t ee our elve a crooked, unregener– ate inful individual who are doomed for Chri""·tle eternity in hell ( ee crooked Jine to left or diagram). The only way for man to be acce,ptable in God' ight i to expre faith jn hri t fini hed work on the Cros . and repent of in . Thi act of repent– ance i po ible for anyone who i " made aware of hi own ~infulne a compared to Chri t' holine thu realizing that in life there are TWO PATHWAYS. In focu ing our attention on Matt. 7 : 13-14 we are not left to doubt the fact that there are ONLY two path– way of life. TiH FIRST a depicted in ver e 13 i~ that way which i b ing followed by the va t majority of the world ' · populace. l t i the way of worldly plea ure - characterized by that which gratifi the "Ju l, f the LIFE ,ffb/t Vf'N, 1f .1~ 11, , c ··~ lt!J. d J.!~·~ llt r~~L.,,..~ :.t!J.JaiA~ !!}<___ _ • " u. , ~,r 1 , # If., "'~ - , ~ ~"' I H OHI O I 'D P NDENT BAPTI T l I I ,f_,£JlTJJ By Darrell R. Bice First Baptist Church Wellington, Ohio Darrell R. Bice fie . ,h, the I LI. t of ,the eye., an(I the i)ride of life'' (T John 2: 16 ). The final outcome of thi . path i. portrayed vividly a e erla. t.ing .ptini hn1ent, everl ting . orrow pent in Hel I, bani•"hed forever from the pre ence of God. We note fron1 our ver e that the gate i wide and the way i broad - for ·n,any there be ( the majori,ty of people) that go in thereat.'' Contrary to the thinking f the multitude , all people are OT hri tian and God i OT the Father of them all! The ECO D and only thcr road. according to ver e 14. i that which lead~ to everl a ting j y. peace, hap– pine and life - pent in the pre ,_ ence of God, t1rround d by all the plendor f heaven, ble d and beautified by the very per on f hri..:- t Him elf. The fact "" hich hot1ld thrill the heart of ever b rn again believer i. that once we have cho ' n to follow the wa\' of J ' LI ~ hri ·t, there i .. n p ibl e \\ a \' f lipping. falling or treading fr 111 that r ~1d hack t the other n ted tin1e anli tir11e again 1n the riptur and a~ portra) d on the d1agran1 - it t\ the cro -, of ('hr1,t it~clf ( &.lnd the f ini~hetl \ \ Or~ ac on1 pl1 'ihed there) \\ h icl1 bar, ti, fro,11 C\cr falling. \\ e a1e sc,1lt:LI 1r1 the Bel \ 'Cd. cloth Li ah )lt t \ 1tl1 l-)1 '\ r1ghtet)t1, 11c, . ~c,1tcLJ l HI I 1n t he h c , l e 11 l i c , PR l .. , [ ' 11 f the W()r k. o f al\' ,lr\ \ t)ttl I lltt \ t: to l1L .. Cl ,l~Cll , t l l Ilt.: l \\ c\V \\ tlll - lht:11 rc11e,t lcll 1n t)tticr t Jr ti, It) fall frl 111 the 1iu t ll\\'U) Llt e\ t:rb1s1111g 1i f~. 1 l'llC It IS tt1a l \\'C 111.l\ sltt111ble a11 f 1 all l tllC \\ U ' - l)Ul lll'\' CI l ) r l.. tllt v.a . 1>rai~~ llll fr tl1~ a - Slll' ' ll1 .. f lll :Sl i)r iLll)S \\ fll S (lf l ,ttl . I 0 :_7-_ , .. I\ st1 cJ) 11 r lll\ v >i , an I I k 11 )\\ t 11 111 , 111ll t l1c:: f >ll ,, 111 : 11d l giv t111t tl1c111 on NOVEMBER 196 PAGE 5