We read in Proverbs that as one "thinketh in his heart, so is he" (23:7). Christian Science reveals the deep significance of this fact. It teaches that since existence is primarily mental, our whole experience reflects the nature of our thinking. How important it is, then, for us constantly and diligently to watch our thoughts, to evaluate them truly, and to correct them if necessary. Christ Jesus clearly emphasized the importance of mental watchfulness. He said (Mark 13:37), "What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."

How can thoughts be correctly evaluated? In "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" our Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, writes (p. 462): "Are thoughts divine or human? That is the important question." Do our thoughts emanate from the unreal mortal mind or from the infinitely real and only Mind, which is God?

Christian Science teaches that the thought processes of the carnal mind are derived entirely from the finite, localized, and limited concepts of the material senses. And these false senses claim to represent man. Under the influence of this illusion, mankind has accepted the belief in a personal, finite, human mentality.

In Science, man is the incorporeal expression of God, the very embodiment of Mind's knowing—its ceaselessly unfolding divine idea. We truly evaluate our thoughts when we recognize their source and discern between the spiritual and material, the true and false.

The next and obvious step is to correct our thinking by the casting out of the mortal and the false and the admitting of the immortal and the true. Speaking of the great mental purging which the Christ would effect in human consciousness, John the Baptist prophesied (Matt. 3:11, 12): "He that cometh after me ... shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: whose fan is in his hand." Through Christian Science we learn to accept and to utilize the fan—the power of the Christ—wherewith to cleanse our mental home.

Scientific correction of thought does not consist in merely exchanging a bad mortal thought for a so-called good mortal thought. It means replacing every mortal thought, whether seemingly good or bad, with immortal Truth. It means accepting the Christ-idea, spiritual and perfect, the emanation of the one infinitely good divine Mind.

Thus a truly good thought is a spiritual thought. It must be unselfed since it reflects divine Love, Principle. Our beloved Leader surely epitomizes the requirements of true correction of thought in her book "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" where she says (p. 160), "To live so as to keep human consciousness in constant relation with the divine, the spiritual, and the eternal, is to individualize infinite power; and this is Christian Science."

How can we maintain our thinking in constant relation with the divine? A dictionary says "divine" is "Godlike" and cites an antonym of "divine" as "earthly." In the light of these definitions, therefore, Christian Science demands Godlike, heavenly thinking, untainted with anything earthly.

God, infinite Spirit, includes no material element and is therefore not aware of earthly or mortal modes of thought and action. Consequently, when we become more familiar with the divine and learn to express it in more Godlike thinking and living, we cease to give primary consideration to the merely earthly and mortal. We concern ourselves less with material health, activity, prestige, prosperity, and achievement and devote thought more and more to the establishment of the divine order in our human affairs.

Such Godlike thinking develops humaneness. As a result our human experience is uplifted, transformed, and harmonized. For example, human affection becomes unselfed, enriched, and strengthened by our understanding and reflection of divine Love. Our human sense of being is released from its imperfections and limitations through our demonstrable knowledge of the Divine Being. A merely material concept of activity is lifted out of its frustrations and anxieties through our expressing the ever-unfolding ideas of divine Mind.

In order to keep thought in constant relation to the spiritual, we need to divest it of all that is material. The universal tendency of mortal mind is to anchor itself to matter in some form or other. It clings tenaciously to its false, material concept of body, security, possessions, and desires. The Christian Scientist learns to turn thought away from the material to the spiritual. To him, joyous and truly satisfying living is found not in matter but in spiritualized consciousness. In this transformed sense of things he finds that the objects and ends of life take on new meaning. His experience becomes more beautiful, harmonious, and good. He is relinquishing the false, material concept of mind as mortal and accepting the spiritual concept of Mind as Spirit, God. The true concept never gives reality, substance, or entity to matter in any shape or form.

Thought which is related to the eternal must be devoid of all that is temporal. And in how many subtle ways does mortal mind give reality to the temporal! How stubbornly it holds to its false universe of time! We may well ask ourselves, "Is my thinking related in any way to time limits, such as age, personal history, past or future, maturity and decay, or the coming and going of sickness or health?" Such thoughts bear no relation to eternal reality. As we turn thought more toward Mind's timeless universe, the fears and limitations of mortal mind's false, time-controlled universe drop away. Our normal daily activities then unfold punctually, and harmony and order characterize our affairs.

The writer well remembers the moment when he first spontaneously corrected his thinking in accordance with the teachings of Christian Science. Realizing that this mental self-correction had resulted from his recently commenced study of the Lesson-Sermons in the Christian Science Quarterly, he surprisedly exclaimed, "It's Christian Science!"

In succeeding years many have been the occasions when a prompt adjustment of thought has brought the healing and protecting power of God into his experience. Although at times this activity has required the utmost vigor and persistence, it has always borne fruit when faithfully applied.

On one occasion, the mere correction of erroneous, limited thinking resulted in the author's undertaking a journey of many thousands of miles. Although mortal mind argued that the journey was needless, in the new environment there opened up more opportunities for progress and joyous, abundant living than he had ever anticipated.

The importance of studying the complete Lesson-Sermon daily cannot be overemphasized. Students of Christian Science are deeply grateful to their Leader for instituting this constant source of inspiration and enlightenment. Faithfully partaking of this spiritual food, we go forth daily with thought so spiritualized that right thinking becomes more constant and natural. Every needful mental correction is then effected more spontaneously and without procrastination.

Jesus completely manifested the pure Christ-consciousness, and this in itself was sufficient to correct every false concept presented to him for healing. Many of his wonderful works were thus performed naturally and effortlessly. Through Christian Science we too can approximate in some measure the high mental standard which our Master set for us. That this is possible today is clearly evident from our Leader's own words (Rudimental Divine Science, p. 9): "The spiritual power of a scientific, right thought, without a direct effort, an audible or even a mental argument, has oftentimes healed inveterate diseases."

As we increasingly acknowledge but one Mind, God, we are having that Mind "which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:5). When we obey the Apostle Paul's injunction to bring "into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (II Cor. 10:5), our mental influence for good is universal, and we take part in the healing of the nations.