“I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty.
If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that.
If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”
Thanks for this Evan!
There was a time in my life when I was full of despair. This condition was at least partially the result of my inability to successfully meet certain challenges through Christian Science. Were all the promises of Christian Science untrue, I wondered?
One night as I continued to pray to overcome these challenges I was led to start reading the chapter “Christian Science Practice” from Science and Health. I think by reading this chapter I was hoping to learn some “secret prayer technique” that I seemed to be missing. Well, to say I was surprised by what I found in the first six pages of this chapter is an understatement. There was absolutely no mention of secret prayer techniques, no formulas for healing various challenges, no schemes to apply for quickly getting everything you want through prayer, etc. There was only a very well written explanation that the most important characteristic a Christian Scientist needs is “to love”. Yes, it isn’t about getting…it’s about giving! Expressing love, being patient with others, showing sympathy to your fellow man/woman, these are the characteristics of a true Christian Scientist. And they apply to how you treat yourself too. What an eye opener! This helped me to understand the importance of love in prayer, love for God and love for our own and others true God created identity.
So if you want a “correlative passage” in Science and Health for the Bible verses Evan shared with us today, I suggest you read, and deeply ponder, the first six or so pages of the chapter “Christian Science Practice” from Science and Health. You’ll be glad you did!
Brian, thank you for sharing your experience as this is similar to what I am currently dealing with. I feel blessed having read this.
Many of the comments you wrote were what came up in my conversation with another Christian Scientist I had last night at the testimony meeting. It’s almost as if you have put in writing what was shared with me.
Once again, many thanks. I will read Christian Science Practice as you suggested.
Thanks Craig. Sometimes when praying about something we can get so focused on *the problem* that we end up making it more of a reality instead of less of a reality with thoughts like:
-when will *the problem* be healed
-how should I pray differently to heal *the problem*
-what if I’m unable to heal *the problem*
This happened to me just last week. When I find myself so focused on *the problem* I have a talk with myself. I tell myself that nothing can change the fact that God loves me and God’s creation is perfectly harmonious. And I can take joy in that truth each day. In other words, knowing the truths of Christian Science blesses me by filling my thinking with goodness and love. Holding these truths in thought and sincerely loving God and His goodness is what brings joy regardless of what the material senses see or feel. I even think “I don’t care if I have to live with this problem forever…nothing can change the fact that I am at one with God and I can take joy in that fact!” I can even get to the point I’m somewhat glad I have the problem because it helps me focus my thought on what is actually true. If you can do this sincerely, and not just because you think doing it will help you heal the problem, then the problem will naturally leave your thinking. And that’s the only place it ever existed. This happened to me just last week!
Thanks to everyone for their wonderful comments today and every day!!! Even though I don’t comment on each one, I read each one and deeply appreciate everyone that takes the time to post a comment.
Wow! You continue to write and thus confirm what was discussed in my conversation yesterday:
When healing doesn’t come quickly we need to stop focusing on the material senses and focus on what is spiritual despite what is seen and appears to be real.
“Waiting” for a healing is an opportunity to develop an increasingly intimate relationship with God, Love, that will transform your relationship with God and with others and you will be a different and better person. The Bible says “draw near to God and He will draw near to you”.
Thank you Brian for your posts and to everyone who has contributed.
Thanks Brian for sharing this comment with us.
Brian, thanks for your post and the reminder that Christian Science is really learning to love. I, too, will be re-reading “Christian Science Practice” and thinking about it as helping us learn to love!
Thank you. I should check more on The Messages. I thought this is beautiful Bible to read….
Thank you, Evan, Brian and all. We do bless one another by sharing was aids, comforts and inspires us. This synchs well with today’s “Daily Lift” messages quoting Camus that in times of mental winter we can find in ourselves some “invinceable summer.” that summer is our capacity to still give and receive divine Love.
It brings to mind a time I was so disappointed my prayers seemed fruitless to meet a painful condition that was dragging on, and was dreading a trip to a physician’s office (to accommodate my husband’s concerns). My dear CS practitioner responded to my tearful call, with these words: “Just go love the hell out of the them!” I had been unhappy about what I couldn’t do (get my healing in time to negate the appointment). She showed me what I COULD do. Love. As it turned out, I had chosen a very compassionate and understanding doctor, who honored fully my desire to rely on prayer for healing. Satisfied, my husband even asked the practitioner how he could support me in prayer. Two days later, I reached that sweet turning point where feeling I could do no more, I turned it all over to God. Release from all pain and a full healing followed quickly. Yes, we can always love.
Thank you everyone for sharing your ideas, inspiration and experiences. Your love comes through loud and clear. There is no limit to Love and as we are reminded no benefit to withholding it from any situation. One idea I have been working with and found quite helpful is in” …bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” [see— 2 Cor. 10: 4, 5. ] There is nothing God can not do. I will be reading those 6 pages in Christian Science Practice too.” Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you” is our ongoing privilege and joy.
Living the love is true joy! Thank you Evan for all your wonderful post. I look forward to them to start my day.
Thank you, Evan, for that beautiful quote from The Message Bible Interpretation! I pulled my Message Bible off the shelf and started reading! Also, I had gotten the “message” earlier this a.m. to email a friend who I hadn’t found time to be with while she is visiting up here – and let her know I loved her and wanted to find time to be together this weekend. If we can do nothing else, we can always listen to the Messages of Love we get from our Father-Mother God!
Thank you Evan and responders. Spiritview has been very inspiring today, meeting the human need!
Oh the reward of listening and yielding to the will of God.
you know I didn’t get very much out of reading this daily lift (a very rare occurrence!),…… however the responses have been so very revealing, that I am now feeling more than blessed!!!!!!!
My how inspiring and helpful all of the comments have been this morning – thanks to all! I have been discouraged and feeling like a failure in my lack of demonstrating the truths I know to be true about my real identity as created in the image and likeness of God. Knowing the truth is certainly important, but it needs to be proved in our experience. More work to be done!
“Dispensing the Word charitably, but separating the tares from the wheat, let us declare the positive and the negative of metaphysical Science; what it is, and what it is not. Intrepid, self-oblivious Protestants in a higher sense than ever before, let us meet and defeat the claims of sense and sin, regardless of the bans or clans pouring in their fire upon us; and white-winged
charity, brooding over all, shall cover with her feathers the veriest sinner. Divine and unerring Mind measures man, until the three measures be accomplished, and he arrives at
fullness of stature; for “the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Science is divine: it is neither of human origin nor of human direction. That which is termed “natural science,” the evidences whereof are taken in by the five personal senses, presents but a finite, feeble sense of the infinite law of God; which law is written on the heart, received through the affections, spiritually understood, and demonstrated in our lives.” Mary Baker Eddy, Scientist.
Hi Evan. Thank you for today’ s message.
It has prompted many dear folk to respond and so help lift our thoughts for today and always.
This has been very inspiring to me as with all of your comments on this. I was a student of C.S. as a child and recently I have returned to the teachings of Mrs. Eddy. I find myself struggling with focusing on the problem instead of surrendering all to God’s will. Thank you for all of the inspiration. I am so grateful for this blog.
Excellent! I need more practice. Especially…”when someone gives you a hard time…”! Thanks Evan for a much needed reminder. And thanks for all the helpful comments. (=
Before C/S came, I didn’t know that I had a God-created identity. Now I do and it inspires me to seek it and find it.
Yes, just reading in the KJV Bible that God sends (good) rain on “the just” and also “the unjust” once helped me get to healed feelings concerning a neighbor who I felt was being very unjust. It helped me see that God found things to love about him, and so could I. And I did.