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Do you think of yourself as “a joy” to God? Look for opportunities this week to “be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.” Be sure to claim the promise that, “They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble,” for we really are “the seed of the blessed of the Lord.” Nothing we do as His reflection is ever in vain. It bears fruit! And God, like a good gardener, constantly tends and nurtures His seeds so that they “spring forth in righteousness and peace.”
Sometimes people tend to avoid the “Adam and Fallen Man” lesson because they see it as a downer, reminding them that man is “fallen” – a sinner and a failure. Actually, just the opposite is true. This lesson lifts off the scholastic theology that casts man in the “Adam” mold, stuck on a dust-to-dust, womb-to-tomb treadmill.
Often when we’re right on the brink of a spiritual breakthrough, the temptation comes to take a mental detour by acknowledging a power apart from God. Jesus wasn’t fooled. He stayed with what he had learned from the Scriptures, and he was safe. We can do that, too. … “And God leadeth us not into temptation, but delivereth us from sin, disease, and death.” … this line (from Mrs. Eddy’s spiritual interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer) may be a headline for the entire lesson.
“The admission to oneself that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea.” Will you admit that you really are God’s own likeness? Then you’re free to fly, free to shine.
“When you multiply a blessing by infinity, you get infinite blessing – nothing less.” …. (in) “the false sense of multiplication, the belief that one problem builds upon another, consuming our time, our thought, even our ability to love. This is multiplication by zero, so the result must be zero.”
Who could be better to trust with all our decisions than “the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal”? And our daily work with the seven synonyms opens up our understanding of God as nothing else can. You might try asking yourself what each one of these synonyms is doing today. For instance, What is Truth doing today? It’s uncovering, revealing, stirring, awakening, correcting. What is Love doing today? It’s embracing, supporting, comforting, nourishing, teaching.
Notice how the idea of the Word runs like a golden thread through this lesson. One way to follow this is to ask yourself, “What is God saying?’ What He says stands forever. “He spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” (B1) One good way to check your thinking is to put the words “thus saith the Lord” in front of any thought that’s coming to you and test its logic. For instance, would it make sense to say, “Thus saith the Lord, I’m really tired? Or sick? Or afraid?” Can you imagine, “Thus saith the Lord: I can’t stand that guy”? If God didn’t say it, you can’t believe it.
God gives man His dominion over all the earth, and “over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” What are the “creeping things” in your experience? Sometimes they may be creeping fears, doubts, discouragement. Age can be a “creeping thing.” Habits may creep up on us and claim to be our identity. God has given us dominion over them all.
