Nothing is more important to mankind, today and every day, than to understand the nature of God and of man’s relation to Him, and to keep this to the forefront in all things. God is no different in one age than in another; the only possible difference is in the human concept of Him. There are times when men seem to forget God altogether, when the belief that there is something besides Him absorbs their attention; but that is a condition of thought which must sooner or later be rectified.

Jesus’ ministry established the fact that the practice of his teachings is the one gateway into the kingdom of heaven. His only business on earth, as he said to Pilate, was to “bear witness unto the truth” (John 18:37). And it follows that this is our business also, if we would be his disciples. His thoughts were not contaminated by the evils which seemed to surround him, because he was always aware of his unity with the Father, and he knew that, since God is infinite, evil does not exist. Is not the same conscious attitude possible for Christians today?

Because so much of our lives may seem commonplace, and involved in materiality, it is thought by some to be impracticable to keep God in constant remembrance; but when it is realized that apart from Him there is no real existence or consciousness, we should strive to attain the mental attitude which recognizes all real being as of God, and man’s uninterrupted, indestructible divine sonship. When we see our spiritual identity as alone real, we shall find it possible to know ourselves always as what we truly are—God’s children.

The round of daily affairs will always furnish opportunities to know God better and trust Him more. 

When one’s thoughts are good, “every place is hallowed ground” (Christian Science Hymnal, No. 227). The needful everyday tasks, if lovingly done, will partake of the nature of divine service, and this spirit of helpfulness will glorify all that we rightly do. Thus the round of daily affairs will always furnish opportunities to know God better and trust Him more. The divine Principle of all real being is ever present to help, whatever one’s material occupation, whether it is thought to be a high or lesser service. The Master taught his wonderful lessons to men and women such as we are today—the high and low, the rich and poor alike. It is the same with the revelation of Christian Science, which is immediately available to all who are grappling with the problems and temptations common to humanity, and can be taken into every moment of their lives.

The human sense of existence is not made up of the big things alone. What the world calls great deeds are not being performed all the time. People stand judged by their characters, by what they are in their thinking, by their attitude in meeting daily experiences, in the annoyances, the temptations, and the almost endless succession of worldly demands. The individual’s conduct in these things is governed by his thinking, which helps or hinders his progress heavenward. To be patient and loving under provocation, to be graciously kind and considerate in the friction of daily associations, to express God’s thoughts, day in and day out, will contribute to the building of Christian character, and thus prepare one for the occasional big things one may have the opportunity to do.

To change one’s thoughts or mental attitude from evil to good in any one moment is a simple and easy process, when we think of it in the abstract, so simple and easy that it is too frequently neglected. Yet this substitution of good for evil, moment by moment, is the only means by which to make “our common, daily life divine” (Hymnal, No. 238). Is not this what our Leader means where she says (Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, 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”?

What we are doing with our knowledge of Christian Science in our everyday experiences is the real test of our fidelity to its teachings. The infinitude of good is the essential fact of being to be accepted, irrespective of one’s environment or circumstances. Because of this spiritual fact, the moment in which we are now living, thinking, and working belongs to divinity alone; and this spiritual activity will continue throughout eternity. The supposition that there is a consciousness besides infinite divine consciousness is but the vain imaginings of ignorance and error.

The place which in all honesty we should give to God in our daily lives does not leave room for anything else, since as Christian Scientists we affirm that there is nothing else. It is not reasonable to condemn the teaching that God permits evil to exist and operate in the universe, if we are permitting its presence and activity in our own lives. When we acknowledge to ourselves that God is the only Mind, how can we at the same time consent to think as if we had a mind of our own apart from the divine Mind? In Miscellaneous Writings Mrs. Eddy writes (pp. 196–197), “The Scriptures require more than a simple admission and feeble acceptance of the truths they present; they require a living faith, that so incorporates their lessons into our lives that these truths become the motive-power of every act.”

One has not learned the primary essential of true living until he recognizes that without God he can do nothing. Whatever is right to express, or to do, is possible only because of what God is. This infinite Principle is universally at hand every moment, in every circumstance, in every association, in every duty that confronts us, always ready to impart the power, wisdom, intelligence, courage, strength, and grace that we need.

Whatever is right to express, or to do, is possible only because of what God is.

Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, “Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (I Corinthians 10:31). It should be seen that whatever cannot be done from that standpoint cannot be worth the doing. How can one think to leave God out of the round of his business, domestic, and social affairs, and have anything of value remaining? Not to give God and the qualities which express Him their rightful place in what we think or say or strive for, would mean spiritual impoverishment. If we would reach the conscious liberty of the children of God, there must come a point in our experience where we begin to conduct our activities, and pursue our interests, as if we actually believe God to be to us all that we say He is.

There is always in each individual the best that he is capable of thinking and doing; and the least which God can require is that we shall be loyal to it, for that is our way of approach to the divine. Less than this would not be just to God or to oneself. To give out the best we know, moment by moment, is within human possibility; and to continue this from day to day is a course which surely leads to the kingdom of heaven. What other attitude or aim in life is worthy of one’s possession or pursuit?