First Church of Christ, Scientist, La Cañada Flintridge

Wednesday Meeting Readings

w170628
Thought aligned with God
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
The Bible
  1. Job 42:1, 2

    1Then Job answered the Lord, and said,

    2I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

  2. Ps 49:3

    3My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding.

  3. Ps 139:1, 2, 23, 24

    1O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

    2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

    ... 23Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:

    24And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

  4. Prov 23:7 (to :)

    7For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:

  5. Amos 4:13

    13For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name.

  6. Luke 9:46-48

    46Then there arose a reasoning among them, which of them should be greatest.

    47And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a child, and set him by him,

    48And said unto them, Whosoever shall receive this child in my name receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me receiveth him that sent me: for he that is least among you all, the same shall be great.

  7. Matt 9:2-8 they

    2they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.

    3And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.

    4And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

    5For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?

    6But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

    7And he arose, and departed to his house.

    8But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

  8. Acts 8:9-24 there

    9there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one:

    10To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God.

    11And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

    12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

    13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

    14Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:

    15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:

    16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)

    17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

    18And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money,

    19Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.

    20But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

    21Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.

    22Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

    23For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.

    24Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

  9. II Cor 10:1-5

    1Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

    2But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

    3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

    4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

    5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

  10. I Cor 13:1-13

    1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

    2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

    3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

    4Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

    5Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

    6Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

    7Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

    8Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

    9For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

    10But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

    11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

    12For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

    13And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

  11. Phil 4:8, 9

    8Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

    9Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.


Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy

  1. 392:24 Stand

    24Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in Guarding the doorbodily results, you will control yourself har-27moniously. When the condition is present which you say induces disease, whether it be air, exercise, heredity, contagion, or accident, then perform your office 30as porter and shut out these unhealthy thoughts and fears. Exclude from mortal mind the offending errors; then the body cannot suffer from them. The issues of pain or 393 393:1pleasure must come through mind, and like a watchman forsaking his post, we admit the intruding belief, forget-3ting that through divine help we can forbid this entrance.

  2. 270:24

    Mortals think wickedly; consequently they are wicked. They think sickly thoughts, and so become sick. If sin makes sinners, Truth and Love alone can 27unmake them. If a sense of disease produces suffering and a sense of ease antidotes suffering, disease is mental, not material. Hence the fact that the human mind alone 30suffers, is sick, and that the divine Mind alone heals.

  3. 410:23-29

        The Science of mental practice is susceptible of no 24misuse. Selfishness does not appear in the practice of Be not afraidTruth or Christian Science. If mental prac-tice is abused or is used in any way except to 27promote right thinking and doing, the power to heal mentally will diminish, until the practitioner’s healing ability is wholly lost.

  4. 296:31-19

        Mortal belief is a liar from the beginning, not deserving power. It says to mortals, “You are wretched!” and they 297 297:1think they are so; and nothing can change this state, until the belief changes. Mortal belief says, “You are happy!” 3Belief an autocratand mortals are so; and no circumstance can alter the situation, until the belief on this sub-ject changes. Human belief says to mortals, “You are 6sick!” and this testimony manifests itself on the body as sickness. It is as necessary for a health-illusion, as for an illusion of sickness, to be instructed out of itself into 9the understanding of what constitutes health; for a change in either a health-belief or a belief in sickness affects the physical condition.

    12    Erroneous belief is destroyed by truth. Change the evidence, and that disappears which before seemed real Self-improvement to this false belief, and the human conscious-15ness rises higher. Thus the reality of being is attained and man found to be immortal. The only fact concerning any material concept is, that it is neither 18scientific nor eternal, but subject to change and dis-solution.

  5. 392:11-15

        The physical affirmation of disease should always be 12met with the mental negation. Whatever benefit is pro-Illusions about nervesduced on the body, must be expressed men-tally, and thought should be held fast to this 15ideal.

  6. 381:20-24

        Think less of the enactments of mortal mind, and you 21will sooner grasp man’s God-given dominion. You must God-given dominionunderstand your way out of human theories relating to health, or you will never believe 24that you are quite free from some ailment.

  7. 385:22

        You say that you have not slept well or have overeaten. You are a law unto yourself. Saying this and believing 24Our sleep and foodit, you will suffer in proportion to your belief and fear. Your sufferings are not the penalty for having broken a law of matter, for it is a law of mortal 27mind which you have disobeyed. You say or think, be-cause you have partaken of salt fish, that you must be thirsty, and you are thirsty accordingly, while the oppo-30site belief would produce the opposite result.

  8. 490:31

    Under the mesmeric illusion of belief, a man will think that he is freezing when he is warm, and that he 491 491:1is swimming when he is on dry land. Needle-thrusts will not hurt him. A delicious perfume will seem intolerable. 3Animal magnetism thus uncovers material sense, and shows it to be a belief without actual foundation or va-lidity. Change the belief, and the sensation changes. 6Destroy the belief, and the sensation disappears.

  9. 478:14-27

    Question. — Does brain think, and do nerves feel, and 15is there intelligence in matter?

    Answer. — No, not if God is true and mortal man a liar. The assertion that there can be pain or pleasure 18Harmonious functionsin matter is erroneous. That body is most harmonious in which the discharge of the nat-ural functions is least noticeable. How can intelligence 21dwell in matter when matter is non-intelligent and brain-lobes cannot think? Matter cannot perform the functions of Mind. Error says, “I am man;” but this 24belief is mortal and far from actual. From beginning to end, whatever is mortal is composed of material hu-man beliefs and of nothing else. That only is real which 27reflects God.

  10. 345:26

        The apostle says: “For if a man think himself to be 27something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” This thought of human, material nothingness, which Science inculcates, enrages the carnal mind and is the 30main cause of the carnal mind’s antagonism.

  11. 67:27-28

    Spiritual, not corporeal, consciousness is needed.

  12. 205:32-9

        When we fully understand our relation to the Divine, 206 206:1we can have no other Mind but His, — no other Love, wisdom, or Truth, no other sense of Life, and no con-3sciousness of the existence of matter or error.

        The power of the human will should be exercised only in subordination to Truth; else it will misguide the judg-6Will-power unrighteousment and free the lower propensities. It is the province of spiritual sense to govern man. Material, erring, human thought acts injuriously both 9upon the body and through it.

  13. 263:28-27

    27A sensual thought, like an atom of dust thrown into the face of spiritual im-30mensity, is dense blindness instead of a scientific eternal consciousness of creation.

        The fading forms of matter, the mortal body and ma-264264:1terial earth, are the fleeting concepts of the human mind. They have their day before the permanent facts and their 3Mind’s true cameraperfection in Spirit appear. The crude crea-tions of mortal thought must finally give place to the glorious forms which we sometimes behold in the 6camera of divine Mind, when the mental picture is spir-itual and eternal. Mortals must look beyond fading, finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things. 9Where shall the gaze rest but in the unsearchable realm of Mind? We must look where we would walk, and we must act as possessing all power from Him in whom we 12have our being.

        As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were 15Self-completeness invisible, will become visible. When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of matter, this understanding will expand into self-com-18pleteness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness.

        Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being. 21Matter disappears under the microscope of Spirit. Sin Spiritual proofs of existenceis unsustained by Truth, and sickness and death were overcome by Jesus, who proved 24them to be forms of error. Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace 27which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love.

  14. 245:1-31

    245:1    The error of thinking that we are growing old, and the benefits of destroying that illusion, are illustrated in a 3sketch from the history of an English woman, published in the London medical magazine called The Lancet.

        Disappointed in love in her early years, she became 6insane and lost all account of time. Believing that she Perpetual youthwas still living in the same hour which parted her from her lover, taking no note of years, 9she stood daily before the window watching for her lover’s coming. In this mental state she remained young. Having no consciousness of time, she literally grew no 12older. Some American travellers saw her when she was seventy-four, and supposed her to be a young woman. She had no care-lined face, no wrinkles nor gray hair, but 15youth sat gently on cheek and brow. Asked to guess her age, those unacquainted with her history conjectured that she must be under twenty.

    18    This instance of youth preserved furnishes a useful hint, upon which a Franklin might work with more cer-tainty than when he coaxed the enamoured lightning 21from the clouds. Years had not made her old, because she had taken no cognizance of passing time nor thought of herself as growing old. The bodily results of her belief 24that she was young manifested the influence of such a be-lief. She could not age while believing herself young, for the mental state governed the physical.

    27    Impossibilities never occur. One instance like the foregoing proves it possible to be young at seventy-four; and the primary of that illustration makes it plain that 30decrepitude is not according to law, nor is it a necessity of nature, but an illusion.

  15. 225:14-16

        The history of our country, like all history, illustrates 15the might of Mind, and shows human power to be propor-Immortal sentencestionate to its embodiment of right thinking.


From the Christian Science Hymnal
Hymn 588: “Though I may speak with moving words”
Hymn 569: “Saw ye my saviour”
Hymn 579: “Take my life, and let it be”