Articles

Recently the writer asked herself, "What is the light of the world?" Then, as though in answer to her silent question, came these words of the Master, Christ Jesus: "I am the light of the world" ( John 8:12 ), and, "Ye are the light of the world" ( Matt. 5:14 ).

Paul , the great apostle, found ever dependable security in the understanding of man's inseparability from God's love and wrote ( Rom. 8:38, 39 ), "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

How many times mortals slip into a sense of self-limitation in their thinking about good! How many times they say of affluence, of success, of rich and varied friendships, of happiness, of beauty, of health, or of usefulness, "That's not for me. " Indeed, some forms of organization of human society sometimes appear to encourage resignation to poverty, limitation, and a narrow, empty existence as being one's natural lot in life.

To those who have found their way in Christian Science, Church has come to mean more than just a place to go to on Sunday morning or a group in which to obtain membership and thereby become known in the local community. To the person who has been lifted out of the thralldom of material sense through the study of Christian Science, his branch church and the Cause of Christian Science soon become two of the most important factors in his daily affairs.

CHRIST JESUS' loyalty to God was unswerving in times of persecution. Fully conscious of his at-one-ment with God, the great First Cause and only creator, he knew that his mission was to prove God's great love to man.

IN the wonderful fourteenth chapter of John we find the account of Jesus comforting his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion with words glowing with love and tenderness. He bids them not to let their hearts be troubled and promises ( John 14:16-18 ): "I will pray the Father,and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

IT is generally admitted that God, Spirit, is the great First Cause. It is not, however, generally recognized that God is not the creator of matter.

THAT individual effort is helpless in the face of a collective problem is an utter falsity, no matter how imposing the problem appears. Such a belief presented itself to the disciples when they were called on to feed the five thousand.

IN the Gospel of John we read that when Jesus was being questioned by Pilate as to his status on this earth, he replied ( 18:37 ), "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. " What was this truth to which Jesus was referring? Was it not the truth of God, man, and the universe? We first learn of Jesus' bearing witness to God at the age of twelve, when he tarried behind in Jerusalem after the feast of the Passover.

RECENTLY a member of a small Christian Science Society said to a friend in another city that what the society needed was more members to do some of its work. The friend helpfully pointed out that the real need was for more alertness, consecration, and devotion in the present membership.