“Stay away from every kind of evil.”
~ Apostle Paul, I Thessalonians, 5:22, NLT
Practically speaking, this is more of an instruction for thought, than for body. It’s hard to avoid exposure to evil at times.
Neighbors, co-workers, even family members in close proximity, may be manifesting evil of sorts. But we don’t have to let our thinking fall into an evil state. We have dominion over what we think and accept as true.
“Stay away from believing evil has power!” is practical and doable.
Faithful observance will protect your body too.
Thanks Evan, the last sentence is so true concerning obedience to God and His Word that it brings deliverance, healing and protection.
Reading this reminded me of the verse found in 2nd Thessalonians, chapter 3, verse 3: ‘But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.’
I feel God gives me spiritual strength every time I read your articles thank you. God bless Greg mckelvie
Thanks, Evan. Yes, it must be in thought, since practitioners of CS are needing to elevate thought above evil on a daily basis. And anytime we see a need to pray about – Nepal, Libya, Syria, hunger, drought, famine, etc. – it is in our thought that we can nullify the errors and be a witness for God’s loving care and Truth.
I am learning that my only responsibility is my thought, not the thoughts of others. By clearing my thoughts I am helping to clear their’s.
Yes, as on page 210 of 1st Church of Christ Scientist and Miscellany, Mary Baker Eddy advises, “keep your minds so filled with Truth and Love, that sin, disease, and death cannot enter them.” But that’s different from covering our eyes, ears and mouth, from evil as the illustration shows.
I’ve just spent twenty minutes searching Concord for this, but I know I read it somewhere- perhaps in one of the biographies: When Mrs. Eddy was given one of those ‘hear no evil, see no evil . . .” figurines, I recall that the founder of The Christian Science Monitor said emphatically that this was NOT Christian Science.
Ignorance is not Science. We can’t close our eyes to evil that confronts us out of fear that it’s something real that can hurt us if we see it. With the motive to heal (with our minds filled with Truth, Life and Love), we can walk bravely into the hospital, battlefield, prison or boardroom and un-see sin, sickness and death– for knowing God’s all-presence, power and goodness, we can look at every evidence of evil as error, uncover it’s nothingness, and see the counter-fact of good right where the evil seems to be, destroying all fear of it, destroying its claim of power, presence, reality,– i.e. healing.
God, and God’s beloved idea, is all that’s ever been or ever will be there.
Elisha didn’t have his servant cover his eyes to the enemy army with its glittering weapons aimed at them; he prayed that God OPEN his eyes to see what was actually there, — what was always there — a heavenly army of light.
Very good points Diane. Thanks for sharing!
I think the picture was more of a light reminder to not let the temptations of evil stray us into immoral paths of greed, adultery, envy, hatred, and so on. We can turn a deaf ear to these often aggressive suggestions to keep our thought on the straight and narrow. For instance, if a voice argues, “You must cheat on your test,” we can disagree and tune the suggestion out to shut it down with good effect, and choose to remain honest. But you are correct about dealing with evil, that it cannot be ignored. It must be faced square on with Truth and Love.
Reply to Diane,
Reading your explanation and research were powerful following my service today at a trial by jury.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Diane. I had trouble with that image the other day, too. And just now realized that I needed to comment on it. I so appreciate your blog, Evan, but this one really bothered me. So I appreciate the corrective thoughts here. Thank you both.
Wonderful exhortation, Diane; there is a powerful expression of truth in your words.
This was wonderful Evan, thanks.
On page 20 of Unity of Good there is an excellent way of dealing with Evil…”Rectifications” …
First: God never made evil.
Second: He knows it not.
Third: We therefore need not fear it.
The context of the quote is well-worth reviewing…
Thanks Evan!
Can’t speak for the suggestion of how Mrs. Eddy might have interpreted this image, but to me it says the perceived evil I see, hear or think/speak isn’t real and reminds me that the Christ, Truth of God, makes wrong right, exposing illusion and dissolving it in our consciousness to reveal the reality of righteousness.
Thank you, dear Evan, for the blog and the later comment, and to all others who contributed.
I shall read this often, comments and well.
I’ve been inclined to close my eyes to evil feeling I couldn’t handle it, but I’m learning that my work is to know what God is beholding ,to rejoice in His absolute allness and leave it in God’s hands.
To Avenal, your last sentence shows what you are learning. Well said. Thanks for sharing. It is delightful to see progress, yours, mine, and everyone’s. J
Avenel, I am sorry for misspelling your name, actually my iPad has changed it I now see.
But ‘right’ will win out. I changed it back again. J