Daily Watch for the week of August 14th, – August 21st, 2022
From 500 Watching Points by Gilbert Carpenter
224 — WATCH lest you accept the demonstrations of divine Mind year after year, without making the effort to take on divine Mind as your mind by reflection, by repudiating entirely the human mind so-called.
The question is, whether one can expect to continue to have such proofs in his life — evidences of the power of divine Mind to help in time of need — if he fails to fulfill the demands of progress, namely, to labor to exchange minds as fast as possible. Demonstration in Christian Science has for its purpose exhibiting the value of divine Mind, in contrast to the weakness and worthlessness of the human mind. While the improved state of the latter, which Christian Science brings out, may seem useful and necessary for a time in man’s journey upward, the human mind finally betrays one and falls by its own weakness, unless it is put off. The demonstration of Mind, which takes away human discord, is not intended to leave a patient in a state of negative harmony, where he fancies that he can continue to call on God whenever he suffers in any way, and thus maintain this negative sense of harmony in the flesh.
The rewards given to a dog when he is being trained, are merely designed to encourage him to right effort. When he has received his full training, he is required to obey without further reference to rewards. The first effects of demonstration in Science bring man the human reward of surcease from discord, the purpose of which is to encourage him to continue in well doing. Nor do such rewards cease as one succeeds in putting off the old and taking on the new; but the advancing student is expected to forge ahead without reference to such rewards, and to do his work for the world, whether he is rewarded with harmony in the flesh or not.
Click here to listen to the unabridged Watching Point:
from Watches, Prayers, and Arguments, as given by Mary Baker Eddy, page 49
“Hear, O Israel, for the Lord, our God, is one God.”
You are not to come in your own name to pray.
You are not to control any mind.
You are to come only in the divine strength, and know that God will rule and does, and that hypnotism and evil minds cannot, and do not, control men or governments.
All power is God, good.
This is my only formula to Christian Scientists for prayer, and God will give you faith that will remove mountains.