Running with patience the race that is set before us

Readings for Wed., 1/11/17, 2nd Church, Berkeley
SH Phil. 3:13-15
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
SH Phil. 2:12-16
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings: 15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; 16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
SH Luke 8:40
40 And it came to pass, that, when Jesus was returned, the people gladly received him: for they were all waiting for him.
SH Luke 13:11-17
11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. 12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. 13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day. 15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering? 16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day? 17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
SH Ps. 19:1-5
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
SH Eccl. 9:11, 13-18 (to 1st :)
11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. 13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: 14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: 15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. 16 Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. 17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war:
SH I Cor. 9:24-27 (to 1st :)
24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:
SH 15:14
In order to pray aright, we must enter into the
closet and shut the door. We must close the lips and
silence the material senses. In the quiet
sanctuary of earnest longings, we must
deny sin and plead God’s allness. We must resolve to
take up the cross, and go forth with honest hearts to
work and watch for wisdom, Truth, and Love. We
must “pray without ceasing.” Such prayer is an-
swered, in so far as we put our desires into practice.
The Master’s injunction is, that we pray in secret and
let our lives attest our sincerity.
SH 28:15-24
Neither the origin, the character, nor the work of
Jesus was generally understood. Not a single compo-
nent part of his nature did the material
world measure aright. Even his righteous-
less and purity did not hinder men from saying: He
is a glutton and a friend of the impure, and Beelzebub is
his patron.
Remember, thou Christian martyr, it is enough if
thou art found worthy to unloose the sandals of thy
Master’s feet! To suppose that persecution
SH 20:24-32
Material belief is slow to acknowledge what the
spiritual fact implies. The truth is the centre of all
religion. It commands sure entrance into
the realm of Love. St. Paul wrote, “Let us
lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so
easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that
is set before us;” that is, let us put aside material self
and sense, and seek the divine Principle and Science of
all healing.
SH 22:11-17
“Work out your own salvation,” is the demand of
Life and Love, for to this end God worketh with you.
“Occupy till I come!” Wait for your re-
ward, and “be not weary in well doing.” If
your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive
no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a
sluggard in the race.
SH 3:4-16
Who would stand before a blackboard, and pray the
principle of mathematics to solve the problem? The
rule is already established, and it is our
task to work out the solution. Shall we
ask the divine Principle of all goodness to do His own
work? His work is done, and we have only to avail
ourselves of God’s rule in order to receive His bless-
ing, which enables us to work out our own salvation.
The Divine Being must be reflected by man, – else
man is not the image and likeness of the patient,
tender, and true, the One “altogether lovely;” but to
understand God is the work of eternity, and demands
absolute consecration of thought, energy, and desire.
SH 23:21-31
In Hebrew, Greek, Latin, and English, faith and the
words corresponding thereto have these two defini-
tions, trustfulness and trustworthiness. One
kind of faith trusts one’s welfare to others.
Another kind of faith understands divine Love and how
to work out one’s “own salvation, with fear and trem-
bling.” “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!”
expresses the helplessness of a blind faith; whereas the
injunction, “Believe . . . and thou shalt be saved!”
demands self-reliant trustworthiness, which includes spir-
itual understanding and confides all to God.
SH 30:26-3
If we have triumphed sufficiently over the errors of
material sense to allow Soul to hold the control, we
shall loathe sin and rebuke it under every mask. Only
in this way can we bless our enemies, though they
may not so construe our words. We cannot choose for
ourselves, but must work out our salvation in the way
Jesus taught. In meekness and might, he was found
preaching the gospel to the poor. Pride and fear are unfit
to bear the standard of Truth, and God will never place
it in such hands.
SH 519:3 Deity
Deity was satisfied with His work. How could
He be otherwise, since the spiritual creation
was the outgrowth, the emanation, of His infinite self-
containment and immortal wisdom?
SH 442:19 An
An improved belief cannot retrograde. When
Christ changes a belief of sin or of sickness into
a better belief, then belief melts into spiritual understand-
ing, and sin, disease, and death disappear. Christ, Truth,
gives mortals temporary food and clothing until the ma-
terial, transformed with the ideal, disappears, and man
is clothed and fed spiritually. St. Paul says, “Work
out your own salvation with fear and trembling:” Jesus
said, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good
pleasure to give you the kingdom.” This truth is
Christian Science.






Phil. 3:13-15
Phil. 2:12-16
Luke 8:40
Luke 13:11-17
Ps. 19:1-5
Eccl. 9:11, 13-18 (to :)
I Cor. 9:24-27 (to :)
SH 15:14
SH 28:15-24
SH 20:24-32
SH 22:11-17
SH 3:4-16
SH 23:21-31
SH 30:26-3
SH 519:3 Deity
SH 442:19 An

Hymns:
354 Tis God, the Spirit, leads
242 O, still in accents sweet and strong
183 Make haste, O man, to do

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