Jesus' Precepts Practical

        The man who delivers our paper each morning was getting sloppier and sloppier, as though he didn't really care about his customers.  Finally, one morning recently after it had rained hard, my husband's Wall Street Journal, though put in the paper slot under the one for mail, was ruined.  Soaking wet!  So, he had to call the Journal in New York City--yet again to complain about an unreadable paper--then go out and buy another as he wanted to read his paper that day.

        Speaking for myself, a slight feeling of annoyance had been simmering, and this one morning it turned to downright irritation.  After some hours of harboring this (shame on me!), spiritual truths began flooding consciousness.  There was something concrete I could do to clear away this conflict, it was clear.

        Being a follower of Christ Jesus and a life-long student of Christian Science, I knew enough to know that when personal conflicts arise, it's my own thinking that needs to be addressed/corrected/turned radically around to what Jesus' teachings require of us.

        The devil's work was not going to be done by me.  The sense of irritation was not going to linger.  The carnal mind would like nothing better than to see us stirred up, if  not downright resentful.  And in this sorry state of thinking, we obviously are not being obedient to what our Master taught.

        So, I went to work prayerfully to see this man as a child of God, governed by Him, and doing the right thing, instead of letting the false material picture remain in thought.  And soon, the disturbed feelings toward him melted away. There was the most peaceful sense that God, the Father of us both, was in charge of the situation completely. And there the whole thing was left.

       Not surprisingly, a real change in the way he did his job occurred.  And just a couple of days ago, while walking one of our dogs about daylight he drove up.  He handed me the paper with a smile, we chatted, and wished each other a good day as we each went our way.

        Here was another solid proof that Jesus' divine precepts for daily interacting with our fellow beings is supremely practical.

     

What is God to Me?

He is my:

Loving Father
Protector
Comforter
Faithful Companion
Defender
Rescuer
Everpresent Helper
Inspiration
Delight
Guide
Guardian
Enlightener
Teacher
Healer
Tender Mother
Dwelling Place
Peace of mind
Giver of good things
Supply
Strength
Stamina
Solver of problems
Captain
Mind
Life
Very Being


I could, of course, add much more.  But for the time being, isn't it unspeakably wonderful to be a child of His!

The Full Armor of God

        While grocery shopping earlier this morning, one of the titles on a rack of religious books caught my eye:  "The Full Armor of God".  This caused me to think about just what I understand this to be, and how one avails oneself of God's full protection.

        Something from another book Mary Baker Eddy wrote, Prose Works, a compilation of her writings other than Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, came to thought and it might be helpful to some of you.  "Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort.  And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited." (First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, page 210).

        Since God is Love, all Love,omnipotent, omniactive good, and He created us to express this Love in all our dealings, it naturally follows that when our consciousness is filled with loving, good thoughts, we are aligned with Him, doing what pleases Him. Further, we are being obedient to our Master, Christ Jesus -- the embodiment of Love, whose love and good will to humanity is nothing less than awesome to contemplate.

       Nothing harmful can obtrude itself upon the consciousness that is alive with this Christly love, we may be sure.

A World of Good Awaits You

        How can someone be seeing what God does for us in everyday life through an understanding of God and man that Christian Science brings, and keep quiet about it?  I certainly cannot.  And this is why I blog for my religion.  One of the joys of my life is having this medium to tell the world about the immense blessings that are in store for everyone who learns of its teachings and applies them to his daily experience.

        To think of being able to find out what our Master, Christ Jesus, knew about God and man!  It is a divine fact that you and I will never be more spiritually perfect, whole and free, than we are at this very moment.  This is a priceless thing to realize about ourselves, and truths like it can be gained by any man, woman, or child, by reading and pondering the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  In it Mary Baker Eddy explains fully and clearly the divine laws underlying Jesus' words and deeds that are as potent for you as when Jesus employed them centuries ago.

        If you have thought about getting a copy of this book and haven't yet for one reason or another,  I wouldn't put it off for another minute.  A world of spiritual enlightenment awaits you, and will empower you to prove that God's healing power is ever present in your life.
     

God Wants Us Well

        Proof of this is found in the healing work Christ Jesus did and promised that his followers would do. The Master healed countless individuals who were being deprived of their physical well-being, showing that sickness is a violation of our inherent right as children of God to experience harmony in every aspect of our lives.

        An example of this is given in the thirteenth chapter of Luke, which tells of a woman so infirm she couldn't even lift herself up.  Even though she had been in this condition for eighteen years, Jesus restored her to complete freedom through his understanding of God's law.  Would Jesus have used his knowledge of divine law to remove physical ills if we had no God-derived right to be free from them?

        I love these words from Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures where she says:  "Because man-made systems insist that man becomes sick and useless, suffers and dies, all in consonance with the laws of God, are we to believe it?  Are we to believe an authority which denies God's spiritual command relating to perfection, -- an authority which Jesus proved to be false?  He did the will of the Father.  He healed sickness in defiance of what is called material law, but in accordance with God's law, the law of Mind."

        You and I can avail ourselves of the healing power Jesus employed.  What we need is a demonstrable grasp of what he knew about God and man, and here the teachings of Christian Science are invaluable. Underlying Jesus' words and deeds was eternal divine law, which we all can learn to apply.  Through prayer that springs from an understanding of God as the perfect, totally good Principle of the universe, and of man's actual nature as His spiritual image, we can stay well.  And get well when needed.

        Our spiritual status may seem far-fetched and unattainable.  But the fact remains that the true selfhood of us all is incorporeal, diseaseless, never helpless.  Our real being is the offspring of God, infinite Spirit.  We live in Spirit and are eternally above and apart from physicality and suffering and dread of becoming ill.  Wholeness if the very essence of God's nature, and it is individualized in His image, man.

        The spiritual truth of man is basic to Christ-healing, and as we awaken to this divine fact, any of us can prove our God-given right to be well.

     

God's Care For Four-footed Creatures.

        I looked out our window and there in the street were our neighbors from down the way.  They looked so worried, and they called out, "Have you seen Shemi?  She got out and she never does this.  We can't find her anywhere!"  We joined other friends to help them look for her.  A severe storm was coming soon, the forecast said, with wind and hail and torrential rains.  We looked high and low, but no little dog.

        Soon, Sumita and her husband decided to drive around other neighborhoods to search.  It wasn't long before they came back with good news.  Shemi was safe.  We were so relieved.

        What had happened was this:  a kind woman had seen their dog in the middle of a busy thoroughfare, had picked her up, and taken her to her house some distance away.  Just as our neighbors were driving down that street, here was the lady standing in her front yard.  She called out, "Are you looking for a little dog?"  "Yes, oh yes!" our friends replied.

        The next morning Sumita came around to thank us again for our help.  God led me to say to this Hindu woman, "I don't know what my husband was praying.  But as for me, I absolutely knew your dog could not be out of God's presence."  The look I got.  Some months earlier, Sumita had said, "You are Christian, are you not?  I know Jesus is your guy; he isn't mine."  But she said this kindly.  And since the incident described, I've noticed affection and respect in her and her husband's eyes.  One never knows where future conversations may lead.

        This couple could not get over what they considered a wonderful coincidence since Shemi did not have her collar on, nor did she have an identification chip.  They thought the whole thing was amazing.  But for all those who know that beyond God's loving presence we--and all His creatures--cannot go, it is not.

Such Loving Provision

     
        The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, made such loving provision for the spiritual understanding and progress of her followers, and all those yearning to understand God better. First and most important, her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  Added to this is her other writings, the periodicals, public lectures, as well as the many ways The Mother Church in Boston, Massachusetts is reaching out across the globe to bless mankind.

        And what I'm grateful for this morning are the Bible Lessons that students of Christian Science read and ponder each day.  There is no way to measure the comfort and enlightenment and spiritual support these Lessons have brought me over the years.  I was just thinking this week of how far-reaching they are when I was talking to a friend in Oak Ridge, TN.  Frank is a devoted student of Christian Science and when he was serving in the Marines on Iwo Jima, he had with him the tiny little books that comprised the daily lessons-- the Bible and Science and Health.  When he could, he actually read these service editions between shellings! Talk about blessings far and wide.

        And one time, when we were coming back from Zurich, Switzerland and had our Christian Science Quarterly out on the tray, with our books, I happened to look at the couple next to us ,and there were the same items.  We both were reading our Bible and the Christian Science textbook on the way back to Boston.  It was such fun getting to know this couple. Small world, indeed.

        Just writing and publishing her major work, Science and Health, would have been enough for much people.  But that so many other provisions have been made for mankind's betterment is something I continue to appreciate greatly.

Not Just Right, But the Highest Right

                                                        John Robert Howell


        If we are not watchful we can easily find ourselves satisfied with traversing merely the right road in life.  While this is fine, up to a point, we students of Christian Science need to push on to the highest right road.

        There is nothing wrong with striving for honesty, affection, compassion, hope, faith, and meekness -- qualities Mrs. Eddy defines as "moral" and "Evil beliefs disappearing".  (see Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures 115:26-27)

        The Student's Dictionary defines moral in part as:  "Relating to the practice, manners, or conduct of men, as social beings, in relation to each other, and with reference to right and wrong."  So, although there is certainly nothing wrong with these moral qualities, they do  not represent our highest ultimate goal, which Mrs. Eddy gives in our textbook on the next page, 116 -- reaching wisdom, purity, spiritual understanding, spiritual power, love, health, holiness.  (The margin note here states "reality" which I find instructive.)

        We need to watch and pray that we are ever alert and searching for the road Christ Jesus walked for us, narrow though it may be, and that we do not get fooled into settling into a pleasant, self-satisfaction for having achieved some mastery of the moral qualities.  Moral qualities alone, such as "humanity", can still leave open the possibility for thought to wander onto wrong paths.

        We cannot ever afford to relax our vigilance while we are still dealing with anything, no matter how benign seeming, in the mortal, human realm.  Temperance, for example, denies that we succumb to excess in the human.  Holiness denies the presence and reality of the human altogether.  When holiness is achieved, there will be no wrong road to take to experiences that would make us think God is not All-in-all, which our Master proved He is.