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"Say not ... to morrow"
In the third chapter of the book of Proverbs the wise ruler of Israel has written: "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it. Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee." A study of this passage in the light of Christian Science reveals a wealth of meaning. Spiritually interpreted, the admonition transcends the limited sense of giving or the mere sharing with one's neighbor a portion of some material possession. The good that we are counseled not to withhold is not necessarily to be considered in terms of matter or material substance. The author must surely have here referred, at least in part, to that which is spiritual, that which emanates from God and is unlimited in its power to sustain and bless.
To such good the Master, Christ Jesus, often referred. He indicated in language unmistakable that the good he did and embodied was not his personal possession, but was altogether the reflection or expression of his Father, God. "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." "I can of mine own self do nothing." Such were his words in disclaiming any thought of self-attainment or of power and goodness apart from God. The Master taught that all who understood his divine nature would be able to do the same works that he himself did. Thus when we see and recognize that God's infinite love and goodness are ours by reflection, and unlimited, we can claim as our birthright the same God-given power and love and goodness which Jesus always had and which he so wonderfully proved in his daily walk and life.
It is not infrequently the case that to one who is taking his first steps in Christian Science, or even to one in whom has unfolded to a considerable extent a spiritual understanding of the truth, there may come a sense of timidity which may suggest incompetence to give forth what one has learned of Christ, Truth, or to help another who may be reaching out for help. This may sometimes be evidenced in a fear of testifying at a Wednesday evening meeting; or it may cause one to refuse to work for another in Christian Science, arguing that he is unready for such work, or does not know enough to attempt to heal the sick or demonstrate the power of Truth in casting out a sin in another. Any such limitation is traceable to a lack of understanding as to one's true self as God's reflection. If the individual were expected to possess this power, this goodness and dominion, personally, he might well feel a sense of limitation. But to realize that it is Immanuel, "God with us," that doeth the works, opens the way for each one to share the infinite storehouse of good with his neighbor.
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February 11, 1933 issue
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"Say not ... to morrow"
ISRAEL PICKENS
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"Rule thou"
ETHEL COLWELL SMITH
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Face to Face
IDA MARIA HANSON
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"Lively stones"
EVERETT G. SECOY
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Emancipation
MAME A. DAVIS
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Profit and Loss
ELIZABETH G. MC KINSTRY
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Doing Your Own Work
FLORA A. WATERBURY
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Flowers of Grace
AIMÉE BURDETT DAWES
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Your issue of May 28th contains a letter on the subject...
Charles W. J. Tennant, District Manager of Committees on Publication for Great Britain and Ireland,
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A correspondent writing in the Bulletin makes this statement:...
Peter B. Biggins, former Committee on Publication for the Province of Alberta, Canada,
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In the New Era of June 16, several excerpts of a report...
Robert C. Humphrey, Committee on Publication for the State of Georgia,
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In Christian Science there is only one business, and that...
Excerpts from an Address on Christian Science by Louis A. Du Bois, before the Rotary Club of Bay Shore and Islip, under the direction of the Christian Science Committee on Publication for the State of New York
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The Five Porches
MARY HOYT LOVELAND
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Spiritual Understanding and Its Application
Duncan Sinclair
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Undivided Reliance
Violet Ker Seymer
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The Lectures
with contributions from Kathrine Aagaard, Elias H. Steinman, Mabel K. Cobb, Lean Evelyn Peterson
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It was over sixteen years ago that, as a result of the...
Catherine Emery Blanchard
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I wish to acknowledge some of the many blessings my...
Elizabeth E. Gatley with contributions from Arthur Gatley
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From birth I suffered from indigestion and constipation
Bernice Mead Spoo
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I have had many occasions to be thankful for Christian Science
Aina W. Haapala
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Through application of the practical truth of Christian Science...
D. Yancey Bradshaw
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"The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth...
Thelma Crowell Cushman
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I should like to express my gratitude for the many blessings...
Winifred Truner
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Christian Science was brought to me about seven years...
Oscar A. Zorn
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God Changeth Not!
Muriel E. Woodruff
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Signs of the Times
with contributions from Canon Donaldson, R. O. Lawton