Wednesday Readings for May 4th, 2022

From The Bible

Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
(Deuteronomy 7:9)

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
(Psalms 23:1–6)

¶ And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. ¶ And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan.
(Matthew 4:18–25)

¶ While he spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live. And Jesus arose, and followed him, and so did his disciples. ...

And when Jesus came into the ruler's house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when the people were put forth, he went in, and took her by the hand, and the maid arose. And the fame hereof went abroad into all that land. ¶ And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us. And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord. Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you. And their eyes were opened; ...

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. ¶ But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
(Matthew 9:18, 19, 23–30 (to ;), 35–38)

¶ And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. ...

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice; and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. ...

I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
(John 9:39; 10:1–7, 11–16)

... the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: ...

And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?
(I Peter 3:12 the (to :), 13)

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

Simply asking that we may love God will never
18 make us love Him; but the longing to be better
and holier, expressed in daily watchful- Watchfulness requisite
ness and in striving to assimilate more of
21 the divine character, will mould and fashion us
anew, until we awake in His likeness. We reach the
Science of Christianity through demonstration of the
24 divine nature; ...

27 Audible prayer can never do the works of spiritual
understanding, which regenerates; but silent prayer,
watchfulness, and devout obedience enable Veritable devotion
30 us to follow Jesus' example.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 4:17–24 (to ;), 27–30)

30 If unwilling to follow his example, why
pray with the lips that you may be partakers of his
nature? Consistent prayer is the desire to do right.
1 Prayer means that we desire to walk and will walk in
the light so far as we receive it, even though with bleed-
3 ing footsteps, and that waiting patiently on the Lord,
we will leave our real desires to be rewarded by Him.
The world must grow to the spiritual understanding
6 of prayer. If good enough to profit by Jesus' cup of
earthly sorrows, God will sustain us under these sor-
rows.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 9:30–8)

Who is ready to follow his teaching and example? All
9 must sooner or later plant themselves in Christ, the true
idea of God. That he might liberally pour Inspiration of sacrifice
his dear-bought treasures into empty or sin-
12 filled human storehouses, was the inspiration of Jesus'
intense human sacrifice. In witness of his divine com-
mission, he presented the proof that Life, Truth, and
15 Love heal the sick and the sinning, and triumph over
death through Mind, not matter. This was the highest
proof he could have offered of divine Love.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 54:8–17)

3 If we wish to follow Christ, Truth, it must be in the
way of God's appointing. Jesus said, "He that believeth
on me, the works that I do shall he do also." Loving God supremely
6 He, who would reach the source and find the
divine remedy for every ill, must not try to climb the hill
of Science by some other road. All nature teaches God's
9 love to man, but man cannot love God supremely and set
his whole affections on spiritual things, while loving the
material or trusting in it more than in the spiritual.
12 We must forsake the foundation of material systems,
however time-honored, if we would gain the Christ as
our only Saviour. Not partially, but fully, the great
15 healer of mortal mind is the healer of the body.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 326:3–15)

The substance of all devotion is the reflection and
demonstration of divine Love, healing sickness and
21 destroying sin. Our Master said, "If ye love me, keep
my commandments."
One's aim, a point beyond faith, should be to find the
24 footsteps of Truth, the way to health and holiness. We
should strive to reach the Horeb height where God is re-
vealed; and the corner-stone of all spiritual building is
27 purity. The baptism of Spirit, washing the body of all
the impurities of flesh, signifies that the pure in heart
see God and are approaching spiritual Life and its
30 demonstration.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 241:19–30)

... alter the situation, until the belief on this sub- Belief an autocrat
ject changes. Human belief says to mortals, "You are
6 sick!" 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
9 the 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
to this false belief, and the human conscious- Self-improvement
15 ness rises higher.

18 ... dis-
solution.
Faith is higher and more spiritual than belief. It is
21 a chrysalis state of human thought, in which spiritual
evidence, contradicting the testimony of mate- Faith higher than belief
rial sense, begins to appear, and Truth, the
24 ever-present, is becoming understood. Human thoughts
have their degrees of comparison. Some thoughts are
better than others. A belief in Truth is better than a
27 belief in error, but no mortal testimony is founded on the
divine rock. Mortal testimony can be shaken. Until
belief becomes faith, and faith becomes spiritual under-
30 standing, human thought has little relation to the actual
or divine.
A mortal belief fulfils its own conditions. Sickness,
1 sin, and death are the vague realities of human conclu-
sions.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 297:4–15 alter, 18–2 dissolution)

When we
15 come to have more faith in the truth of being than we have
in error, more faith in Spirit than in matter, more faith
in living than in dying, more faith in God than in man,
18 then no material suppositions can prevent us from healing
the sick and destroying error.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 368:14)

The Apostle James said, "Show me thy faith without
thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works."

30 This faith relies upon an understood Principle. This
Principle makes whole the diseased, and brings out the
1 enduring and harmonious phases of things. The result
of our teachings is their sufficient confirmation. When,
3 on the strength of these instructions, you are Confirmation by healing
able to banish a severe malady, the cure shows
that you understand this teaching, and therefore you re-
6 ceive the blessing of Truth.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 487:25–26, 30)

12 SHEEP. Innocence; inoffensiveness; those who follow
their leader.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 594:12)

In the following Psalm one word shows, though faintly,
1 the light which Christian Science throws on the Scriptures
by substituting for the corporeal sense, the incorporeal
3 or spiritual sense of Deity: -
PSALM XXIII
[DIVINE LOVE] is my shepherd; I shall not want.
6 [LOVE] maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
[LOVE] leadeth me beside the still waters.
[LOVE] restoreth my soul [spiritual sense]: [LOVE] lead-
9 eth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I will fear no evil: for [LOVE] is with me; [LOVE'S]
12 rod and [LOVE'S] staff they comfort me.
[LOVE] prepareth a table before me in the presence of
mine enemies: [LOVE] anointeth my head with oil; my cup
15 runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life; and I will dwell in the house [the consciousness]
18 of [LOVE] for ever.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 577:32–18)

Hymnals

Hymn No. 330

The King of Love my Shepherd is, / Whose goodness faileth never; / I nothing lack, for I am His / And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow / My ransomed soul He leadeth, / And where the verdant pastures grow, / With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, / But yet in love He sought me, / And on His shoulder gently laid, / And home, rejoicing, brought me.

And so through all the length of days / Thy goodness faileth never; / Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise / Within Thy house forever.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 330)

Hymn No. 304
Shepherd, show me how to go / O'er the hillside steep, / How to gather, how to sow,— / How to feed Thy sheep; / I will listen for Thy voice, / Lest my footsteps stray; / I will follow and rejoice / All the rugged way.

Thou wilt bind the stubborn will, / Wound the callous breast, / Make self-righteousness be still, / Break earth's stupid rest. / Strangers on a barren shore, / Lab'ring long and lone, / We would enter by the door, / And Thou know'st Thine own;

So, when day grows dark and cold, / Tear or triumph harms, / Lead Thy lambkins to the fold, / Take them in Thine arms; / Feed the hungry, heal the heart, / Till the morning's beam; / White as wool, ere they depart, / Shepherd, wash them clean.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 304)

Hymn No. 148
In heavenly Love abiding, / No change my heart shall fear; / And safe is such confiding, / For nothing changes here. / The storm may roar without me, / My heart may low be laid; / But God is round about me, / And can I be dismayed?

Wherever He may guide me, / No want shall turn me back; / My Shepherd is beside me, / And nothing can I lack. / His wisdom ever waketh, / His sight is never dim; / He knows the way He taketh, / And I will walk with Him.

Green pastures are before me, / Which yet I have not seen; / Bright skies will soon be o'er me, / Where darkest clouds have been. / My hope I cannot measure, / My path in life is free; / My Father has my treasure, / And He will walk with me.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 148)