Articles

The author shows how when we fill our thought with spiritual truths, sin and sickness lose their reality in our consciousness and disappear.

Like the disciples in the Bible, many of us may find it tempting, when discouraged, to go back to old ways of thinking and acting. And if we revert to those familiar ways, we may find we come up empty, as some of Christ Jesus’ disciples did after one long, fruitless night fishing near the end of their three years with him.

I’ve been asked before why a student of Christian Science would choose prayer to resolve an issue when a simple medical procedure or treatment is available. Of course, the answer to that will always be individual, but for many folks part of it may have to do with the ultimate goal, what they’re really after.

Christ Jesus instructed his followers: “When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly” ( Matthew 6:6 ). Jesus then gave what is well-known to Christians as the Lord’s Prayer.

The Bible tells us that God is Spirit and perfect and that man (everyone) is made in God’s image and likeness. Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” ( Matthew 5:48 ).

When we’re overwhelmed by many demands, it might feel as though there isn’t enough of God, or good, to go around. Or it might seem as if some people receive more of God’s love than others.

You, who have stepped into the wilderness— “loneliness; doubt; darkness”  1 — before your foot moved to start the journey, angels came. Like the angel touched Elijah’s shoulder, as he tried to sleep away his trouble alone under a desert tree, and commanded him, “Rise up and eat,” so you are told, “Rise up, eat.

There was a time when I could not find a good job. I felt I knew exactly what the perfect job would be, but I was unable to get it.

As a Christian Science chaplain in the United States Army, I was in the country of Jordan, ministering to soldiers in my unit. Several asked if I would baptize them in the Jordan River, where the Bible says Jesus was baptized.

One summer, when a friend and I were taking a vacation together, it became clear that we had completely different views and goals—so different that things she said and did hurt and annoyed me. In retrospect these differences were trivial, as I no longer even remember what they were.