Readings for 12/26/2018

Transcription

1 Readings for 12/26/2018 Hymns: 311, 310, 511 The Bible Deut. 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee. Prov. 17:8 A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turneth, it prospereth. I Pet. 4:8 11 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Eph. 2:8 10 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eccl. 3:14, 15 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

2 James 1:16 18 Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Matt. 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Rom. 12:8 2nd he, 9 (to 1st.)...he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Ex. 35:4, 5 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the LORD commanded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, I Chron. 29:6 9 Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king's work, offered willingly, And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the LORD, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. Mark 11:23, 24 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Prov. 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

3 Mark 12:41 44 And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. II Cor. 9:6 8, 15 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift. Science and Health With Key To The Scriptures SH 410:24 25 Selfishness does not appear in the practice of Truth or Christian Science. SH 255: 1 6 ETERNAL Truth is changing the universe. As mortals drop off their mental swaddling-clothes, thought expands into expression. Let there be light, is the perpetual demand of Truth and Love, changing chaos into order and discord into the music of the spheres. SH 258:13 God expresses in man the infinite idea forever developing itself, broadening and rising higher and higher from a boundless basis. Mind manifests all that exists in the infinitude of Truth. We know no more of man as the true divine image and likeness, than we know of God. SH 3:9 His work is done, and we have only to avail ourselves of God's rule in order to receive His bless-

4 ing, which enables us to work out our own salvation. SH 51:28 32 Jesus was unselfish. His spirituality separated him from sensuousness, and caused the selfish materialist to hate him; but it was this spirituality which enabled Jesus to heal the sick, cast out evil, and raise the dead. SH 19:6 Jesus aided in reconciling man to God by giving man a truer sense of Love, the divine Principle of Jesus' teachings, and this truer sense of Love redeems man from the law of matter, sin, and death by the law of Spirit, the law of divine Love. SH 46:30 His students then received the Holy Ghost. By this is meant, that by all they had witnessed and suffered, they were roused to an enlarged understanding of divine Science, even to the spiritual interpretation and discernment of Jesus' teachings and demonstrations, which gave them a faint conception of the Life which is God. They no longer measured man by material sense. After gaining the true idea of their glorified Master, they became better healers, leaning no longer on matter, but on the divine Principle of their work. The influx of light was sudden. It was sometimes an overwhelming power as on the Day of Pentecost. SH 192:30 Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power. SH 248:29 32 Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love the kingdom of heaven reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear. SH 483:30 32 One must fulfil one's mission without timidity or dissimulation, for to be well done, the work must be done unselfishly.

5 SH 205:22 3 When we realize that there is one Mind, the divine law of loving our neighbor as ourselves is unfolded; whereas a belief in many ruling minds hinders man's normal drift towards the one Mind, one God, and leads human thought into opposite channels where selfishness reigns. Selfishness tips the beam of human existence towards the side of error, not towards Truth. Denial of the oneness of Mind throws our weight into the scale, not of Spirit, God, good, but of matter. When we fully understand our relation to the Divine, we can have no other Mind but His, no other Love, wisdom, or Truth, no other sense of Life, and no consciousness of the existence of matter or error. SH 462:23 30 Are thoughts divine or human? That is the important question. This branch of study is indispensable to the excision of error. The anatomy of Christian Science teaches when and how to probe the self-inflicted wounds of selfishness, malice, envy, and hate. It teaches the control of mad ambition. It unfolds the hallowed influences of unselfishness, philanthropy, spiritual love. SH 176:13 16 When the mechanism of the human mind gives place to the divine Mind, selfishness and sin, disease and death, will lose their foothold. SH 9:11 If selfishness has given place to kindness, we shall regard our neighbor unselfishly, and bless them that curse us; but we shall never meet this great duty simply by asking that it may be done. There is a cross to be taken up before we can enjoy the fruition of our hope and faith. SH 516:9 23 God fashions all things, after His own likeness. Life is reflected in existence, Truth in truthfulness, God in goodness, which impart their own peace and permanence. Love, redolent with unselfishness, bathes all in beauty and light. The grass beneath

6 our feet silently exclaims, The meek shall inherit the earth. The modest arbutus sends her sweet breath to heaven. The great rock gives shadow and shelter. The sunlight glints from the church-dome, glances into the prison-cell, glides into the sick-chamber, brightens the flower, beautifies the landscape, blesses the earth. Man, made in His likeness, possesses and reflects God's dominion over all the earth. Man and woman as coexistent and eternal with God forever reflect, in glorified quality, the infinite Father-Mother God. SH 262:17 Job said: I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee. Mortals will echo Job's thought, when the supposed pain and pleasure of matter cease to predominate. They will then drop the false estimate of life and happiness, of joy and sorrow, and attain the bliss of loving unselfishly, working patiently, and conquering all that is unlike God. Starting from a higher standpoint, one rises spontaneously, even as light emits light without effort; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. SH 22:14 20 If your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in the race. When the smoke of battle clears away, you will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving. SH 29:10 11 Great is the reward of self-sacrifice, though we may never receive it in this world. SH 57:18 21 Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it. SH 3:22 24 Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more.

7 Hymn. 311:1-3 So brightly burns Love's holy glow, So constant shines its light, That none can claim he doth not know The pathway through the night, For see, 'tis lit by Love divine To trace for us His wise design. The lambs who wander by the way, He taketh in His arm; For in the darkness they did stray Unconscious of their harm: So cometh He to all who roam, To lead them safely, surely home. To God then praises let us sing With glad and willing mind For all the gifts His hand doth bring To us and all mankind: Forever doth His gift of love Pour warmth and radiance from above. Hymn. 310:1-2 Sing, ye joyous children, sing, Glorious is the Christ, our king, Truth has come again to earth, Through the lowly Saviour's birth. Men and angels, anthems raise; Hymns of joy and shouts of praise. Hear th' angelic song again: Peace on earth, good will to men. Sing, ye joyous children, sing, Glorious is the Christ, our king. When the stars together sang, Then the Truth triumphant rang: Be there light; And there was light. Gone are chaos, fear and night; Truth hath rolled the mists away; Dawns on earth harmonious day. Hear th' angelic song again: Peace on earth, good will to men. Sing, ye joyous children, sing, Glorious is the Christ, our king.

8 Hymn. 511:1-3 It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old, The angels, bending near the earth, Their wondrous story told Of peace on earth, good will to men, From heavenʼs all-gracious King; The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing. O ye beneath lifeʼs crushing load Whose forms are bending low, Who toil along the climbing way With painful steps and slow; Look now, for glad and golden hours Come swiftly on the wing; O rest beside the weary road, And hear the angels sing. For lo, the days are hastening on, By prophets seen of old, When with the ever-circling years Shall come the time foretold; When the new heaven and earth shall own The Prince of Peace their King, And all the world send back the song Which now the angels sing. Printed from CONCORD: A CHRISTIAN SCIENCE STUDY RESOURCE, published by The Christian Science Board of Directors in Boston, MA, USA. This content may be under copyright and may not be further reproduced or distributed, unless permitted under the Concord User License Agreement.