ONE of the problems constantly confronting mankind is that of supply. The word "supply" is generally used to designate the specific requirement to meet the sense of lack of those commodities deemed necessary in human experience. In the spiritual sense of the word, the real man is and always will be receptive to the constant supply of good which is being poured out by God, infinite Spirit, to meet the needs of His spiritual creation.
The word "supply," therefore, expresses the counter fact of seeming lack, whether of health, wealth, home, or friends. False beliefs are being paraded by so-called mortal mind in the endeavor to create the mist which claims to separate man from the Father-Mother God. The fact that mankind has been deceived into believing this separation to be actual shows the need for a way whereby to rise above materiality and to see the spiritual universe as forever intact.
Through her writings our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, has given to the world complete instructions as to how this problem of supply can be solved. In Article XXIV, Section 5, of the Church Manual, by Mrs. Eddy, is a By-Law which should be studied and constantly practiced. It reads, "God requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the proceedings of the members of The Mother Church. The First Church of Christ, Scientist." The careful study of these words will reveal to one the solution for the problem of lack.
In order to see this question clearly, thought must at the very outset be lifted above the notion that money in itself constitutes supply. Even in the daily affairs of this world it can be clearly seen that money is not a fixed standard by which one can judge either poverty or wealth. This was very evident after the world war, when costs of living and rates of exchange upset all previous calculations as to what constituted a living wage.
As an illustration, let us suppose that two men under the same circumstances receive the same wage. One spends his money wisely, making his purchases carefully, and at the end of the year he has a sum in hand. The other spends carelessly, and at the end of the year is in debt. It will therefore be seen that the help which the second man needs, in order to keep out of difficulty, is an increase of wisdom rather than an increase in his wage. Wisdom, therefore, is a quality to which attention must be given in seeking a solution for this problem. The wisdom of this world is not founded upon divine Principle and has therefore no stability; but the wisdom which comes from God is of the utmost value to all. Solomon caught a clear glimpse of the power of wisdom when he prayed to God to give him "an understanding heart." The result of this prayer was that not only was he given wisdom, but also riches and honor. His advice in Proverbs, "Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding," should be constantly remembered. A careful study of this word "wisdom" in the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's writings will greatly increase the student's wealth of understanding, and will place him in the position where he can joyfully and confidently go forth to the successful solution of his problem.
The next word to be considered here is one which to many presents an entirely false picture. Several meanings are given to the word "economy" in Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, the most important of which is, "Divine government or regulation of human affairs." Here, then, is a second basis for consecrated study— "divine government."
In the beginning of the sixth chapter of John's Gospel we have a record of a complete demonstration of divine government as regulating human affairs. Christ Jesus understood this government so well that he did not hesitate when he saw the hungering multitude before him, but asked his disciple Philip whence they should buy bread, in the hope that he too would have risen to the Christ-understanding of divine government; but Philip, like so many others, at once turned to money as the necessary source of supply. No record is made of any answer being given to Philip's suggestion, but Andrew replied that there were at hand "five barley loaves, and two small fishes," adding, "but what are they among so many?" Jesus' reply to this was, "Make the men sit down." We can picture this wonderful scene on the green slopes by the Sea of Tiberias: the gentle Christ Jesus with his few disciples, surrounded by the multitude hungering for that which he alone could give them. Through his complete understanding of man's oneness with the Father—the infinite source of supply—with loving compassion he supplied their immediate need for food.
Let us never forget that Jesus first took the little that there seemed to be at hand, and thanked God for it. To Philip and Andrew there were only five loaves and two small fishes, but to the Christ-understanding there was available an unlimited supply from a loving Father to His children. All that God gives is precious, and there can be no waste when we are divinely governed; so we note the careful gathering up of all that remained. What an example of true economy! In this record which has come down to us, we see a practical demonstration of "wisdom, economy, and brotherly love."
It is helpful also to remember that Jesus incurred no debt. How often the suggestion comes that a debt must be incurred and the demonstration of paying it will be made at a later date. But this is not the economy taught by Jesus, or by the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who has written on page 114 of "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," "Christian Science teaches: Owe no man; be temperate; abstain from alcohol and tobacco; be honest, just, and pure; cast out evil and heal the sick; in short, Do unto others as ye would have others do to you." This wonderful sentence outlines in few words the life of a true follower of the Master.
This brings us to the third requirement in the By-Law under consideration, namely, brotherly love. To love as brethren has been the theme of Christianity throughout the ages; but how far short of this ideal mortals have come is evidenced in the intermittent warfare of mankind throughout the centuries. This has in the main been occasioned by the desire of the aggressor to possess that which rightfully or wrongfully belonged to the defender. This is emphasized by Paul in his first epistle to Timothy, where he says, "For the love of money is the root of all evil." Brotherly love and the love of materiality must forever stand opposed, and one or the other must be victor in our consciousness.
The love of money received a stern rebuke from Jesus when he said, "How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!" And what a marvelous example of brotherly love he has set for us! Jesus never lacked anything. He had a true understanding of the spiritual universe, in which all men are brothers, governed and controlled by the one Father; and his continued recognition of this universe supplied him with all necessaries, from food for himself and those around him to the large upper room prepared for him and his disciples, in which to celebrate the passover.
All through the darkness of religious persecution and warfare of the centuries there has run the golden thread of brotherly love. From early childhood Mrs. Eddy manifested the quality of brotherly love. She knew the sacrifice of materiality she must make when giving Christian Science to a hungering world. On pages 226 and 227 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" she writes, "I saw before me the awful conflict, the Red Sea and the wilderness; but I pressed on through faith in God, trusting Truth, the strong deliverer, to guide me into the land of Christian Science, where fetters fall and the rights of man are fully known and acknowledged." And yet, with full knowledge of "the awful conflict," her great love for humanity never faltered, and she gave freely of that which had been revealed to her by God. Seeing this, we cannot be surprised that ample supply was demonstrated to meet her own immediate needs and those of her church.
With these examples before us, let us lift our heads above the mist of materiality, and in true gratitude to the Giver of all good resolve to-day to manifest more and still more the wonderful qualities of "wisdom, economy, and brotherly love."
How safe it is to trust in God. How easily can He give counsel and assistance in all things, the smallest as well as the greatest.—.
