Sunday October 25th, 2020 Roundtable

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Morning Prayers

Oh God, I ask for Love divine to lead me, not to be tempted or yield to temptation in any way. I ask for wisdom and grace to know and do just what God would have me do….

Benediction:
Thou dost lift the burdens from the overburdened heart.
Thou knowest the ones who rejoice,
And dost comfort such as mourn.
Thou dost waken the sinner from his dream of sin.
Thou dost waken the sick from his dream of sickness.
Thou dost (make) all earth’s shadows flee,
And the long night wake,
And the shadows break on the summit of divine Science,
With perpetual beams of Life and Love.

— from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 279

Discussion points

190 — WATCH lest you inadvertently fight against the action of Truth as it enters your life and adjusts effect to correspond to cause. War often comes because of this very necessity. Nations become wrong thinkers, and the demand of Truth is that this wrong thinking be exposed, since only in that way can it be corrected. War simply means that wrong thinking is being exposed so that it can be corrected.

Never fancy that Truth is creating an evil when it stirs up the muddy river bed, as Science and Health says, and causes mortal mind to express itself as discord and evil, instead of as human good. The Master said, “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” Truth comes to show that the effect of an evil cause must be evil — an intent to destroy which corresponds with cause. It should never be a peace, peace, when there is no peace.

Job had to learn the lesson that the so-called harmony he enjoyed, with God left out, was deception. Job had permitted matter to take the place of God as the head of his procession. He was loving effect more than cause.This offence of mortal man always terminates in discord; and the sooner it does, the sooner will mortal man be driven to correct his error.

— from 500 Watching Points by Gilbert Carpenter




Golden Text — “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” — II Peter 2 : 9




December 15, 1903. The preachers speak of Jesus as though he were always so placid, never ruffled, while really he was very stern; the Scriptures speak of him as saying to his disciples, “Get thee behind me, Satan;” and just before he ascended he called them “fools.” I used to be very amiable before coming into Christian Science; was a peacemaker at home when arguments about temperance, politics and philosophy would arise; but now I am stern.

— from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 15




Every spiritual baptism is followed by stronger temptations. That is, each higher manifestation of Truth uncovers its supposititious opposite to be met and destroyed. Thus we rise step by step until we finally reach a condition which has no erroneous phenomenal expression. This moment must be the ascension when the senses can no longer manifest nor cognize us, we having overcome their claims. Immediately following Jesus’ spiritual baptism, he was led into the wilderness to be tempted. His higher baptism drove error to a higher and more subtle temptation.

Every claim of materiality has a twofold expression and must be conquered with Truth. The first is the manifestation described in Jesus’ temptation as the stones beneath his feet which Satan sought to make Jesus turn into bread. The second is the temptation which transcends the first suggestion, and which met him on the pinnacle of the temple. In these two manifestations we see the twofold power of each temptation one must meet, the lower and the higher, the physical and the mental. In other words, every manifestation of evil discerned in physical phenomenon will recur in a higher and wholly mental sense ere it is dissipated. Because of the universal belief in the existence of both mind and matter, in the present phase of existence error will manifest itself through both classes of phenomena.

— from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 145




I tell you truth when I say there is only one source of all good — God. The conscious recognition and acceptance of this fact acknowledged by every activity of the mind, not two or three times a day — but every few moments all day long — no matter what the outer self is doing, and this maintained will enable anyone to express his perfect freedom and dominion over all things human.

— from Divinity Course and General Collectanea, (the “Blue Book”), by Mary Baker Eddy, page 158




Forum post — “Error Uncondemned is Not Nullified” by Parthens




“But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing”(James 1:4)

“Notice that the vary language of the text puts aside the common notion that patience is a passive grace. The ‘patience’ of my text does ‘work’…the patience that James would have us all cultivate is an intensely active energy, and not a mere passive endurance. There is much force that goes to standing motionless when the wind is blowing. But, for all that, the mere bearing of trouble by no means covers the whole ground of this royal and supreme virtue to which my text is here exhorting us … . It is the fixed determination to ‘bate not one jot of heart or hope, but still bear up, and steer right onwards,’ in spite of all hinderances and antagonisms which may storm against us. It is perseverance in the the teeth of the wind, and not merely keeping our place in spite of it that James exhorts us to here. The ship with sails wisely set, and a firm hand at the tiller, and a keen eye on the compass, that uses the utmost blast to bear it nearer its desired haven…is the higher form (of patience).”

— from The Student’s New Testament Compilation, by Maclaren Commentary




The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea, — perfect God and perfect man, — as the basis of thought and demonstration.

— from Science and Health, 1910, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 259




Tomorrow you have no business with. We steal if we touch tomorrow. It is God’s. Every day has enough in it to keep us occupied without concerning ourselves with things beyond.

— from Watches, Prayers, and Arguments, by Mary Baker Eddy, page 125




I am grateful to be learning not to be so attached to having things done my way. This has often caused friction in my home. I often felt like I had to do everything myself and, of course, this led to feeling resentful.

A practitioner from the Plainfield Church mentioned this to me some time ago and I took this to heart. I began to work on this and also worked on seeing my husband correctly, the way God made him and to see the “beautiful, good, and pure” in him and others. Another thing the practitioner mentioned was to listen to what my husband was trying to say and to speak to him in a kind and respectful way.

I also worked to catch myself when he would want to do something differently from the way I would do it and realize that it doesn’t matter how it (whatever “it” is at the moment) is done – for example, loading and running the dishwasher. This helped me not to over-react to things and to let him help me more.

Now, at this point, I still have a ways to go … but isn’t it interesting how it looks like my husband has started to change? … like being more understanding when I do need to speak up about something and his being more willing to work it out.

And on a side note, the other week when I had a dental procedure coming up the next day, I was feeling a bit nervous. As I was getting ready for bed I noticed the nervousness just left. The next morning he told me he had prayed for me. To me, this is a really big deal!

I am very grateful for Mary Baker Eddy’s pure Christian Science as taught and practiced in the Plainfield Christian Science Church , Independent and for the help of my practitioner.

— by Betty Simpson




Impatience: This false trait usually comes from thwarted self-will that is intolerant of delay, opposition, or obstacles to what it wants or expects of others. Impatience can go from irritation to anger to rage over having to wait for any reason. It puts pressure on others by being aggressive, restless, agitated, ill-tempered with them. An impatient mentality is often impetuous or impulsive. This trait is seldom classified as sin, and yet it is a deadly sin. Habitual impatience can lead to difficult, seemingly incurable, physical problems.

— from The Law of Love , by Ann Beals




Final Readings

Article — “Ways That Are Vain” Miscellany, by Mary Baker Eddy







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