What are you contending for today? Is your thought mightily siding with abounding health, happiness, harmony, peace, and love as natural and normal outcomes of your day’s experience?
For the best results, contend for God’s power and presence at work in your life. Contend for divine Mind’s control over your entire being causing good outcomes.
It’s divine Mind that keeps you healthy and strong, clear and focused. To stay well, contend for spiritual truth and let it bless you. Be wise to never contend for anything less than God’s omnipresent infinite goodness.
As Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Contending for the evidence or indulging the demands of sin, disease, or death, we virtually contend against the control of Mind over body, and deny the power of Mind to heal. This false method is as though the defendant should argue for the plaintiff in favor of a decision which the defendant knows will be turned against himself” (Science and Health, p. 380).
And further, “By lifting thought above error, or disease, and contending persistently for truth, you destroy error”
(Science and Health, p. 400).
Contend for truth and prosper!
It is erroneous thought that holds us captive to error until the light of truth of our being within the presence of God enlightens our way.
The “light of truth” reminded me of comments made by Jane, in May’s SpiritView, that I’ve found so helpful (thank you Jane!); “Be still” and know that God is caring for you at THIS and every moment all while embracing you with His constant presence and love. Just bask in His love and know His voice is the only voice to be heard. (“God is light and in Him is no darkness at all”. Since you are an expression of God, you can say, “Your name” is light, and in him/her is no darkness at all”. You are the expression of light and your light shines bright to all! You are filled with light, peace, joy, goodness and glory. Don’t let your light be hid, shine bright and radiate and glow!)
J thanks for reminding us of these wonderful comments, I remember reading this previously, very helpful to me — and thank you Jane!
Thank you so much J for this reminder
Since God is LIGHT, and in Him is no darkness at all
then the same is the truth for each of us, and all humanity —
. Our name and nature is LIGHT , and in us no darkness at all.
So we can obey God;s Word. BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD
Joy, your comments made me think of this article…”Thy whole body shall be full of light”:
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/pp61wn6lss
Love the power of this reminder! Thank you Evan!
Contend. Assert something iof a position
in a situation.
I was instantly healed when a practitioner
used the word lie.
The word lie had been in my thought
due to a high profile news report I
told friends I would insist it was a lie
if I had been accused of doing something
I did not do.
Evan, I like your use of, contend,
Everything unlike God is a lie.
A lie has no truth behind it. We
need to be instant in recognizing
a lie.
Thanks for the reminder.
Don’t be a victim of your own poor, misguided thoughts – we are all responsible for our own thoughts. Stand up and say Thank You God for your control over my entire being…. my health, happiness and joy today. This fits well with the Daily Lift “No one can take away your joy”. Thanks Evan.
JHP I liked when you said, “Stand up and say Thank You God…”. Thanking God and standing up to error is necessary, sometimes I feel I am cowering before it. No need for that, God gives us the Truth and the confidence to firmly Stand Up to the bullying lies error may present.
Yes – this is perfect JHP and Rose. Thank you for stating the truth! 🙂
I feel that studying the weekly Lesson Sermon every day thoroughly is contending persistently for Truth, our everpresent God. After reading I feel filled and nourished spiritially, though naturally I have to stick to it during the day.
When I need it I sit still and know that this is God’s harmonious day!
Thank you very much, dear Evan that you help us to meet daily challenges with our everpresent , allmighty, all loving God!♡
Thank you for sharing Uta – love this!
Just the word I needed today….CONTEND….for God’s governance of his entire creation and his precious individual ideas who cannot wander outside of His great all powerful love. Thank you so much Evan….
The first line below says it All….
Arise ye people, take your stand
Cast out your idols from the land.
Above all doctrine, form or creed
Is found the Truth that meets your need.
Christ’s promise stands; they that believe
His works shall do his power receive.
Go forward then, and as ye preach
So let your works confirm your speech.
And prove to all with following sign
The Word of God is power divine.
In Love and healing ministry
Show forth the Truth that makes man free.
O Father-Mother God whose plan
Hath given dominion unto man
In Thine own image we may see
Man pure and upright, whole and free
And ever through Our work shall shine
That light, whose glory Lord is Thine. Hymn 12. Violet Hay
Thank you for all the Truth you bring us here on SV Evan❣️
Thanks Barbara, I love the hymn and melody! It’s very suitable !♡
Excellent Spiritview and comments today. Thank you!! This is something I will practice daily.
My dictionary defines contend as meaning to grapple with a challenge and maintain, argue for and insist on a certain belief or position. We can insist that Truth is true, because it is. Mrs. Eddy points out in the 1st quote above how insane it is to argue against our own good and in favor of a lie.
S&H p.421, “Insist vehemently on the great fact which covers the whole ground, that God, Spirit, is all, and that there is none beside Him.” and on p. 412, “Mentally insist that harmony is the fact…”
Also found 2 related articles:
Insistence on Harmony
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/layout/set/print/issues/1926/9/29-4/insistence-on-harmony
Insist and Resist
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/1712nweld2o
Love to all today!
I found various words for contend, for me today it is insist!
Thanks to Evan and all, esp. Barbara and hymn #12!
‘Perfection Now!’
https://journal.christianscience.com/shared/view/1cttjhfflp2?s=e
I especially like this in the article “Dare to claim perfection as the reality of your true being, even while you deny imperfection as the false testimony of material sense. In the measure that you perceive this perfection it will appear in your experience.”
Thank you for sharing this article Angie.
STARTING THE DAY WITH THE MUSIC. “THANKS BE TO THEE’! aND THANK YOU FOR THIS MESSAGE AND FOOD FOR TOUGHT.
RHONDDA
God‘s power and presence is at work in my life today and always. I declare it, claim it, and witness it. Thank you God!!
And thank you Evan!!
I woke this morning singing in my thought the solo Thine O’ Lord is the greatness and the power….. I am so grateful for this message Evan. Lately when I need an answer to a need the solution appears. Example: I was thinking yesterday that I needed to have someone to weed-eat the tall grass around the property and wondered who should I call, and my son showed up without my asking or telling him, with a friend and his weed eater to help me and the friend worked 5 hours. I happily paid his friend for his time. I didn’t know he did this kind of work. I trust in God’s direction to enable his children to do what ever is needed and to provide in every way, our “every human need”. I am so grateful.
Thanks Evan. Awesome post. Supposedly working from Wanaka NZ today, but last night we decided to take a day off work and go skiing. We were so excited/joyful to the prospect. The thought came to me that this joy and excitement comes solely from thought, no physical or material action has taken place. The joy is purely mental and this is the wonder and fun of it all. Yes, the physical activity today is fun too, but the thought is what makes it joyful and exciting. We are what we think – what a great concept!!!
Contend = con + tend = together, with + to draw tight, strain, make an effort, strive, compete,” from Latin “tendere” (to extend outward, stretch, spread out, aim ((at a purpose)). TENDER = stretched out of comfort zone to bigger perspective and enlarged/deeper/higher understanding (of Truth). To understand the truth of means to empathize, appreciate, value, LOVE. We struggle in this contest (together testing to know and expand what we know and master) in our struggles, conflicts,… to gain/grow more expansive understanding/love.
Each individual who comes into our life is to bless us with new ways of knowing and understanding and practicing love. To hold up the mirror so we can see our own thinking and the stories we project out on the others instead of resolving in our own thought and action. Each person and each situation and even each sensation Is to forward our individual healing and our interpersonal healing and healing within the other individual and healing within all of our relationships and our family and our school/work/play/pray/church and community and society and World, all living beings and relationships, including global climate of thought and economy.
Just as no seed can sprout and no seedling can survive without contesting or contending with resistance and pressure and some attacks upon it to destroy its hard outer shell and dissolve and transform its substance/nutrients and each seed must send out roots struggling through resistance and obstacles of rock slowly releasing needed minerals, organisms threatening to eat it, searching out water and avoiding certain chemicals, fighting against gravity, then out of the ground the wind buffeting it about. Commercial nurseries use fans to blow on the tender seedlings because without that resistance pushing them about, they cannot grow strong roots and grow upward strong and straight to grow the leaves we eat and I support the fruit we desire (like tomatoes). Nothing living that we have ever discovered on planet earth can become It’s true self or best self without conflict and pressure and resistance and challenges. In church and every other aspect of our life, we need those who challenge us and stretch us, we need those to make us question are taken for granite beliefs and let go of those hardened rigid opinions and ignorant fears and prejudices. We cannot be who and what we are meant to be unless we contend in our own thought to grow out of our past imaginations and old stories and familiar excuses and ego. We must overcome the sin of indifference refusing to courageously love. To fight against the avoidance of conflict and fear of rejection. We must argue against holding our old limited beliefs. We must vigorously resist apathy, laziness, selfishness, miserliness. We need each other to get out of the worst sin of all that keeps us starving, hurt, bound enslaved in prison— the super sin of self justification.
Jesus gave John the revelation of what is needed for healing our churches and communities and individuals and that included having more diversity of experience and perspective and approach to problem solving.
Without conflict, and a willingness to meet it, Jesus never would have accepted his life purpose and the various social rejects / and motley crew of losers would’ve never been so brave as to leave their comfort zone to be among the most hated and reviled and persecuted. Without the rejection, slander, faults trial, torture, and attempted murder and entombment, we could never have understood the Christ demanding we leave and let go of all in order to fully obey God, to forgive and bless our enemies, and our own resurrection and later ascension. Even though the esteemed among Christians first apostles rejected Paul and never allowed him to become a member of the mother church or their branch churches, Paul did more to expand their and our understanding of the universal Christ and willingness to suffer persecution and pain to obey God and serve humanity. Jesus and Paul demanded that we strive and struggle and work together to ever better love daily, hourly. To build and nurture churches that are more inclusive to better stretch us. To love one another in this grand struggle to wake out of the mortal dream and wake up to the moral demands and our eternal perfection.
In the United States, more white middle-class European-Americans Are being called upon emotionally to grow up out of the white fragility of white supremacy and it’s countless lies and denial/laziness. To grow up to the moral demands to care and be aware and a share and be fair. As with any time the truth of the Christ speaks the anti-truths and anti-Christ resist, but we must persist and contend for a more just and kind world, and gratefully, graciously give up the deluded ego. To live with love, to live simply, so others may simply live loved. In the United States some are having to contend with the moral demands to open our hearts and minds and communities and purses to help those who are fleeing the violence in horror our government and corporations have terrorized them with, We must get over our hate/fear acting as racism, xenophobia, classism, able ism, sexism, etc. Our Messiah/Master and our Leader demand we contend far more better. They tell us that together we can tend to each other through those growing pains. For those who love justice and God these are hope-giving times filled with growth-full joy contending humbly for the greater good.
We CAN tend to our spiritual nature calling us to act CON or contrary our old fears and mistaken beliefs and old habits, because our Christ nature gives us the ability and the willingness to contend through all conflict as an argument for humble love that includes all.