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Wednesday, December 28, 2022
Theme: Daily Steps
Readings from the Bible:
1) Ps. 37:23
The Bible The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
2) Ps. 56:1, 3
Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me. ... What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
3) Ex. 5:10–14, 19
¶ And the taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spake to the people, saying, Thus saith Pharaoh, I will not give you straw. Go ye, get you straw where ye can find it: yet not aught of your work shall be diminished. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. And the taskmasters hasted them, saying, Fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw. And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? ... And the officers of the children of Israel did see that they were in evil case, after it was said, Ye shall not minish aught from your bricks of your daily task.
4) Ex. 6:2, 6
And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: ... Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
5) Ex. 16:1, 4
And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt. ... ... ¶ Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
6) Luke 13:11–13 behold, 31–33 there
... behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. ... ... there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee. And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to-day and to-morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless I must walk to-day, and to-morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem.
7) Acts 24:1 after, 23–26 (to :)
... after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul. ... And he commanded a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty, and that he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come unto him. And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee. He hoped also that money should have been given him of Paul, that he might loose him: ...
8) Acts 2:14 Peter, 17 saith (to 1st :), 40, 42, 43–47 2nd and
... Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judæa, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: ... ... saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: ... And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. ... And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. ... and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
9) Ps. 68:19 (to 1st .)
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. ...
Readings from Science and Health:
1) SH 444:10
correlative passages from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy Step by step will those who trust Him find that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
2) SH 70:1–6, 7–8, 12–13
Mortal existence is an enigma. Every day is a mystery. The testimony of the corporeal senses cannot inform us what is real and what is delusive, but the revelations of Christian Science unlock the treasures of Truth. Whatever is false or sinful can never enter the atmosphere of Spirit. ... Man is never God, but spiritual man, made in God's likeness, reflects God. ... The divine Mind maintains all identities, from a blade of grass to a star, as distinct and eternal.
3) SH 133:8–10
In Egypt, it was Mind which saved the Israelites from belief in the plagues. In the wilderness, streams flowed from the rock, and manna fell from the sky.
4) SH 228:11–13
The enslavement of man is not legitimate. It will cease when man enters into his heritage of freedom, his God-given dominion over the material senses.
5) SH 463:21–28
To decide quickly as to the proper treatment of error — whether error is manifested in forms of sickness, sin, or death — is the first step towards destroying error. Our Master treated error through Mind. He never enjoined obedience to the laws of nature, if by these are meant laws of matter, nor did he use drugs. There is a law of God applicable to healing, and it is a spiritual law instead of material.
6) SH 542:1–5
The belief of life in matter sins at every step. It incurs divine displeasure, and it would kill Jesus that it might be rid of troublesome Truth. Material beliefs would slay the spiritual idea whenever and wherever it appears.
7) SH 248:8, 26
Immortal Mind feeds the body with supernal freshness and fairness, supplying it with beautiful images of thought and destroying the woes of sense which each day brings to a nearer tomb. ... ... We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives. Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love — the kingdom of heaven — reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear.
8) SH 72:18
Spirit is not made manifest through matter, the antipode of Spirit. Error is not a convenient sieve through which truth can be strained.
9) SH 39:31
Who will stop the practice of sin so long as he believes in the pleasures of sin? When mortals once admit that evil confers no pleasure, they turn from it. Remove error from thought, and it will not appear in effect. The advanced thinker and devout Christian, perceiving the scope and tendency of Christian healing and its Science, will support them. Another will say: “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season I will call for thee.”
10) SH 22:30–31
Justice requires reformation of the sinner. Mercy cancels the debt only when justice approves.
11) SH 23:1–2
Wisdom and Love may require many sacrifices of self to save us from sin.
12) SH 485:14–17
Emerge gently from matter into Spirit. Think not to thwart the spiritual ultimate of all things, but come naturally into Spirit through better health and morals and as the result of spiritual growth.
13) SH 325:2
He who has the true idea of good loses all sense of evil, and by reason of this is being ushered into the undying realities of Spirit. Such a one abideth in Life, — life obtained not of the body incapable of supporting life, but of Truth, unfolding its own immortal idea. Jesus gave the true idea of being, which results in infinite blessings to mortals.
HYMNS: 46, 437, 65
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