In his memorable Sermon on the Mount, Christ Jesus pointed out the folly of looking to material things as of primary importance; of using "vain repetitions"; of praying where one could be seen of men. Then he assured his hearers, "Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

Sometimes the question may logically arise, Just what is it that we need? To one suffering from pain, disease, deformity, or some other bodily inharmony, the need appears to be wholly for the alleviation of the physical difficulty. Any means that offer such alleviation might be considered justifiable. Likewise, it might seem natural to one suffering from an insufficiency of funds, business depression, or economic maladjustments of any kind, that the acquisition of large possessions would correct the difficulty; and to one who is lonesome and unhappy that companionship and material pleasures might offer surcease and provide for the need. But always the basic requirement is for a change of thinking.

Jesus once admonished one whom he had healed, "Sin no more;" and at another time, when challenged, he asked, "Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?" Apparently he did not differentiate between sin and sickness, because he knew that sickness is always the result of some form of discordant thinking. Jesus recognized very clearly that what the individual most needs is release from wrong or sinful thinking manifested in discordant bodily conditions. He healed by releasing the individual from his false beliefs.

Thinking that is constructive, healthy, normal, and unselfed is evidenced in a healthy, normal state of well-being. Health is a condition of thought, not a bodily condition; it is a state of consciousness; hence the value of Jesus' admonition, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." "All these things" would include health, supply, happiness, and so on. Thinking of God is a normal condition of thought, a healthy state of consciousness. To seek the kingdom of God, that is, to acknowledge God's forever presence, His supreme power, His one and irresistible Science, His Christ, is essential. To find God, to experience the results of understanding His divine presence, power, and Science, is the reward of patient and persistent right thinking and right living. The things that are added are incidental; they are the normal effects of righteous thinking. But the motive, the basic need, is to be ever conscious of God and His righteousness—to glorify Him.

This proved to be the case with a woman who had been suffering from a serious condition called carious bones in the pelvic region. So many operations had been performed that the doctors were convinced that she would never be able to walk again. In her extremity she began to study and apply Christian Science and asked help of a Christian Science practitioner, who quickly discerned that the woman was filled with a deep-seated resentment toward another member of her family. He saw that what she needed was more love and forgiveness, a greater realization that man is the image of God. She needed also to know that, as God's image and likeness, she could have no resentment, no ungodlike thoughts. With the removal of the hatred, her body responded by manifesting healthy functions and substance, and in a very short time she was restored to health, walking and even running as well as anyone.

A sudden influx of material wealth might be, and sometimes is, harmful to one laboring with insufficiency of some kind. Why? Because the manifestation of lack has its base in some false mental disorder or wrong thought. Many times it is the result of lack of wisdom, lack of economy, lack of self-control, lack of providence, or lack of self-denial. Unless such false beliefs or human weaknesses are corrected and replaced with right thinking, and divine guidance is sought where before human self-interest and self-consideration have held sway in human thought, an abundance of material possessions might serve only to delay the overcoming of the unwisdom and selfish thinking.

One who had experienced much deprivation over a period of years learned through the study of Christian Science that lack of humility was the seeming cause of his poverty; that pride and a great fear of human opinion were impoverishing him. With the overcoming of this false sense, income and economic status improved logically and satisfactorily. Abundance of faith in God, in good; utter reliance upon Truth under all circumstances; unselfed motives governing human actions— these can never suffer any shipwreck upon the shoals of self-centered thinking and hidden rocks of failure; indeed they always bring ample provision for every need.

Healing in Christian Science is always a resurrection in some degree, the rolling away of the stone of selfishness, the raising of one's thoughts from the deadness of materiality, and the reviving of buried hopes and spiritual ideals. Then the Christ, Truth, appears to human consciousness in the liberating power of spiritual demonstration. Christian Science is therefore restorative, bringing to light man's true status and spiritual individuality as a child of God.

God is perfect, and man is His image and true likeness. All anyone can ever need is to know this great fact, put into practice its deep import, and express more Godlike qualities. Graciousness gentleness, tenderness, thoughtfulness, consideration of others, appreciation—these qualities cultivated, together with other spiritual graces, will rout lonesomeness, unhappiness, self-consciousness, self-depreciation, and thus make room for friendliness within. Then, naturally, friendly companionship will be experienced without, and joyous co-operation will be seen as everywhere present.

We need spiritual thinking, spiritual ideas. We need the right idea of health; that is, we must know that health results from Godlike thinking. We need the right idea of wealth; that is, we must be conscious of true substance, rich in spirituality. We need the right idea of happiness; that is, we must think unselfishly, joyously, and gratefully. We need spiritualization of thought and action, the angels of His presence, to guide us in our daily tasks. Mrs. Eddy has said (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 306): '"When angels visit us, we do not hear the rustle of wings, nor feel the feathery touch of the breast of a dove: but we know their presence by the love they create in our hearts. Oh may you feel this touch,— it is not the clasping of hands, nor a loved person present; it is more than this: it is a spiritual idea that lights your path!" She continues, "God gives you His spiritual ideas, and in turn, they give you daily supplies." Spiritual ideas, then, are what we need. This need the ever-present Mind, God, eternally supplies.