God said to Abram, "Walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1). In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus commanded his followers, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). Christian Science urges upon its students the perfect Model, or Christ, Truth. Why this stress on perfection? Because we need to know that man reflects divine perfection, which includes the power of Truth.

Do we remember Jesus' complete mastery of evil through his expression of the Christ, his real selfhood; and do we remember that he said (John 14:12), "He that believeth on me, theworks that I do shall he do also"? Do we remember that Mrs. Eddy did such works through her never-failing obedience to divine Principle? Then we must feel the tremendous obligation which rests upon us, students of Christian Science, in a world in need of a dynamic power for good.

The word "perfection" may discourage some who think that it refers to importance in personal status. But though perfection is flawless and allows no stain, it is a measure of quality and may be found displayed in the humblest as well as in the mightiest walks of life. I once saw a tiny butterfly of breathtaking beauty. No silk could have been softer and of purer white than its minute wings. A fine line of jet black accentuated its loveliness. It was, or so it seemed to me, nearer perfect beauty than a cloak of royal ermine.

In our humblest activities we can demonstrate perfection. The smallest wheel in a timepiece can, and even must, be as perfect as the larger ones. As a matter of fact, the larger ones can function properly only if the smaller ones show no defect. In a similar way earnest metaphysical work cannot be fully effective when our thinking and acting lack purity or some other essential spiritual quality in less important work.

Many a Bible story or metaphor illustrates the importance of one's undivinded allegiance to good. In the second chapter of Jeremiah we read that God reproved His people for having hewn out "broken cisterns, that can hold no water," and for having forsaken "the fountain of living waters," in other words, the source of divine power.

The fundamental truths implied in this reproof are clearly explained in Christian Science. Our Leader writes in Science and Health (pp. 300, 301), "God is revealed only in that which reflects Life, Truth, Love,—yea, which manifests God's attributes and power, even as the human likeness thrown upon the mirror, repeats the color, form, and action of the person in front of the mirror."

Expressing perfection, one is reflecting divine Mind and its power. Through fidelity to Truth and complete obedience to Principle, Mrs. Eddy availed herself of divine energies. And her work keeps unfolding into an ever greater blessing for humanity.

This power for good is available to everyone who sincerely desires to live up to the standard of perfection Mrs. Eddy set forth. In "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" she writes (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." Many Christian Scientists, through their constant devotion to Truth, have contributed much toward revealing the power of good.

There are many today who disapprove of evil ways and agree with good, but who do little to denounce these errors. All could do so much more than they are doing in the overthrow of error, if they were aware of the importance of striving for perfection constantly. It may seem harmless to some to cheat just a little—"What's the difference?"—to disobey regulations—"Everybody does it"—and to follow the easy way. But from a scientific standpoint such an attitude is far from harmless; it is inadmissible.

Imagine what would happen if a mathematician applied the laws of mathematics in the complicated processes, but neglected the easy rules of adding and subtracting! All would be spoiled. So it is in divine Science. Nothing foreign to Truth's purity can bring out its almighty power. But purity and obedience to Principle do reveal the power of God, and as they do so we see our obligation to promulgate and establish the truths of divine Science.

Even more than in Mrs. Eddy's days we should heed her words today (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 176): "Are we duly aware of our own great opportunities and responsibilities? Are we prepared to meet and improve them, to act up to the acme of divine energy wherewith we are armored?"

We are witnessing a great revolution in the world, such as is foretold in the Bible (Ezek. 21:27), "I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him." The upheaval of evil, Christian Science explains, is the result of a moral chemicalization which brings error to the surface to be destroyed. But destroyed it must be, not lamented or phlegmatically accepted. This is why the great need is for a supreme devotion to Principle.

In order "to act up to the acme of divine energy," it is imperative to obey Jesus' command to be perfect. Truth requires perfection for its manifestation. Only through ever-watchful obedience to Principle can we bring ourselves under the law of God and avail ourselves of man's birthright of dominion over all the earth.