In the Christian Science Bible Lesson March 18, 2013 Issue

Test every thought

For the Lesson titled "Matter" from March 18 - 24, 2013

Nancy Fischer

Profound questions help students think deeply, discovering new insights and powerful truths. This week’s Bible Lesson titled “Matter” poses at least 33 such questions! All of them require us to choose our answers carefully, and then live those answers. The Lesson opens with these words in the Golden Text: “Thou art my portion, O Lord” (Psalms 119:57). The Contemporary English Version translates: “You, Lord, are my choice.” Choosing God, Spirit, as the basis of all that’s true, we see that matter, with its burdens and limitations, is totally false and powerless. The Lesson then urges us to test every thought and situation that comes to us. “Beloved, ... try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (I John 4:1, Responsive Reading).

To aid us in this testing process, all but one section of this Lesson has a pointed question as its first citation from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

For instance, here’s the opening Science and Health question in Section 3: “Can Deity be almighty, if another mighty and self-creative cause exists and sways mankind?” (p. 357, citation 9). What a story we’re given to illustrate the futility of trusting material human strength over God’s power! After her healing of barrenness, Samson’s mother consecrated him to God as a Nazarite (see Judges 13–16). This dedicated life is described in Numbers 6, and carried with it three main conditions: not drinking wine or other intoxicants, not going near a dead body, and not cutting one’s hair. One of God’s gifts to Samson was incredible strength. But because of Samson’s uncontrolled passion (unbecoming of a Nazarite), instead of freeing the Israelites from the Philistines, his battles stemmed from his involvements with Philistine women. Ultimately, his moral weakness with the temptress Delilah revealed his belief that his strength depended on his never-cut hair. When his locks were shorn, his strength was gone.