Article January 19, 1946 Issue

"Let your light so shine"

MONROE S. IRELAND

The Master's description of the right way to express one's true selfhood was (Matt. 5:16), "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." This is a challenge to every right thinker so to live that the expression of Life. Truth, and Love becomes evident and obvious in his daily activities, and he glorifies the very nature of his divine, heavenly Father.

We have it on Biblical authority that man is created in the likeness of God, Spirit, but lying mortal mind argues that he is both material and mental. If we accept this argument—based wholly on material premises—our human activities will be influenced by thoughts of fear, ill-health, and inharmony. On the other hand, if our thought is based on spiritual fact, then the visible expression will be one of health, happiness, and harmony.

The law of Love requires that we furnish practical and undeniable proof of our understanding of true being. "By their fruits ye shall know them," said Jesus, and indeed, the outward manifestation always bears witness to the pattern of our thoughts. Demonstration must ever be the yardstick, lest we be like those who have "faith without works" (James 2:26). The alert student of Christian Science need not wonder what degree of progress he is making, for he has only to search the signs following his efforts to know how well he has imbibed the spirit of Truth. If Truth is becoming more real to him, lie is repenting of evil and forsaking it. This sign is unmistakable. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, has written in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," these words (p. 283): "We must receive the divine Principle in the understanding, and live it in daily life: and unless we so do we can no more demonstrate Science, than we can teach and illustrate geometry by calling a curve a straight line or a straight line a sphere."

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

"Let your light so shine"

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access