Wednesday Bible Readings
January 10th, 2024
From The Bible
Isa. 52:7
¶ How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Isa. 40:9 (to 2nd ,), 9 be (to 3rd ;), 28 (to 4th ,), 29 giveth
¶ O Zion, that bringest good tidings, ... be not afraid; ...... ¶ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, .... giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Isa. 1:18
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Mark 1:1–4, 9 (to 2nd ,), 14 preaching, 15
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. … And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, … ... preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Matt. 11:2–5
Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another? Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Matt. 4:23 (to 1st ,), 23 healing
¶ And Jesus went about all Galilee, ... healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
Luke 5:29–31 2nd and (to ,), 32
... and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them. But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, ...I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Luke 8:1 (to :)
And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: ...
Luke 15:3, 8–10 what
¶ And he spake this parable unto them, saying, .... what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it? And when she hath found it, she calleth her friends and her neighbours together, saying, Rejoice with me; for I have found the piece which I had lost. Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Luke 19:1, 2 (to 4th ,), 3 (to ;), 4 (to :), 5, 6, 8, 9 (to 2nd ,), 10
And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zacchæus, which was the chief among the publicans, … And he sought to see Jesus who he was; … And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: ...And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchæus, make haste, and come down; for to-day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. … And Zacchæus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, … For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
Luke 9:23
¶ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Phil. 3:13, 14
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Heb. 12:1 let, 2 (to ;)
... let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; ...
John 13:1 (to 2nd ,), 4, 5, 12–15
Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, ...
He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe themwith the towel wherewith he was girded. … So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.II Cor. 5:17 if, 18 ; 6:2 behold
... if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; . ... behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
I John 1:3, 4
That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Rev. 21:3 (to 1st ,), 7
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, … He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Zeph. 3:17
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Deut. 18:13
Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God.
SH 241:13–14, 26–27 and; 242:1–3
The Bible teaches transformation of the body by the renewal of Spirit. .... and the corner-stone of all spiritual building is purity. ...... Through repentance, spiritual baptism, and regeneration, mortals put off their material beliefs and false individuality.
SH 19:17–24
Every pang of repentance and suffering, every effort for reform, every good thought and deed, will help us to understand Jesus’ atonement for sin and aid its efficacy; but if the sinner continues to pray and repent, sin and be sorry, he has little part in the atonement, — in the at-one-ment with God, — for he lacks the practical repentance, which reforms the heart and enables man to do the will of wisdom.
SH 20:27
St. Paul wrote, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us;” that is, let us put aside material self and sense, and seek the divine Principle and Science of all healing.
SH 552:26-29
Mortals must emerge from this notion of material life as all-in-all. They must peck open their shells with Christian Science, and look outward and upward.
SH 22:11–12
“Work out your own salvation,” is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you.
SH 39:18–19 (to 3rd ,), 21–25 that; 40:8–10
“Now,” cried the apostle, “is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” — meaning, ... that now is the time in which to experience that salvation in spirit and in life. Now is the time for so-called material pains and material pleasures to pass away, for both are unreal, because impossible in Science. ...Divine Science adjusts the balance as Jesus adjusted it. Science removes the penalty only by first removing the sin which incurs the penalty.
SH 136:1–6
Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught his followers that his religion had a divine Principle, which would cast out error and heal both the sick and the sinning. He claimed no intelligence, action, nor life separate from God.
SH 30:19–21, 30–32
As the individual ideal of Truth, Christ Jesus came to rebuke rabbinical error and all sin, sickness, and death, — to point out the way of Truth and Life. .... We cannot choose for ourselves, but must work out our salvation in the way Jesus taught.
SH 150:4
To-day the healing power of Truth is widely demonstrated as an immanent, eternal Science, instead of a phenomenal exhibition. Its appearing is the coming anew of the gospel of “on earth peace, good-will toward men.” This coming, as was promised by the Master, is for its establishment as a permanent dispensation among men; but the mission of Christian Science now, as in the time of its earlier demonstration, is not primarily one of physical healing. Now, as then, signs and wonders are wrought in the metaphysical healing of physical disease; but these signs are only to demonstrate its divine origin, — to attest the reality of the higher mission of the Christ-power to take away the sins of the world.
SH 259:11, 19
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.... Understanding this, Jesus said: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
SH 253:32–8
The divine demand, “Be ye therefore perfect,” is scientific, and the human footsteps leading to perfection are indispensable. Individuals are consistent who, watching and praying, can “run, and not be weary; . . . walk, and not faint,” who gain good rapidly and hold their position, or attain slowly and yield not to discouragement. God requires perfection, but not until the battle between Spirit and flesh is fought and the victory won.
SH 253:15–21, 25
Knowing the falsity of so-called material sense, you can assert your prerogative to overcome the belief in sin, disease, or death. If you believe in and practise wrong knowingly, you can at once change your course and do right. Matter can make no opposition to right endeavors against sin or sickness, for matter is inert, mindless. ... Do not believe in any supposed necessity for sin, disease, or death, knowing (as you ought to know) that God never requires obedience to a so-called material law, for no such law exists. The belief in sin and death is destroyed by the law of God, which is the law of Life instead of death, of harmony instead of discord, of Spirit instead of the flesh.
SH 316:3–7
The real man being linked by Science to his Maker, mortals need only turn from sin and lose sight of mortal selfhood to find Christ, the real man and his relation to God, and to recognize the divine sonship.
SH 510:9
Truth and Love enlighten the understanding, in whose “light shall we see light;” and this illumination is reflected spiritually by all who walk in the light and turn away from a false material sense.
SH 134:21–26; 135:11–15
The true Logos is demonstrably Christian Science, the natural law of harmony which overcomes discord, — not because this Science is supernatural or preternatural, nor because it is an infraction of divine law, but because it is the immutable law of God, good. ...The same power which heals sin heals also sickness. This is “the beauty of holiness,” that when Truth heals the sick, it casts out evils, and when Truth casts out the evil called disease, it heals the sick.
SH 76:22–27 (to ,)
The sinless joy, — the perfect harmony and immortality of Life, possessing unlimited divine beauty and goodness without a single bodily pleasure or pain, — constitutes the only veritable, indestructible man, whose being is spiritual. This state of existence is scientific and intact, ...
SH 21:9
If the disciple is advancing spiritually, he is striving to enter in. He constantly turns away from material sense, and looks towards the imperishable things of Spirit. If honest, he will be in earnest from the start, and gain a little each day in the right direction, till at last he finishes his course with joy.
SH 33:19–20 our (to !)
... our great Teacher said: “Not my will, but Thine, be done!” ...
SH 37:25
Christians claim to be his followers, but do they follow him in the way that he commanded? Hear these imperative commands: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect!” “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature!” “Heal the sick!”
SH 261:32–1
Good demands of man every hour, in which to work out the problem of being.
SH 15:18–20
We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love.
SH 254:10–12
When we wait patiently on God and seek Truth righteously, He directs our path.
Hymn. 120
How beauteous on the mountains / The feet of him that brings, / Like streams from living fountains, / Good tidings of good things; / That publishes salvation; / From error gives release / To every tribe and nation: / God’s reign of joy and peace.
Break forth in hymns of gladness, / O waste Jerusalem; / Let songs instead of sadness, / Thy jubilee proclaim; / The Lord, in strength victorious, / Upon thy foes has trod; / Behold, O earth, the glorious / Salvation of our God.Words: Benjamin Gough*
Music: J. Michael Haydn
Hymn. 29
Breaking through the clouds of darkness, / Black with error, doubt, and fear; / Lighting up each somber shadow, / With a radiance soft and clear; / Filling every heart with gladness, / That its holy power feels, / Comes the Christian Science gospel, / Sin it kills and grief it heals.
Christlike in its benedictions, / Godlike in its strength sublime; / Conquering every subtle error, / With a meekness all divine, / It has gone across the ocean, / It is known in every land, / And our sisters and our brothers / Are united in one band.Words: Florence L. Heywood
Music: Henry Smart
Hymn. 504
I want to know the truth that Jesus taught us, / To taste the liberty his promise brought us. / In Life we see that fear and death are not found. / We know as Mind is knowing: We are God-crowned!
The master Christian gave us his pure teaching / And guided us in healing and in preaching. / Love’s gospel casts out sin, and brings us healing, / Whereby we all are blessed by Truth’s revealing.
Forever, we have Truth, as Jesus stated, / The Soul that gives the joy we’ve all awaited, / And Principle to guide our pathway upward, / The light and harmony that moves us forward.Words: Leide Lessa; eng. tr. CSPS
Music: Jaci Maraschin
