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Alliance with Good
Among much sound advice given by Joshua to the tribes of Israel, perhaps none is more cogent than that which is found in the twenty-fourth chapter of the book which bears his name. Exhorting his followers, "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord," he added an admonition which has become a common saying: "If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve." Then he placed before them the alternatives of serving the old gods of their fathers or the gods of the Amorites, closing his discourse with the explicit assertion, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Obviously, Joshua entertained no doubt as to the course he should pursue. This son of Moses' faithful minister and friend apparently never hesitated as to what his duty was. He struggled with no temptation to follow false gods; for had not there been revealed to him the great fact of the one God, the creator of the universe, infinite Life, in whom inheres all goodness? Joshua did not fail to ally himself with good, in the assurance that in such a course lay duty and true prosperity.
The problem of choosing whom and what one will serve is constantly with mankind. Confronted continuously with the claims of the physical senses, always presenting their demands,—sometimes in alluring and enticing form,—one is in "the valley of decision" until he, like Joshua, establishes the unwavering purpose to serve good, whatsoever may befall. This decision made, his course is simplified to the extent that now his necessity is, not to choose whether or not he will follow good, but rather to determine along which of several courses good lies. Speaking of the conflicting forces which seem to battle for control, Mrs. Eddy says in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 19), "Between the centripectal and centrifugal mental forces of material and spiritual gravitations, we go into or we go out of materialism or sin, and choose our course and its results." And she adds this pertinent question: "Which, then, shall be our choice,—the sinful, material, and perishable, or the spiritual, joy-giving, and eternal?"
December 9, 1922 issue
View Issue-
Charity
LOUISE KNIGHT WHEATLEY
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The Song on the Ash-Cart
JOHN RANDALL DUNN
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The Sunday School
CORNELIA E. BAILEY
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"Peace and joy and power"
ISRAEL PICKENS
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"Thy will be done"
JAMES F. FAIRLEIGH
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Spiritual Creation
SARAH M. DAVIS
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Dreams and Visions
HARRY J. DUNHAM
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Students of Christian Science are quite willing that Christian...
Augustus Long, Committee on Publication for the State of Nevada,
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The task of trying to prove the existence of opposites...
Stanley M. Sydenham, Committee on Publication for Yorkshire, England,
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While Christian Scientists have great respect for the motives...
Pearl E. Reames, Committee on Publication for the State of Arkansas,
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The Scriptures unquestionably support the teaching of...
William T. Finney, Committee on Publication for the Province of Ontario, Canada,
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Material man is neither real nor eternal, since he is not...
Robert G. Steel, Committee on Publication for the State of Michigan,
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Mrs. Eddy—pure, gentle, and self-sacrificing—lived a...
Theodore Burkhart, Committee on Publication for the State of Oregon,
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Letters from the Field
with contributions from Lilith May Nutting, Leonard L. Defenbaugh, Harry E. Ward, Pauline Freeman
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Alliance with Good
Albert F. Gilmore
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Patience
Duncan Sinclair
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Our Gardens
Ella W. Hoag
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The Lectures
with contributions from Tina M. Kathary, E. M. Ramsay, Benjamin Everett Lewis, George H. Read, William Justin Tucker
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It is over sixteen years since I first applied to Christian...
Helena Victoria Burness
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About eight years ago I attended a Wednesday evening...
A. E. F. Dolliver
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I heard about Christian Science four years ago
Valdemar Willumsen
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It was several years ago that I first became interested in...
Minnie Campbell
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The healing of a tubercular condition of the glands...
Margaret L. Marshall
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After eighteen years of the study of Christian Science...
Eleanor M. Currie
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By putting into practice the understanding I have gained...
Alice S. Ashby with contributions from Mary Alice Reed
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In grateful recognition of the many blessings I have...
Jolanda Thompson
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Endeavor
LAURA GERAHTY
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Signs of the Times
with contributions from A. C. Backus