Every individual can achieve success. It is his sovereign right to expect the fulfillment of every worthy desire. It is his divine prerogative to experience the joyous completion of all good work he puts his hand to do, from the simplest task at home to a great life objective. But how is success achieved in human experience? How does one go about proving that the victory he seeks is in reality already an established fact?

Students of Christian Science find the solutions to their many human problems by searching the Bible and the inspired writings of their Leader, Mary Baker Eddy. They accept the spiritual truths contained in these books as their sufficient guide to health and success. They learn that success, individually and collectively, is the inevitable reward of persistent adherence to right thinking and acting, after the pattern set by the Master. They learn to evaluate thoughts and things accurately. With a growing spiritual sense of order established and operating in thought they practice with increasing success the basic rule for all human achievement—the practical Christian rule of putting first things first. The Master referred to this rule when he said (Matt. 6:31, 33): "Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ... But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

The four Gospels show clearly that Jesus obeyed the orderly mandates of Principle. He did the important and needful things on every occasion. At the age of twelve, when his divine capabilities were recognized by the elders, he was found about his Father's business. Because of his inspired devotion to putting spiritual things first, he completed his stupendous assignment, and today is recognized by every Christian as the most successful man who ever lived.

There appear to be many easy short cuts to the summit of success. But there is only one way to true peace and fulfillment—the way the Master marked out for us. His unparalleled teachings and example will always be first in the heart of every Christian Scientist. They show forth the full beauty and power of God's law of love and how this law may be applied triumphantly, fulfilling every right desire. But the keystone in the arch of Jesus' great achievement was revealed in his answer to the question asked by one of the scribes (Mark 12:29–31): "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. ... And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these." When we find these commandments paramount in our affections and fully obey them, nothing can prevent us from eventually scaling the same heights of demonstration reached by Jesus.

Christian Science, discovered and founded by Mrs. Eddy, is the divine revelation of the true nature of God and man. In recording the truths of Christian Science in the textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mrs. Eddy lifted the iron curtain of error that had long separated humanity from the healing Christ.

All who live in harmony with its teachings find Christian Science fulfilling its role as the Comforter which Jesus foretold. Christian Science presents the practical signification of Jesus' spiritual message, and it is the most powerful force for good in the world today, lifting men and women above the shallowness, discord, disease, and failure of lives apparently alienated from God. It reforms and regenerates men's thinking on a spiritual, not a material or personal basis, and thus invests their activities with holiness, with the purpose of serving and glorifying God, with peace and fruition.

The Love which is God is the dynamic power that does the work. In no way do we cause divine Love to operate. Love alone does this. We simply subordinate the human will to the divine.

A student of Christian Science soon learns the importance of putting "first things first." Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health, p. 275): "The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind,—that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle. To grasp the reality and order of being in its Science, you must begin by reckoning God as the divine Principle of all that really is." Thus we can see that as with Jesus' teachings, so with the correlative teachings of Christian Science, God is first.

Christian Science affirms that God's work is finished, perfect, complete, and that the reflection of His qualities and attributes is universal. Mediocrity and failure are therefore unknown to God or His reflection, man. These errors of frustration are, in reality, nonexistent and belong to the supposititious realm of sin and disease. All real work is God's work; all real business is God's business. As we conduct our human activities more fully in accordance with God's law, shall achieve more and more success.

Nothing less than the best in thought, effort, and achievement will satisfy the ultimate absolute requirements of Christ's Christianity. We must not tolerate the laziness that is content with half-truth. Halfway fulfillment, halfway success, is unknown to God, divine Mind, with whom wholeness and perfection are the measure of His allness. Only the whole garment, the full truth, will satisfy the yearning for the good life.

Many of us have experienced the momentous hour of decision when we hesitated to take that first right step to spiritual freedom because of fear—fear to launch out into unfamiliar ways of thinking and living. Perhaps it was some so-called incurable disease, some unlovely trait of character, the seeming loss of a dear one, or unemployment that had apparently blinded our vision with fear and despair. But in our extremity we were finally awakened from the mesmerism of mortal mind and encouraged to turn our thoughts to Truth and reality. We then saw that harmony, purity, liberty of thought, seemed to be hidden by an atmosphere of fear. Thus we learned the first practical lesson for success in the Science of Mind. We realized the importance of Mrs. Eddy's words (ibid., p. 410), "Christian scientific practice begins with Christ's keynote of harmony, 'Be not afraid!'"

Understanding more fully the divine power and intelligence, we learn to separate good from evil, matter from Spirit, and to choose correctly between the real and the unreal. The more proficient we become in choosing the good, the pure, and the real, the more quickly shall we be free from sin, sickness, strife, and failure.

Truth never has a failure. When given the field, it is always victorious and breaks the chains that would bind mankind to the myths of fear, superstition, falsehood. It is mightier than the noise of all error and overcomes every false mental suggestion. Christian Science is the truth of being and is successful in its redemptive mission because of its logical step-by-step presentation of reality to human consciousness. The healing message of Christian Science inspires hope, renews faith in God, and guides thought to spiritual understanding and true righteousness. The religion of Christian Science is truly a way of living, of putting spiritual things first.

A Christian Scientist is taught to be ever conscious of divine Love, Spirit—the Love that rules over all, possesses all, is All-in-all. As one learns more fully to recognize Love's presence, he is less easily deceived, less confused, less tempted to put material things first. He knows that material wealth and position are not the real measure of achievement, and therefore he is concerned first and always with the intent and purposes of the heart, the purification of thought, and the steady gain in Christian character. This is the Christianly scientific approach to individual success in life.