Article August 12, 1944 Issue

"What things ye have need of"

EARL ALBERT RUSSELL

In his memorable Sermon on the Mount, Christ Jesus pointed out the folly of looking to material things as of primary importance; of using "vain repetitions"; of praying where one could be seen of men. Then he assured his hearers, "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

Sometimes the question may logically arise, Just what is it that we need? To one suffering from pain, disease, deformity, or some other bodily inharmony, the need appears to be wholly for the alleviation of the physical difficulty. Any means that offer such alleviation might be considered justifiable. Likewise, it might seem natural to one suffering from an insufficiency of funds, business depression, or economic maladjustments of any kind, that the acquisition of large possessions would correct the difficulty; and to one who is lonesome and unhappy that companionship and material pleasures might offer surcease and provide for the need. But always the basic requirement is for a change of thinking.

Jesus once admonished one whom he had healed, "Sin no more;" and at another time, when challenged, he asked, "Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?" Apparently he did not differentiate between sin and sickness, because he knew that sickness is always the result of some form of discordant thinking. Jesus recognized very clearly that what the individual most needs is release from wrong or sinful thinking manifested in discordant bodily conditions. He healed by releasing the individual from his false beliefs.

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