Readings for October 20, 2021
From The Bible
... thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
(Matthew 6:6 thou)
¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
(Matthew 7:21)
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
(Galatians 1:3, 4)
This parable spake Jesus unto them: ...
... Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. ...
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
(John 10:6 (to :), 7–10 Verily, 27, 28)
The LORD is my shepherd; ...
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: ...
(Psalms 23:1 (to ;), 2, 3 (to :))
¶ 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.
(John 9:39)
¶ Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. ...
But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, ...
... if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? ...
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. ...
... ¶ Wherefore I say unto you, ...
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
(Matthew 12:22, 24, 25 (to 2nd ,), 26 if, 28, 31 (to ,), 33)
... Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: ...
And he goeth up into a mountain, ...
And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils: ...
And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? ...
... if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
(Mark 3:7 Jesus (to :), 13 (to ,), 14, 15, 23, 26 if, 27 )
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, ... Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. ...
... Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
(John 3:1–3 (to 1st ,), 3 Except, 5 Except, 6 )
¶ And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, ... if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. ...
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, ... and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: ...
... ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, ...
... It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 19:16, 17 (to 1st ,), 17 if, 20, 21 (to 4th ,), 21 4th and, 22 (to :), 23 (to 1st ,), 24 It)
... O ye of little faith?
... seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. ...
... ¶ But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; ...
... for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
(Luke 12:28 O, 29 seek, 31 (to ;), 32 for)
¶ And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
(Luke 17:20, 21)
¶ And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, ...
(Luke 6:20 (to 2nd ,))
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ...
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ...
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
(Matthew 5:3, 10, 12)
And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, ...
... ¶ Then were there brought unto him little children, ... and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 19:1 (to 2nd ,), 13 (to 1st ,), 13 2nd and, 14 )
... These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, ... he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: ...
(Revelation 3:7 These (to 2nd ,), 7 4th he, 8 (to 2nd :))
Selections from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. The reign of harmony in divine Science; ... the atmosphere of Spirit, where Soul is supreme.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 590:1–2 (to ;), 3 the)
Truth has furnished the key to the kingdom, and with this key Christian Science has opened the door of the human understanding.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 99:9–11)
When speaking of God's children, not the children of men, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you;” that is, Truth and Love reign in the real man, showing that man in God's image is unfallen and eternal. ... Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy. Man is not a material habitation for Soul; he is himself spiritual.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 476:28–32; 477:4–7)
There is but one way to heaven, harmony, and Christ in divine Science shows us this way. It is to know no other reality — to have no other consciousness of life — than good, God and His reflection, and to rise superior to the so-called pain and pleasure of the senses.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 242:9)
“When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and, when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.”
So spake Jesus. The closet typifies the sanctuary of Spirit, the door of which shuts out sinful sense but lets in Truth, Life, and Love. ... To enter into the heart of prayer, the door of the erring senses must be closed. Lips must be mute and materialism silent, that man may have audience with Spirit, the divine Principle, Love, which destroys all error.
In order to pray aright, we must enter into the closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and silence the material senses. In the quiet sanctuary of earnest longings, we must deny sin and plead God's allness.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 14:31–5; 15:9–18)
Allness is the measure of the infinite, and nothing less can express God.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 336:23)
Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but it tends to bring us into harmony with it.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 2:15–16)
Prayer means that we desire to walk and will walk in the light so far as we receive it, even though with bleeding 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 of prayer. ... Christian Science reveals a necessity for overcoming the world, the flesh, and evil, and thus destroying all error.
Seeking is not sufficient. It is striving that enables us to enter.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 10:1–6, 12–15)
We must resolve to take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We must “pray without ceasing.” Such prayer is answered, in so far as we put our desires into practice. The Master's injunction is, that we pray in secret and let our lives attest our sincerity. ...
A great sacrifice of material things must precede this advanced spiritual understanding. The highest prayer is not one of faith merely; it is demonstration. Such prayer heals sickness, and must destroy sin and death.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 15:18; 16:1–5)
The nature of Christianity is peaceful and blessed, but in order to enter into the kingdom, the anchor of hope must be cast beyond the veil of matter into the Shekinah into which Jesus has passed before us; and this advance beyond matter must come through the joys and triumphs of the righteous as well as through their sorrows and afflictions.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 40:31–5)
Through great tribulation we enter the kingdom.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 66:9–10 Through)
Remember, thou Christian martyr, it is enough if thou art found worthy to unloose the sandals of thy Master's feet! To suppose that persecution for righteousness' sake belongs to the past, and that Christianity to-day is at peace with the world because it is honored by sects and societies, is to mistake the very nature of religion. ... The trials encountered by prophet, disciple, and apostle, “of whom the world was not worthy,” await, in some form, every pioneer of truth. ...
Christian experience teaches faith in the right and disbelief in the wrong. It bids us work the more earnestly in times of persecution, because then our labor is more needed.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 28:22–28 (to 1st .), 29; 29:7–10)
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.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 70:2–6)
The Pharisees of old thrust the spiritual idea and the man who lived it out of their synagogues, and retained their materialistic beliefs about God. ... To-day, as of yore, unconscious of the reappearing of the spiritual idea, blind belief shuts the door upon it, and condemns the cure of the sick and sinning if it is wrought on any but a material and a doctrinal theory.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 132:14–16, 20–24)
Ignorance, pride, or prejudice closes the door to whatever is not stereotyped.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 144:25–26)
The evidence of the physical senses often reverses the real Science of being, and so creates a reign of discord, — assigning seeming power to sin, sickness, and death; but the great facts of Life, rightly understood, defeat this triad of errors, contradict their false witnesses, and reveal the kingdom of heaven, — the actual reign of harmony on earth.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 122:1–7)
Our Master asked: “How can one enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man?” In other words: How can I heal the body, without beginning with so-called mortal mind, which directly controls the body? When disease is once destroyed in this so-called mind, the fear of disease is gone, and therefore the disease is thoroughly cured. Mortal mind is “the strong man,” which must be held in subjection before its influence upon health and morals can be removed. This error conquered, we can despoil “the strong man” of his goods, — namely, of sin and disease.
Mortals obtain the harmony of health, only as they forsake discord, acknowledge the supremacy of divine Mind, and abandon their material beliefs. ... This task becomes easy, if you understand that every disease is an error, and has no character nor type, except what mortal mind assigns to it. By lifting thought above error, or disease, and contending persistently for truth, you destroy error.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 399:29–11; 400:15)
One's aim, a point beyond faith, should be to find the footsteps of Truth, the way to health and holiness. ...
It is “easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle,” than for sinful beliefs to enter the kingdom of heaven, eternal harmony. Through repentance, spiritual baptism, and regeneration, mortals put off their material beliefs and false individuality.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 241:23–24, 31–3)
The admission to one's self that man is God's own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea. This conviction shuts the door on death, and opens it wide towards immortality. The understanding and recognition of Spirit must finally come, and we may as well improve our time in solving the mysteries of being through an apprehension of divine Principle. ...
Let us rid ourselves of the belief that man is separated from God, and obey only the divine Principle, Life and Love. Here is the great point of departure for all true spiritual growth.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 90:24–30; 91:5)
Many years ago the author made a spiritual discovery, the scientific evidence of which has accumulated to prove that the divine Mind produces in man health, harmony, and immortality. ...
Every law of matter or the body, supposed to govern man, is rendered null and void by the law of Life, God. ...
... The so-called laws of mortal belief are destroyed by the understanding that Soul is immortal, and that mortal mind cannot legislate the times, periods, and types of disease, with which mortals die. ... In infinite Life and Love there is no sickness, sin, nor death, and the Scriptures declare that we live, move, and have our being in the infinite God.
... You must understand your way out of human theories relating to health, ...
... This verifies the saying of our Master: “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall in no wise enter therein.”
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, pp. 380:22–25, 32–1; 381:12–15, 17, 21–23 (to ,); 382:21)
When you read this, remember Jesus' words, “The kingdom of God is within you.” This spiritual consciousness is therefore a present possibility.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 573:31)
Glory be to God, and peace to the struggling hearts! Christ hath rolled away the stone from the door of human hope and faith, and through the revelation and demonstration of life in God, hath elevated them to possible at-one-ment with the spiritual idea of man and his divine Principle, Love.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 45:16)
Hymns from the Christian Science Hymnal
Hymn 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 572
Seek ye first the kingdom of God / And His righteousness, / And all these things shall be added unto you. / Allelu, alleluia!
Ask and it shall be given unto you. / Seek and ye shall find, / Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. / Allelu, alleluia!
We do not live by bread alone, / But by every word / That proceeds from the mouth of God. / Allelu, alleluia!
DESCANT / Alleluia, Alleluia, / Alleluia, Alleluia!
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 572)
Hymn 64
From sense to Soul my pathway lies before me, / From mist and shadow into Truth's clear day; / The dawn of all things real is breaking o'er me, / My heart is singing: I have found the way.
I reach Mind's open door, and at its portal / I know that where I stand is holy ground; / I feel the calm and joy of things immortal, / The loveliness of Love is all around.
The way leads upward and its goal draws nearer, / Thought soars enraptured, fetterless and free; / The vision infinite to me grows clearer, / I touch the fringes of eternity.
(Christian Science Hymnal, No. 64)
