ISAIAH expressed a glorious sense of some of the qualities of God as Love when he wrote, "As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it." It is the defending, delivering, preserving God of love which Christian Science is revealing to the world. Throughout the Scriptures the love of God is referred to, and Jesus' whole ministry was an exemplification of the fact that God is Love; but it remained for John in his first epistle to make the simple statement, "God is love."
As students of Christian Science we know that the real man—and there is no other—is the very image of God. Mrs. Eddy in her writings has used several words indicating man's relation to God, among them manifestation, idea, expression, and reflection. Thus, man is the manifestation, idea, or expression of Love. How much of the time are we thinking of ourselves as that? How much of the time will others, observing us, be reminded of the love of God?
The world greatly needs love, kindliness, neighborliness; not merely the disciplined manifestation of human policy, not merely the fulsome expression of personal adulation, but the pure, uplifting, friendly reflection of the Love which is God. There is nothing more impossible to counterfeit than love. Though the phases of human hypocrisy just mentioned may for a short time seem to delude the undiscerning, love which reflects divine Love is so beautiful, genuine, and holy a quality that "the wayfaring men, though fools," cannot long fail to discern it.
