John records in his Gospel the story of the disciples who fished all one night and caught nothing. Yet in the morning at Jesus' command to cast their net on the right side their net was filled. Why should this toil all night have been unproductive and yet with exactly the same material conditions be astonishingly productive after Jesus' directive? The change evidently came as a result of obedience to the command to cast the net on the right side.

Many a person struggling with lack, whether a man in business or a woman in the home, would like to follow Jesus' command and cast his net on the right side, if only he could understand how this is done. Yet there is no mystery or secret about the method. Many incidents and statements in the Old and New Testaments enlighten us on this subject. Jesus' teachings are definite and explicit. In this age Mary Baker Eddy's revelation of Christian Science, given in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," clears away the mists that have seemed to obscure the availability and practicability of the Master's leadership. Two of Jesus' statements that illustrate his teachings on this subject of supply are as follows (Matt. 6:33): "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you," and (Luke 6:38): "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." From these two passages one can see that the demonstration of supply indicates a state of consciousness; it stems from love of God and love for our brother man.

To the student of Christian Science these words and works of Jesus are spiritually illuminated by Mrs. Eddy's revelation of the allness of God, Love; of man's purity and perfection as His image and likeness; and of the nothingness of matter and the illusive and unreal nature of a mortal burdened with weakness and failure, with sin and sickness.

The student's understanding of Mrs. Eddy's statements of truth gives him the basis for demonstrating both his love for God and his love for his brother. Indeed, the student's effort to express this kind of loving mental activity and to make it practical in his daily living is the regenerating and redemptive renewing of the mind spoken of by the Apostle Paul where he says (Rom. 12:2), "Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

One should not toil all night and draw in nothing because his thought is absorbed in material getting. Instead, he should strive to give, not matter, but of his understanding of God, to others. Jesus was continuously going about giving of his store of spiritual riches and understanding. He was no recluse. So we need not look down on or despise our business activity or service in the home or accept it with reluctance, for here is where we can show that we are being activated by unselfishness, intelligence, the desire to serve, interest in our work, and healthy, God-inspired thinking. We may seem to be working for a living. The truth is that we are working for God. The material work simply gives us the opportunity to love our brother and reflect our understanding of God. The reflection of God includes the reflection of His work, as well as the reflection of His supply.

Supply is not a product or result of material activity. In truth, work and supply are indivisible; their origin being God, they are simultaneously reflected by man. To reflect God's work and to be unable to reflect supply is impossible. Moreover, as one realizes the presence of the Christ and wakes from his worldly dream of toil in matter he sees that even if one goes to work in God's vineyard at the eleventh hour he receives his full supply.

This truth is brought out in Jesus' parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Humanly this may seem unreasonable, but to Christ Jesus, who saw Life as eternal, time meant little. Turning to work for God meant everything.

That the works and teachings of Jesus and of Mrs. Eddy on supply are not merely a beautiful theory, but quite practical, is shown by the following experience of a student of Christian Science. In this incident, as in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, God's supply was realized at the very last hour. The student was managing a contracting business in the construction field. One week, due to a combination of unhappy circumstances, there were not enough funds to meet the payroll. After the midnight preceding payday, when it seemed that all available human resources were exhausted, a Christian Science practitioner was told the circumstances and asked to help. She agreed to work, although the time left was only the remainder of that night and the morning of the next day.

In the morning a list was made of customers who still owed on their accounts, but the amount due was not adequate. Nevertheless, with the idea of doing everything possible, a member of the concern went out to see what could be collected. Before noon he returned with the entire payroll—and more for good measure! As he went about his task it had occurred to him to go to some customers whose contracts had not even been started to see if they would advance payments in this emergency. He found such loving and willing co-operation from those he approached that his mission was successful. The practitioner later explained to the student that she had used in her work that verse from the story of the prodigal son which reads (Luke 15:31), "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine."

Coinciding with Jesus' teaching on work and supply is Mrs. Eddy's statement (Science and Health, p. 494), "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." This statement is not a formula to unlock the treasures of God's kingdom. It is a law of Principle which must be lived, to be demonstrated. In truth this constitutes the demonstration of that Mind "which was also in Christ Jesus." Thus we see that the requirements for proving God's law of work and supply are simply a realization of God's love for us, the demonstration of our love for God, and the reflection of this love to our neighbor.