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CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY GOD THE ONLY CAUSE AND CREATOR Visit myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015 2 0 1 5 ® ® Christian Science Quarterly™ June 1–7 SUBJECT O Lord, how manifold are thy works! . . . Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: Golden Text Psalms 104:24 (to !), 30 (to :) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yield- ing seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. 16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. Responsive Reading Genesis 1:1, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24, 26 (to :), 27, 31 (to 1 st  .); 2:1; Psalms 145:10 2 0 1 5 ® ® Christian Science Quarterly™ June 1–7 SECTION ONE: God, Spirit, is the only cause and creator. Page 2 SECTION TWO: The divine creation is spiritual and good. Page 3 SECTION THREE: Evil has no cause and is unreal. Page 4 SECTION FOUR: Jesus’s birth showed Spirit to be the true cause. Page 5 SECTION FIVE: As Jesus proved, divine causation is the healing power. Page 6 SECTION SIX: Spiritual causation is a firm foundation. Page 7 SECTION SEVEN: The way in Christian Science is glorious. Page 8 GOD THE ONLY CAUSE AND CREATOR

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CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

2 0 1 5

®®

Christian Science Quarterly™ June 1–7

S U B J E C T

O Lord, how manifold are thy works! . . . Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created:

Golden Text Psalms 104:24 (to !), 30 (to :)

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.  12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yield-ing seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.  16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.  20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.  26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:  27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.  1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  10 All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.

Responsive Reading Genesis 1:1, 9, 12, 16, 20, 24, 26 (to :), 27, 31 (to 1st .); 2:1; Psalms 145:10

2 0 1 5

®®

Christian Science Quarterly™ June 1–7

SECTION ONE: God, Spirit, is the only cause and creator. Page 2

SECTION TWO: The divine creation is spiritual and good. Page 3

SECTION THREE: Evil has no cause and is unreal. Page 4

SECTION FOUR: Jesus’s birth showed Spirit to be the true cause. Page 5

SECTION FIVE: As Jesus proved, divine causation is the healing power. Page 6

SECTION SIX: Spiritual causation is a firm foundation. Page 7

SECTION SEVEN: The way in Christian Science is glorious. Page 8

GOD THE ONLY CAUSE AND CREATOR

THE BIBLE Section SCIENCE and HEALTH with Key to the Scriptures | Mary Baker Eddy1

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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1 | John 1:1, 3

n the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 

2 | Isaiah 61:11

For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. 

3 | Psalms 33:8 2nd let, 9, 13, 15 (to ;)

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.   13 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.   15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; 

4 | Romans 1:20 the (to ;)

the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; 

1 | 331:18–22

18 God is individual, incorporeal. He is divine Prin- ciple, Love, the universal cause, the only creator, and there is no other self-existence. He is all- 21 inclusive, and is reflected by all that is real

The universal cause

and eternal and by nothing else.

2 | 502:28

The universe reflects God. There is but one creator and one creation. This crea- 1 tion consists of the unfolding of spiritual ideas and their identities, which are embraced in the infinite Mind and 3 forever reflected. These ideas range from the infini- tesimal to infinity, and the highest ideas are the sons and daughters of God.

3 | 264:7–10, 13–20

Mortals must look beyond fading, finite forms, if they would gain the true sense of things. 9 Where shall the gaze rest but in the unsearchable realm of Mind?

As mortals gain more correct views of God and man, multitudinous objects of creation, which before were 15 invisible, will become visible. When we realize that Life is Spirit, never in nor of

Self- completeness

matter, this understanding will expand into self-com- 18 pleteness, finding all in God, good, and needing no other consciousness. Spirit and its formations are the only realities of being.

4 | 240:2–6

Arctic regions, 3 sunny tropics, giant hills, winged winds, mighty billows, verdant vales, festive flowers,

Some lessons from nature

and glorious heavens, — all point to Mind, the spiritual 6 intelligence they reflect.

I

Godhead: divine nature; divinityuniversal: of or referring to the universe; all-inclusive; unlimited; existing everywhereinfinitesimal: infinitely or indefinitely smallfestive: bright and colorful, appropriate for a feast or festival; joyous

What is righteousness, and why is it important?

Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly

seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. . . . Romans 1:20 (in part)—Good News Translation

How do you reflect infinite Mind in your daily life—in conversations, school, or even chores?

uPlIFtInG thouGhts from this section:

We’re off to see how different parts of nature reflect the spiritual intelligence

of divine Mind’s creation!

THE BIBLE Section SCIENCE and HEALTH with Key to the Scriptures | Mary Baker Eddy

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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25 | 583:20

CREATOR. Spirit; Mind; intelligence; the animating 21 divine Principle of all that is real and good; self-existent Life, Truth, and Love; that which is perfect and eternal; the opposite of matter and evil, which have no Prin- 24 ciple; God, who made all that was made and could not create an atom or an element the opposite of Himself.

6 | 335:8

Spirit never created matter. There is nothing in 9 Spirit out of which matter could be made, for, as the Bible declares, without the Logos,

The only substance

the Æon or Word of God, “was not anything made 12 that was made.” Spirit is the only substance, the in- visible and indivisible infinite God. Things spiritual and eternal are substantial. Things material and temporal 15 are insubstantial. 

7 | 109:32

The three great verities of Spirit, omnipotence, omni- 1 presence, omniscience, — Spirit possessing all power, filling all space, constituting all Science, — contradict 3 forever the belief that matter can be actual. These eternal verities reveal primeval exist- ence as the radiant reality of God’s creation,

God’s allness

learned 6 in which all that He has made is pronounced by His wis- dom good. 

8 | 280:4–6

From Love and from the light and harmony which are the abode of Spirit, only reflections

The things of God are

beautiful 6 of good can come. 

5 | Psalms 148:1, 3, 5 for

raise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights.   3 Praise ye him,

sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.  5 for he commanded, and they were created. 

6 | Psalms 107:8

Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 

7 | John 3:6 2nd that

that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 

8 | Ephesians 5:9 the

the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth; 

Hallelujah! Praise GOD from

heaven, praise him from the

mountaintops . . .

—Psalms 148:1 The Message

MO

DEL U

SED FO

R ILLUSTR

ATIV

E PU

RP

OSES

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temporal: secular, as distinguished from sacred or eternal; earthly; temporaryverities: truths; facts; realitiesprimeval: original; primitiveradiant: emitting; proceeding from a center; shining; brilliantabode: abiding place; dwelling; home

Knowing that God, Mind, is the only cause and creator brings healing. Read what Mary Baker

Eddy wrote to Annie Robertson about this fact in the book Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer, Amplified Edition by Yvonne Caché von Fettweis and Robert Townsend Warneck (p. 225).

MO

DEL

S U

SED

FO

R IL

LUST

RA

TIV

E P

UR

PO

SES

Do you think this counts as praising God “from the

heavens”?

God is awesome!

Wahooo!

FroM the heIGhts of spiritual

inspiration, this is how I see God’s

creation:

THE BIBLE Section SCIENCE and HEALTH with Key to the Scriptures | Mary Baker Eddy

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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39 | Habakkuk 1:12 (to ?), 13 (to :)

rt thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One?   13 Thou art of purer

eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: 

10 | James 1:13, 14, 16, 17

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:  14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.   16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.  17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. 

11 | Philippians 4:8 whatsoever

whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. 

9 | 140:25–27

The Christian Science God is universal, eter- nal, divine Love, which changeth not and caus- 27 eth no evil, disease, nor death.

10 | 339:8–10

God, Spirit, alone created all, and called it 9 good. Therefore evil, being contrary to good, is unreal, and cannot be the product of God.

Evil not pro- duced by God

11 | 207:20–23

There is but one primal cause. Therefore there can 21 be no effect from any other cause, and there can be no reality in aught which does not proceed from this great and only cause.

One primal cause

12 | 287:27

27 The five mate- rial senses testify to truth and error as united in a mind both good and evil. Their false evidence will finally 30 yield to Truth, — to the recognition of Spirit and of the spiritual creation.

13 | 472:24–4 All

24 All reality is in God and His creation, har- monious and eternal. That which He creates is good, and He makes all that is made. Therefore 27 the only reality of sin, sickness, or death is

Unrealities that seem real

the awful fact that unrealities seem real to human, erring belief, until God strips off their disguise. They are not 30 true, because they are not of God. We learn in Christian 1 Science that all inharmony of mortal mind or body is illu- sion, possessing neither reality nor identity though seeming 3 to be real and identical. The Science of Mind disposes of all evil.

. . . Fix your thoughts on what is

true and good and right. Think about

things that are pure and lovely, and dwell

on the fine, good things in others. Think

about all you can praise God for

and be glad about.

—Philippians 4:8 The Living Bible

A

lust: sensual or longing desire; cravingenticed: tempted; lurederr: wander; stray; mistake; misjudgeprimal: first; original

Also in the book Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer, Amplified Edition, read what Eddy said to student Clara Shannon about error having no cause at all (pp. 229–230).

This arctic region is so pure and clear! The water and ice are all just

different shapes and forms of the same pure idea!

How do you see the false evidence of the material senses yielding to Truth today?

THE BIBLE Section SCIENCE and HEALTH with Key to the Scriptures | Mary Baker Eddy

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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414 | 332:23–29

Jesus was the son of a virgin. He was appointed 24 to speak God’s word and to appear to mortals in such a form of humanity as they could understand as well as perceive. Mary’s conception of

Christ Jesus

27 him was spiritual, for only purity could reflect Truth and Love, which were plainly incarnate in the good and pure Christ Jesus.

15 | 539:30

30 The Science of creation,

Scientific offspring

so conspicuous in the birth of Jesus, inspired his wisest and least-understood sayings, and was the basis of his 1 marvellous demonstrations. Christ is the offspring of Spirit, and spiritual existence shows that Spirit creates 3 neither a wicked nor a mortal man, lapsing into sin, sick- ness, and death.

16 | 262:27–28 (to 2nd .), 30

27 The foundation of mortal discord is a false sense of man’s origin. To begin rightly is to end rightly. 30 Divine Mind is the only cause

Mind the only cause

or Principle of existence. Cause does not exist in matter, in mortal mind, or in physical forms.

17 | 63:5

In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beauti- 6 ful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior

Spiritual origin

9 to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ulti- mate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being.

12 | Isaiah 7:14 the

he Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 

13 | Matthew 1:18, 22, 23

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.   22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 

14 | Luke 2:40

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. 

15 | Acts 17:24, 25, 28 in (to ;)

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;  28 in him we live, and move, and have our being; 

t

espoused: promised in marriage; engagedwaxed: became; grewincarnate: embodied; seen in bodily formlapsing: falling; slippingancestry: heritage; lineagebrute: not possessing reason; irrational; unthinking

What is the Science of creation and why was it evident in Jesus’s birth? Which version of creation does this

best relate to—Genesis 1 or Genesis 2?

What does it mean to begin rightly? Why is this so important?

It makes me think of the amazingness of God’s

creation.

Look! These mountains are so tall, there are

clouds in them!

THE BIBLE Section SCIENCE and HEALTH with Key to the Scriptures | Mary Baker Eddy

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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516 | Psalms 67:1 (to 2nd ;), 2

God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us;   2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. 

17 | Psalms 145:10, 11

All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee.  11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; 

18 | Matthew 4:23

nd 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. 

19 | John 14:8–12

Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.  9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?  10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.  11 Be-lieve me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.  12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. 

18 | 171:14

Jesus illustrated the divine Principle and the 15 power of immortal Mind by healing sickness

A closed question

and sin and destroying the foundations of death.

19 | 286:12

12 Physical causation was put aside from first to last by this original man, Jesus. He knew that the divine Principle, Love, creates and governs all that 15 is real.

20 | 203:3

3 In the Science of Christianity, Mind — omnipotence — has all-power, assigns sure

Sure reward of

righteousness rewards to righteousness, and shows that matter can 6 neither heal nor make sick, create nor destroy.

21 | 467:29–32

Reasoning from cause to effect in the Science of Mind, 30 we begin with Mind, which must be under- stood through the idea which expresses it and

Sinlessness of Mind, Soul

cannot be learned from its opposite, matter.

22 | 14:12–22

12 Become conscious for a single moment that Life and intelligence are purely spiritual, — neither in nor of matter, — and the body will then utter no 15 complaints. If suffering from a belief in

Spiritualized consciousness

sickness, you will find yourself suddenly well. Sorrow is turned into joy when the body is controlled by spir- 18 itual Life, Truth, and Love. Hence the hope of the promise Jesus bestows: “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; . . . because I  21 go unto my Father,” — [because the Ego is absent from the body, and present with Truth and Love.]

A

sufficeth: satisfies; is enough forverily: trulyassigns: designates; attributes; appliesrighteousness: rightness with God; moral rightness; uprightness; virtuousness

So much life and beauty!

What can you accomplish, knowing that your life and intelligence are spiritual, having only one divine source?

THE BIBLE Section SCIENCE and HEALTH with Key to the Scriptures | Mary Baker Eddy

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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620 | Acts 2:43 many, 47 And the

many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.  47 And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. 

21 | Acts 8:5–8

hen Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and

preached Christ unto them.  6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.  7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed.  8 And there was great joy in that city. 

22 | II Corinthians 2:14

Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. 

23 | 136:1–6

1 Jesus established his church and maintained his mission on a spiritual foundation of Christ-healing. He taught 3 his followers that his religion had a divine Principle, which would cast out error and heal

The Christ-mission

both the sick and the sinning. He claimed no intelli- 6 gence, action, nor life separate from God.

24 | 344:19

There are various methods of treating disease, which are not included in the commonly accepted systems; but 21 there is only one which should be presented to the whole world, and that is the Christian

The one divine method

Science which Jesus preached and practised and left to us 24 as his rich legacy.

25 | 114:23–27

Christian Science explains all cause and effect as men- 24 tal, not physical. It lifts the veil of mystery from Soul and body. It shows the scientific relation of man to God, disentangles the interlaced ambiguities

Causation mental

27 of being, and sets free the imprisoned thought.

26 | 379:6

6 The real jurisdiction of the world is in Mind, controlling every effect and recognizing all causation as vested in divine Mind.

T

savour: cause; flavor; quality; characterlegacy: gift given by will or last testament; something left by an individual at the end of a careerjurisdiction: authority of a sovereign power; authority to make laws and govern vested: clothed; established; fixed

Look! My Swiss cousins!

Looks like they can teach us a few things about lying

down in green pastures.

The hills of Samaria

How can understanding Mind’s governing help you pray for the world?

FaVorIte VIeWPoInts brought out

in this section:

THE BIBLE Section SCIENCE and HEALTH with Key to the Scriptures | Mary Baker Eddy

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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723 | Psalms 104:24 (to :), 30, 31

Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all:   30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are

created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.  31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: the Lord shall rejoice in his works. 

24 | Psalms 119:18

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. 

27 | 170:22–24

Spiritual causation is the one question to be considered, for more than all others spiritual causation relates to 24 human progress.

28 | 507:24–25, 28–29

24 Infinite Mind creates and governs all, from the men- tal molecule to infinity.

Creation is ever appearing, and must ever con- tinue to appear from the nature of its inexhaustible source.

29 | 264:28

When we learn the way in Christian Science and rec- ognize man’s spiritual being, we shall behold and under- 30 stand God’s creation, — all the glories of earth and heaven and man.

manifold: many; diverse; numerousinexhaustible: can’t be used up; infinite; boundlessglories: evidences of God; beauties; wonders

O

Only beauty to see here!

What are you seeing as you learn the way in Christian Science?

What are these glories?

asCendInG thouGhts that will

strengthen me today:

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE QUARTERLY MYBIBLELESSON © 2015 THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE PUBLISHING SOCIETY God the only Cause and Creator Vi s i t myBibleLesson.com June 1–7, 2015

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All nonattributed graphics, photos, and digitally modified images by mBL staff.

Pearl Hint: Nature teaches grand lessons.

we have hidden an image of a pearl [ ] somewhere in the pages of mybiblelesson. happy pearl hunting!

These bright ideas of Truth

were angel messages from God.

Afew years ago, I had a healing that deepened my understanding of

God’s creation and my place in this creation.

I had observed many warts growing on my hands but wasn’t aware of what they were or that I could pray to find healing. When I showed them to my parents, we talked, and they let me know I had the option of handling the situation through medi- cine or prayer, but that it wouldn’t be right to ignore the problem. I decided I would choose prayer because it had been effective for me before.

I started praying by thinking about God’s entire creation. I struggled with the question of why God would create a wart,

something ugly and so unlike the good His creation is supposed to be. Did He actually create something ugly? The answer came in an epiphany that, like in so many other heal-ings, reintroduced an idea I already knew, but in a fresh way.

I remembered a healing of altitude sick-ness I’d had the year before. The healing had occurred at a camp for Christian Scientists located in the heart of the Rocky Moun-tains in Colorado. I was feeling dizzy as our group was ascending a massive 14,000-foot peak. In praying then, I’d looked at the vast forest, mountains, and clouds surrounding me. A statement came to me from the first chapter of Genesis: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (verse 31). That was the key! God made everything and He made it all good. He made me and my fellow campers. He made nature and man to live in peace, not harm one another. He would never create two things to war with each other. There-fore, the battle with the altitude wasn’t from God. God’s universe is united and whole, not divided and battling. Soon the dizziness

subsided and I felt energized and ready to continue hiking.

I thought about this past healing as I be-gan to pray about the warts. And I began to see that God hadn’t created the warts at all. I turned to the weekly Christian Science

Bible Lesson for inspiration and found some ideas about God and good. Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, states on page 286 of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “In the Saxon and twenty other tongues good is the term for God. The Scriptures declare all that He made to be good, like Himself,—good in Principle and in idea. Therefore the spiritual universe is good, and reflects God as He is.” God’s goodness runs so deep, and includes those of all cultures and nations. God, good, could never create illnesses or physical defects, like altitude sickness or warts, to harm the good in His universe. These bright ideas of Truth were angel messages from God, and I received many more.

I continued to pray with the idea of free-dom from limitation and physical deformity. Hymn 412 provided some inspiration:

O dreamer, leave thy dreams for joyful waking,

O captive, rise and sing, for thou art free;The Christ is here, all dreams of error

breaking, Unloosing bonds of all captivity. (Rosa M. Turner)

I thought of myself as the dreamer or captive in the hymn. I’ve had many experi-ences of waking up from bad dreams and discovering their nothingness. This freedom from the nothingness of dreams was to-tally relatable. I just had to “wake up” from the dream that there were warts covering my fingers and be awake to the presence of God’s goodness, awake to healing. These warts had no identity and were definitely not mine. They were not part of God’s crea-tion either.

Once I recognized and accepted these truths, the warts began to painlessly dis-appear. Within two weeks, the healing was complete. No remnants of scarring existed on my hands. It was as if the warts had never been there. They haven’t reappeared.

I am grateful for God’s healing good-ness and the united and free nature of His kingdom.

Bright ideas

This article was originally published in the August 26, 2013 issue of the

Christian Science Sentinel.You can find this piece (and thousands more!) at

jsh.christianscience.com.

By COURTNEY

PHOTO ATTRIBUTIONS: COVER: Comstock/Stockbyte/Thinkstock: hot air balloons

Page 2: Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Thinkstock: sunflowers Photos.com/Photos.com/Thinkstock: hot air balloon festival, mod.

Page 3: Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Thinkstock: climber atop ridge Digital Vision/Digital Vision/Thinkstock: skydiving, mod.

Page 4: Thinkstock/Stockbyte/Thinkstock: hot air balloon flying at duskJupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock: aerial view of iceberg, mod. Page 5: Digital Vision/Photodisc/Thinkstock: Himalayas, Tibet, mod.

Page 6: Creatas Images/Creatas/Thinkstock: Peter Island, British Isle of Columbia, mod. Page 7: Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Thinkstock: hills in Samaria, Israel

Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock: aerial view of cows, mod.

Page 8: Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Thinkstock: hot air balloon, mod. Medioimages/Photodisc/Photodisc/Thinkstock: poppies, mod.Tom Brakefield/Stockbyte/Thinkstock: Iguazu Falls from Brazil side into ArgentinaJupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock: moon above wavesJupiterimages/Photos.com/Thinkstock: elephants in river Page 9: Courtesy photo

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“bc” stands for before Christ and refers to dates before the birth of Jesus. “ad” stands for anno domini, which is a Latin phrase meaning “in the year of the Lord” in reference to Jesus. All dates labeled “ad” happened after Jesus’s birth.

BIBLICAL DATES:

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BIBLE INFO:TRANSLATIONS: All Scriptural quotations used in the text of myBibleLesson are taken from the King James Version of The Holy Bible, unless otherwise indicated.

The following are verbally equivalent translations used for In Other Words. These translations tend to use the oldest available and most recently discovered manuscripts to translate the literal meaning of the text word-for-word.Amplified Bible: Scriptural quotations marked Amplified Bible are taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Contemporary English Version: Scriptural quotations marked Contemporary English Version are taken from the Contemporary English Version Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

New International Version: Scriptural quotations marked New International Version are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

New Revised Standard Version: Scriptural quotations marked New Revised Standard Version are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Revised English Bible: Scriptural quotations marked Revised English Bible are taken from the Revised English Bible © Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press 1989.

Revised Standard Version: Scriptural quotations marked Revised Standard Version are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The following dynamically equivalent translations are used for In Other Words. These translations attempt to convey the thoughts expressed in the text in common, everyday English.Good News Translation: Scriptural quotations marked Good News Translation are taken from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version—Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

New English Bible: Scriptural quotations marked New English Bible are taken from the New English Bible © Oxford University Press and Cambridge University Press 1961, 1970.

New International Reader’s Version: Scriptural quotations marked New International Reader’s Version are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®. Copyright 1996, 1998 by Biblica, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.

New Living Translation: Scriptural quotations marked New Living Translation are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The following paraphrases are used for In Other Words. These are not literal translations, rather they attempt to present to modern readers the text’s tone, rhythm, and ideas as its earliest audiences might have experienced it.The Living Bible: Scriptural quotations marked The Living Bible are taken from The Living Bible, copyright © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message: Scriptural quotations marked The Message are taken from The Message, copyright © by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.