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Wednesday, May 03, 2023
Theme: Speaking by God's Command
Readings from the Bible:
1. Prov. 16:1, 3
The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD. ... Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
2. Num. 22:21, 23, 31–35
And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. ... And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. ... Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
3. Isa. 32:2 a, 4 and
... a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land. ... ... and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly.
4. Ezek. 24:20 The, 21 (to 1st ;), 22 ye, 24 Ezekiel, 27
... The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; ... ... ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men. ... ... Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD. ... In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the LORD.
5. John 7:14–18
¶ Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. He that speaketh of himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh his glory that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
6. Matt. 9:27 Jesus (to 1st ,), 32, 33
... Jesus departed thence, ... ... ¶ As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel.
7. Mark 16:17
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
8. Acts 2:1–7 (to 1st ,), 14 (to 4th ,), 16 this, 17 (to 1st :), 22, 25, 26, 28
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, ... ... ¶ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, ... ... this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: ... Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: ... For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: ... Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance.
9. I Cor. 13:1, 2, 4 (to 1st ,), 6, 8 (to :)
Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And 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. ... Charity suffereth long, ... Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; ... Charity never faileth: ...
10. Eph. 5:18 2nd be, 19
... be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and
ymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
and correlative passages from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
Readings from Science and Health:
1. SH ix:3–12
A child drinks in the outward world through the eyes and rejoices in the draught. He is as sure of the world's existence as he is of his own; yet he cannot describe the world. He finds a few words, and with these he stammeringly attempts to convey his feeling. Later, the tongue voices the more definite thought, though still imperfectly. So was it with the author. As a certain poet says of himself, she “lisped in numbers, for the numbers came.”
2. SH xi:22
When God called the author to proclaim His Gospel to this age, there came also the charge to plant and water His vineyard.
3. SH xii:20
Until June 10, 1907, she had never read this book throughout consecutively in order to elucidate her idealism.
4. SH 72:1–3
There is but one spiritual existence, — the Life of which corporeal sense can take no cognizance. The divine Principle of man speaks through immortal sense.
5. SH 88:18–31
To love one's neighbor as one's self, is a divine idea; but this idea can never be seen, felt, nor understood through the physical senses. Excite the organ of veneration or religious faith, and the individual manifests profound adoration. Excite the opposite development, and he blasphemes. These effects, however, do not proceed from Christianity, nor are they spiritual phenomena, for both arise from mortal belief. Eloquence re-echoes the strains of Truth and Love. It is due to inspiration rather than to erudition. It shows the possibilities derived from divine Mind, though it is said to be a gift whose endowment is obtained from books or received from the impulsion of departed spirits.
6. SH 89:14–20
If one believes that he cannot be an orator without study or a superinduced condition, the body responds to this belief, and the tongue grows mute which before was eloquent. Mind is not necessarily dependent upon educational processes. It possesses of itself all beauty and poetry, and the power of expressing them.
7. SH 567:3–6, 7–8
These angels deliver us from the depths. Truth and Love come nearer in the hour of woe, when strong faith or spiritual strength wrestles and prevails through the understanding of God. ... To infinite, ever-present Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness, nor death.
8. SH 131:18
Jesus once said: “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Thy sight.” As aforetime, the spirit of the Christ, which taketh away the ceremonies and doctrines of men, is not accepted until the hearts of men are made ready for it.
9. SH 332:9–11 Christ, 19 Jesus
Christ is the true idea voicing good, the divine message from God to men speaking to the human consciousness. ... ... Jesus demonstrated Christ; he proved that Christ is the divine idea of God — the Holy Ghost, or Comforter, revealing the divine Principle, Love, and leading into all truth.
10. SH 46:30
His students then received the Holy Ghost. By this is meant, that by all they had witnessed and suffered, they were roused to an enlarged understanding of divine Science, even to the spiritual interpretation and discernment of Jesus' teachings and demonstrations, which gave them a faint conception of the Life which is God. They no longer measured man by material sense. After gaining the true idea of their glorified Master, they became better healers, leaning no longer on matter, but on the divine Principle of their work. The influx of light was sudden. It was sometimes an overwhelming power as on the Day of Pentecost.
11. SH 412:4, 13
Mentally and silently plead the case scientifically for Truth. You may vary the arguments to meet the peculiar or general symptoms of the case you treat, but be thoroughly persuaded in your own mind concerning the truth which you think or speak, and you will be the victor. ... The power of Christian Science and divine Love is omnipotent. It is indeed adequate to unclasp the hold and to destroy disease, sin, and death.
12. SH 342:23–24
It speaks to the dumb the words of Truth, and they answer with rejoicing.
HYMNS: 32, 588, 315
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