True tribute

This week's Bible lesson on Life has a parable, a crucifixtion and resurrection, and a stoning. The theme given in the Golden text is everlasting life. But before I share some things from my own study, let's begin with the importance of choosing good. Mrs. Eddy writes in the first section: "How important, then, to choose good as the reality!" That is a part of every healing, the choosing of the presence of good and its power over the lie claiming dominion over us. It's the following sentence on page 514 that caught my attention today. "Man is tributary to God, Spirit, and to nothing else."

I looked up 'tributary' and it has two meanings. One is 'to pay gratitude'. Expressing our gratitude to God is our tribute to divine Love. God is the only one we pay tribute to, or else we would be breaking the first commandment. God doesn't want or need our money. That is not the tribute we pay. We pay tribute to God by honoring all that is true about Him and about ourselves, made in His image and likeness. Nothing else has power or is real.

The second definition is 'a stream that flows into a larger body of water'. Interesting to think of ourselves as that little stream that joins up with the large body of water, gaining strength and power.

We can use both definitions as we pay tribute to Good. We can be sure we do not divide our allegiance. We can see the God is the source and we are tributary to that source, able to be a part of it and having all of it available to us. And as we love our neighbors we are con-tributing.

Tomorrow we will look closely at Jesus' parable of the tares and the wheat.

Be at peace.