Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016 Testimony Meeting

340: 5-10

There is no excellence without labor; and the time to work, is now. Only by persistent, unremitting, straight- forward toil; by turning neither to the right nor to the left, seeking no other pursuit or pleasure than that which cometh from God, can you win and wear the crown of the faithful.

230: 2-4; 14-21

Success in life depends upon persistent effort, upon the improvement of moments more than upon any other one thing.

All successful individuals have become such by hard work; by improving moments before they pass into hours, and hours that other people may occupy in the pursuit of pleasure. They spend no time in sheer idleness, in talking when they have nothing to say, in building air castles or floating off on the wings of sense: all of which drop human life into the ditch of nonsense, and worse than waste its years.

2-3; 7-5

The song of Christian Science is, “Work – work – work – watch and pray.” The close observer reports three types of human nature – the right thinker and worker, the idler, and the intermediate. The right thinker works; he gives little time to society manners or matters, and benefits society by his example and usefulness. He takes no time for amusement, ease, frivolity; he earns his money and gives it wisely to the world.

The wicked idler earns little and is stingy; he has plenty of means, but he uses them evilly. Ask how he gets his money, and his satanic majesty is supposed to answer smilingly: “By cheating, lying, and crime; his dupes are his capital; his stock in trade, the wages of sin; your idlers are my busiest workers; they will leave a lucrative business to work for me.” Here we add: The doom of such workers will come, and it will be more sudden, severe, and lasting than the adversary can hope. The intermediate worker works at times. He says: “It is my duty to take some time for myself; however, I believe in working when it is convenient.” Well, all that is good. But what of the fruits of your labors? And he answers: “I am not so successful as I could wish, but I work hard enough to be so.”

Now, what saith Christian Science? “When a man is right, his thoughts are right, active, and they are fruitful; he loses self in love, and cannot hear himself, unless he loses the chord. The right thinker and worker does his best, and does the thinking for the ages.

1: 6-9

Prayer, watching, and working, combined with self-immolation, are God’s gracious means for accomplishing whatever has been successfully done for the Christianization and health of mankind.

28: 4-7

It is only by praying, watching, and working for the kingdom of heaven within us and upon earth, that we enter the strait and narrow way, whereof our Master said, “and few there be that find it.”

27: 22-27

Jesus sent forth seventy students at one time, but only eleven left a desirable historic record. Tradition credits him with two or three hundred other disciples who have left no name. “Many are called, but few are chosen.” They fell away from grace because they never truly understood their Master’s instruction.

283: 24-29

Each student should, must, work out his own problem of being; conscious, meanwhile, that God worketh with him, and that he needs no personal aid. It is the genius of Christian Science to demonstrate good, not evil, — harmony, not discord; for Science is the mandate of Truth which destroys all error.

118: 24-28

Be of good cheer; the warfare with one’s self is grand; it gives one plenty of employment, and the divine Principle worketh with you,—and obedience crowns persistent effort with everlasting victory.

116: 26-29

Never absent from your post, never off guard, never ill-humored, never unready to work for God,—is obedience; being “faithful over a few things.”

2: 6-14; 17-20

The signs of these times portend a long and strong determination of mankind to cleave to the world, the flesh, and evil, causing great obscuration of Spirit. When we remember that God is just, and admit the total depravity of mortals, alias mortal mind,—and that this Adam legacy must first be seen, and then must be subdued and recompensed by justice, the eternal attribute of Truth,—the outlook demands labor, and the laborers seem few.

The time approaches when divine Life, Truth, and Love will be found alone the remedy for sin, sickness, and death; when God, man’s saving Principle, and Christ, the spiritual idea of God, will be revealed.

19: 22-28 (let)

… let us work more earnestly in His vineyard, and according to the model on the mount, bearing the cross meekly along the rugged way, into the wilderness, up the steep ascent, on to heaven, making our words golden rays in the sunlight of our deeds; and “these signs shall follow them that believe; . . . they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”

519: 28-2

The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint, is in holy work.