Articles

Of all the trials of Abraham's faith which came to him over a long period of years, none was more searching than the one recorded in the twenty-second chapter of Genesis. His eager desire to have an heir by his wife Sarah had now been fulfilled, and he was assured that his descendants through Isaac would be innumerable; but before the lad was old enough to have children of his own, the thought came to Abraham that he himself must sacrifice this only and dearly loved son.

Is our capacity to live with divine grace related to the laws of material heredity and environment? "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" ( Matt. 7: 16.

The biography "Mary Baker Eddy: A Life Size Portrait" by Lyman P. Powell includes a chapter entitled "Finding Herself.

Stories of human effort abound in the Bible, but Christ, Truth, alone reveals the significance of this effort. Moses had to strive to understand the message of the burning bush and Jacob the spiritual meaning of Peniel.

Mankind are seeking release from the stress and strain that result from their believing in an existence apart from God. Satisfactory and lasting release from such conditions can come only by their gaining a correct understanding of the facts of real existence, as taught in Christian Science, and expressing these facts in daily life.

It is significant that not only the children of Israel but also some of the greatest figures in the Bible passed through the wilderness. The Israelites wandered there for many years, sometimes looking back ineffectually to the persecutions and bondage of Egypt as being preferable to the acute problems of finding food and water where there appeared to be none.

Whatever belongs to God's kingdom is universal and unlimited, for what God creates is for the benefit of His entire universe. His creation is for the benefit not only of those individuals who know and understand Him, but also of those who do not know Him, and even of those who claim He is nonexistent.

Mrs. Eddy wrote a poem entitled "Mother's New Year Gift to the Little Children" and one entitled "To the Big Children.

How few of us know "what we most need"! It is generally believed that we need material possessions more than anything else. For example, a young man said to me some years ago, "I shall never be happy until I have a lot of money.

" If there were just more hours in the day!" This is a remark frequently heard. The fast tempo of modern life makes constant demands on people for more rapid decisions, for increased output, for making the most of available moments.