Followers of worthwhile causes have undergone sometimes appalling conditions and mistreatment because of their absolute commitment to what they believed to be right. The early Christians withstood tremendous odds—persecution, torture, the threat of death—to further Jesus' teachings. How, in the face of overwhelming challenges, did they do it?
For one thing they must have been very sure that Jesus' instructions were the means of world salvation. What could have given them this conviction? It must have been partly the practicality of the teachings—namely, effective proof. Jesus' followers learned how to pray in meaningful ways; they knew God better and thus could proportionately help others. Often, proofs of God's power must have reinforced the courage of their convictions and helped them.
In the Epistle of James we read, "Whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." James 1:25; Isn't this a promise to the followers of Christ Jesus that as they express God's government in performing humane tasks—as they listen to and follow the directions of divine Mind—they find true happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment?
