In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded (Matt. 5:48), "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This command requires that mankind learn to express the Godlike qualities of the real man. From a material point of view this demand would seem to have limited application in human experience. Christian Science exposes as false the suggestion that daily tasks are remote from spiritual endeavor. This erroneous belief gains credence only in mortal mind, which is ignorant of the divine omnipresence.

God being All, everything that really takes place must occur as the unfolding of infinite being. As this fact is apprehended, we see that our experience is not a series of unrelated events divided into material and spiritual activity. Neither is opportunity to reflect good restricted to certain occasions. Willingness to recognize our primary purpose to express Godlike qualities opens thought to the possibilities present in our daily pursuits to bear witness to the Divine Being.

Emphasizing the source of all true demands, Mary Baker Eddy writes in the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 184), "Truth, Life, and Love are the only legitimate and eternal demands on man, and they are spiritual lawgivers, enforcing obedience through divine statutes." Since man, as divine image, necessarily expresses spiritual perfection and completeness, it is apparent that nothing is required of him beyond that which he already includes and expresses as divine idea. The understanding of the natural capabilities of man as divine reflection removes from human consciousness the limiting beliefs of materiality and awakens thought to the dominion which may be claimed and demonstrated in daily living.

Divine Mind, the source of all action, motivates and governs the relationships of all the ideas of creation to each other. This divine fact, recognized and maintained in consciousness, results in more harmony in everything that comprises our daily experience. To the extent that we accept infinite Mind as the only source of motivation our associations in business, at home, and in the community are brought under divine direction, instead of being subjected to the conflict of the belief in many minds. The acknowledgment that divine government is operating reveals the nature of the demands made upon us and establishes those we make on others. The divine demand to be perfect is met in accord with divine law as our daily deeds fulfill the command of the Master to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Science reveals that daily tasks present the necessity of expressing specific qualities of Mind, rather than merely accomplishing something physically. This is illustrated in the commonplace task of cleaning an office building. Since this work is done at a time when there are no others in the building, it is obvious that first of all it necessitates the expression of integrity and reliability. That there is opportunity further to reflect Mind by expressing efficiency, dependability, and honesty is equally apparent. Thus it is plain that the most simple task offers opportunity to be obedient to Principle by reflecting qualities which express the divine nature.

In meeting demands such as our obligations under the laws of the land, we also find opportunity to use our understanding of Truth. Obedience to these laws fulfills a moral obligation to contribute to the common good. This offers another occasion to support the expression of harmony in our daily affairs. Civil obligations can be fulfilled without harm to ourselves, even though sometimes they appear to be concessions to material belief, because we know that we are sustained and protected by the law of divine Principle in every endeavor that originates from right motives.

The infinite nature of divine creation refutes the belief that time determines the extent of our activity, or limits opportunity to reflect good. A student of Christian Science found it necessary to prove this at a time when business demands seemed to leave little time for other needful pursuits. After earnest metaphysical work was done on the problem, without apparent results, it was recognized that time was being accepted as inevitable. This resulted in consenting to the belief that saving time was essential to the solution of the problem. Since it is concerned wholly with finite measurements, time is limitation. It became apparent that the need was not for more time, but for dominion over the belief of time.

The student saw that dominion would be manifested only as he recognized and accepted his primary occupation as the necessity to reflect God, and realized that such necessity was not concerned with or controlled by the limitations of time. This clearer thought brought about a more perfect expression of the dominion of Mind.

Mrs. Eddy states in the textbook (p. 584), "The objects of time and sense disappear in the illumination of spiritual understanding, and Mind measures time according to the good that is unfolded." Considering daily demands as opportunities to express good eliminates any occasion to measure activity in relation to time. This freedom of thought is manifested in the ability to express poise, efficiency, and harmony and to represent the divine order.

In seeking to fulfill the divine will, it is our right to claim and to experience strength and endurance adequate to accomplish this purpose. In Psalms we read (84:5), "Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee." When we recognize infinite Spirit as the source of strength, the mortal belief that energy originates in a physical body and is subject to depletion is annulled. The understanding of man's unity with God brings an appreciation of the unlimited capacity that belongs to us as actually divine reflection. It is manifested in our daily activity when we claim our true identity as divine idea. The conclusion is inescapable that activity motivated by the demands of Spirit must also be sustained by Spirit and hence cannot be restricted by a mortal belief of limited capacity. Our Leader, Mrs. Eddy, tells us (Science and Health, p. 385), "The spiritual demand, quelling the material, supplies energy and endurance surpassing all other aids, and forestalls the penalty which our beliefs would attach to our best deeds."

Infinite intelligence is reflected in the discernment necessary to distinguish between the demands of Principle, which justly claim our attention, and the impositions of mortal mind, which originate in false motives and beliefs. Thought which accepts the certainty of one God, one infinite Mind, is firmly established in the knowledge that divine Mind is the only source of impulsion. This awareness of the allness of Mind destroys the belief of personal volition motivated by the selfish desires of the carnal mind. As we acknowledge and actively accept divine direction, the harmony that must result from the impulsion of purer motives is brought into our daily affairs. Consecrated seeking to fulfill the divine command redeems thought from the bondage of material identity and enables us progressively to demonstrate our sonship with the Father. In Isaiah we read (43:12), "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God." This declaration reveals the perpetual necessity that we live in accord with our highest concept of the divine idea.