"And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." I John 2:25

Just the way John reminded his friends of a key fact that Christ Jesus preached and proved 2,000 years ago, you're letting your friends know that the same fact is true today too: life is STILL eternal. Guess that's not going to change any time soon. Or ever.

Thanks, Tom, for your fresh way of stating an obvious-to-Christians point that may've begin to sound trite to some of us. You know, rote, routine, rehearsed, ritualized.

It's amazing how I'm suddenly looking at problems, which reside in my thinking and not "out there," in an entirely new light after a two-minute sermonette from a mountaintop in Whittier.

Say, ARE there any mountains there?

Your gentle, joyful message of eternal life puts this little healing challenge I am facing in context for me. So helpful. Thank you.

I like this Daily Lift very much. It is so comforting to be reminded again that Life is eternal and is our only life, and of the unreality and temporary nature of all seeming problems.

Marie - Merci Tom pour ce merveilleux contexte.

Thank you for this excellent explanation about ONE LIFE only.
Mary Baker Eddy writes in Miscellany, page 158: „We live in an age of Love's divine adventure to be All-in-all.“ I love to expand it: "We live in an age of LIFE's divine adventure to be All-in-all." Knowing that this Life is eternal and sinless changes the perspective of just everything! It helps to value and treasure life in its infinite expressions.

nice! very good one :)

Thank you Tom for this wonderful Lift. I will use these thoughts throughout my day.
It takes the daily pressures off as we think of life as governed by God, and our life
as eternal, and expressing God's qualities. We really don't have to be limited by
time. As we pray and listen, we can be led and protected. Thank you to all of
the Daily Lifters for more inspirations.
Have a wonderful day!

Thank you, this idea of context is really helpful.

Thank you! Perfect!

Context: the meaning of the message.
(“¡The people wants to know what is all about!”, claimed the Argentine people outside the Cabildo in Buenos Aires in a rainy day back in 1810.
Wouldn't it be great if congress were transparent?)

A mayor contextual point about life is that Life is God, therefore life is one and is eternal -and as His children we are the window of His eternal expression. Our purpose is to reflect God, everything else is secondary.
ESPAÑOL
Contexto: el significado del mensaje.
("¡El pueblo quiere saber de qué se trata", gritaron a los argentinos afuera del Cabildo en Buenos Aires, un lluvioso día de 1810. ¿No sería bárbaro si congreso fuera transparente?)

Un punto importante del contexto de la vida, es que la vida es Dios, por lo tanto, la vida es una y es eterna y como Sus hijos somos la ventana de su expresión eterna. Nuestro propósito es reflejar a Dios, todo lo demás es secundario.

Just yesterday I read of a composer who had a mania for hearing his music rehearsed continually and was not satisfied enough to authorize a first performance. He went to see Rossini ( another composer) complaining and sighing as usual. Rossini asked what it was he was suffering from now. "O maestro," he said, "I am so sick - all over pains; I don't know what to do." Rossini, who knew that he had just come from a rehearsal said: "I'll tell you what it is: you listen to yourself too much."

This poor man was thinking of himself as the creator of the music and not giving God the credit for having inspired him to write it. He should have been listening to God, not to mortal suggestions. He was taking on false responsibility for his compositions and finding it a terrible burden. He was putting it into the wrong context. This pressure and pain was not from God and by understanding God as the One God, One Life who is responsible for all that really is, and letting God take care of him and the musical composition, he could find himself free to enjoy all that God was giving him to manifest.

Mrs. Eddy says that Life is eternal, and that we should find this out and begin the demonstration thereof. By understanding this and putting everything in our lives into the right context, and yielding to it, we can be free to be what God is making us to be. This is our true being as beloved children of God.

"There isn't any child of God, who's even close to the end of the road" Heart felt thanks for this message today Tom; Sometimes, when I look around me at folk who are panicing about "dead-lines" I doubt myself that I should feel so relaxed that every thing's alright already....your message kinda says it all.Thank you again.

Very uplifting 'Lift' This has strengthened me in a challenge I face.

I like the comment about problems must end as they are not from God who is never ending.

Many thanks Tom for reminding us that Love and therefore Life is eternal." "Fed by Thy love divine we live,/ For Love alone is Life; " (MBE Christian Science Hymnal #30)

Well, sometimes we need to get unplugged out of an unreal context, in which we seemingly could become entangled - if we are not alert to claim the real context, and to take up progress.

The idea of the real context reminds me to God`s omnipresence, omnipotence and omniscience-
which presents itself continually to its reflections - our task is to see and understand that divine context, which surrounds and is embracing everyone.

Oh, yes!...to be the "window" of God's eternal presence- there is no "night there". I suddenly saw the significance of the "new heaven and the new earth" as being an everpresent window/witness to God's Being. (It's at hand...not afar off). Thanks for this context of living our eternal life now.

I thank you.

Thank you Tom for this beautiful and refreshing view, the vistas of heaven await us! And are within our sight now, because we are already part of God's ever present view of us. I have only recently really begun to fathom how God is within us, is the Christlness of being, I can't really write it, only tell you it's a 'feel' that doesn't go away,and from this perspective all things adjust and heal. This Lift is so accurate in describing it!Thank you.

Precioso mensaje. "Nosotros, como hijos de Dios, somos la ventana por donde Él se expresa". ¡Gracias!

Me pareció interesante de compartir esta experiencia que leí: "Un ciego le preguntó a San Antonio: ¿Qué puede ser peor que perder la vista?Él le respondió: Que pierdas tu visión de las cosas." ¡Bella jornada para todos!

Thank you for this reminder to listen for God's voice.

Thank you. Beautiful and really uplifting.

Thank you so much! I love your remark about not trying to finish something short term, but living in the eternality of God. This is a wonderful thought to hold on to.

I needed and feel greatly supported by this reminder that Life is the only context for my life.

Al igual que el músico, pintor o cualquier expresión artísitica que requiere de un despojarse del contacto humano para trascender en bellas obras inspiradas por un sentir más allá de ataduras humanas y que nos da cierta comprención de cual debe ser el accionar para llegar a un inspirado sentir que trasciende la materia para despertar a una consciencia espiritual y en la cual podemos espresar con seguridad todo lo que Dios ES y que está en nosotros para dar ya que no es nuestro sino de Él, por eso la importancia de ser canal para que fluya el Bien, en el entendimiento y la consciencia de este hecho.trascendental, para lo cual somos actos por herencia inmarcesible e intacta de desvíos mortales, en la confianza que da la inmortalidad, tomando las palabras de Cristo, "que nos ha sido dada antes que el mundo fuese"

Si me preguntan que regalo me gustaría recibir, diría: que el Daily Lisf continúe ya que es un inspirado modo de perseverar en la tarea.

Muchas gracias Tom, thank you so much.

Tom, thank you so much for helping me to remember to keep my daily challenges into perspective and context. Your lift was soooooooo healing.
Good Day, All :-)

May this Lift "enrich the affections of all mankind..." Thank you!

Thanks so much, Tom, for reminding the importance of putting everything in context - as it relates to God. And to Little Child #1, yes there are mountains close to Whittier.

Nicely put together and ready to practice,
Thank you

Right on, what a way to start the day!
Thank you. D

Fantastic !!! Thank You . :-)

This is marvellous! Thank you Tom, I am replaying it again and again to get the full impact of the message.

This really helps me, because everyone says live your life to the fullest because you don't have forever. You definitly should live your life to God and follow what he is saying. But you have forever to do that. No one is on a time schedule.

"Whatever challenge we face today will certainly fall away as we go on progressing, loving and living."
Thank you so much for this courage-inspiring thought. It dispels discouragement.

Wow...what a wonderful reminder of the Truth of our being, a great understanding of the nothingness of lack of any kind. I've been working with this idea of limitless Life and no lack and your lift really helped solidify my thought. Everything really DOES work together for good! Thanks to all the Lifters, the BoL and Nate who reveal these gems each day.

Wonderful message. It has already "relaxed" my outlook for a busy day today. Thank you!

Thank you Tom, you expressed eternal Life so beautifully. Our context is made up of seven synonyms of God and the four sides of the holy city. You cannot take any of these qualities out of us because they are eternal and animal magnetism is a lie, it cannot prevent the second coming of the Christ for without God it has no power.

WOW! Good One, Tom! I love that "I am the window of God's expression"! Sometimes I just remind myself that it's not my little life I'm living, but God's Eternal Life I Am Living. That takes all the pressure off. Just a little tweak in perspective and the whole picture shifts. God is Living Me! "All the (material) world's a stage and we're (just make-believe) actors on it." Shakespeare. How funny! I'm laughing out loud that we take our own little petty drama so seriously! HA! Life IS God, Good, Forever! Repent and surrender to the new, true view! Wahoo!

Thank you so much, Tom. Such is the spot on analysis for Life eternal, we couldn't be distracted or diverted by thinking we could take a short cut through some painful memories, or spend some time dreaming of the possibilites of exciting plans for the future. We can just let God reflect man, and align oneself with the true reflection of God. We don't have to hurry since we have eternity to be His reflection.
Thank you Nathan and the production team; the BoL and lecturers; and the YDLers.

Excellent lift Tom....thank you!

That was a well illustrated, poignant reminder; thanks Tom!

P.S. As I was just starting to read the CS Bible Lesson, I got to the definition of Mind where it says: "The only I, or Us;...." and I thought, "yes, just who do I think I am?" Is there another I besides God? If there's only one I or Us, then there has to be only One Life or God! Thank God!

Thank you so much for today's Lift. I am loving the suggestion in #11 that I might be listening to my (mortal) self too much - what a great reminder!

Thank you.

Thanks, Tom, for the "new" context!

A grateful thank you Tom and to all the folks who add to the lift their thoughts and hymns and healings. Thanks TMC, DL team and Nate for doing these lifts daily.

THANK YOU TOM!!!!!!!

Thank you.A very helpful perspective.

Seeing life as eternal allows for "goof ups" along the way.....with the spirit " I'll do better tomorrow"
thanks for the Lift Tom. Jules of Ohio

Thank you, so clear concise and uplifting!

Obrigada Tom. Thank you so much Tom.

Yes, we aren't endlessly material either! We are 100% spiritual throughout eternity, claiming that here and now! This is just awesome! Lots to contemplate today, thank you, Tom!

Thanks!

This was great. It made me smile! Thank you so much.

I love that thought of eternity. Twice I have been saved by recognizing the presence of eternity. The first time I came into at one ment with eternity was when I was with a friend who thought she was dying and I stayed up all night with her reading and praying with her. Little did she know all that year I had been haunted by dreams of dying over and over. The next morning after praying with her I opened our Lesson to S&H that said, "Life is eternal." At that moment as clear as crystal, it dawned on me death was a hoax. There was no where to go. We are in eternal life now, living it where no hoax resides. Little to say I was freed from those dreams and the fear of death and so was my friend. Another time when I was left as a single mom with no income, I turned to the fact I knew I was living eternal life at that moment so I must also be living eternal supply at that moment. No more than a half hour later my former principal called and offered me an unexpectedly retiring first grade position starting in two weeks time. Again, these several weeks the thought of eternity has taken dominance in my thought. It is a homecoming word. Thanks for bringing it back into focus.

Thanks Tom, good lift

Life is eternal as a context to be living in has changed my perspective today. Thank you.

I have been thinking about the fact that "Life is eternal" for some time. So today's lift is timely. Thank you Tom. The concept of immortality takes the stress out of trying to accomplish a certain amount in a limited period of time, yet promptness is an important quality required of a Christian Science nurse (see S&H pg. 395). I think those nursing qualities are good to have in any occupation!
I am finding that keeping things in the context of eternal Life increases the ability to accomplish more in less time, and to be at the right place at the right time. Through the divine influence, promptness and eternity become synonymous.

Great perspective Tom...we needn't hurry
there are no time limits ... we have eternity
Neat realization!

Wonderful Lift! Thank you. Jotted down several phrases. I recently re-listened to a Spirituality.com chat where the Christian Science Practitioner urged us to grasp that immortality was not linear, but a growing sense of the eternal now, a depth of understanding eternal Life. This perception frees us from time-related fears and brings peace to every situation because we're not trying to figure things out on a time-line. I've gained glimpses of this truth during busy days and have felt a growing sense of the eternal safety of my loved ones praying with these ideas.

Context - refers to the essential facts which surround something. We are conscious of Life because we are always in the context/domain of God.

js #11 - loved your story. The music was always there to be expressed. The composer was having a little context challenge, that’s all. Too funny! – “you listen to yourself too much."

What a great lift!

Excellent message. I love putting daily life into its proper context and bigger picture.
THANK YOU for sharing these thoughts!

Faye from Iowa2/15/12
Thank you so much! You gave us so much to think about! It was beautiful. I have played it over and over too.
I will also remind other to be sure to listen today. There is a message and a reminder of comfort and healing for all of us!!

Thank you, Tom. The absolute, spiritual logic expressed is a reminder that the Truth is simple, and we needn't complicate our thought process. Only one God, who is all good, eternal, spiritual. Only one Life, which is only good eternal, spiritual. That's all there is! Gratefully...

You got it right, Tom. As a child I knew that I had always been and wondered why the adults just did not seem to get it. That kind of thinking and acting met some bumps on the road in childhood, just as it does today, but that does not preclude nor prevent forward motion, in true context. A great message.

Thank you Tom, and thank you Lifters. I listened to this several times, and still was amazed to find comments regarding the Lift details that I had somehow missed. So inspiring, and I am grateful.

Very powerful!

What a wonderful clear concise message! This one "spoke" to me today! Thank you Tom :)

Thank you Tom, very, very much!

WOW, thank you!!! I love what you said about our life being the window of His eternal expression. Thank you so much!!!!

Thank you so much! I love this Lift. It is inspiring on so many levels. Much gratitude.

Life is eternal! Thank you for today's lift!

I loved comment #11!

Tom; You have blessed us all with that healing message!
We can have only one God because there is none other.
Thank you, thank you!

Many thanks for this wonderful lift!

I'm so grateful for learning a bit more each day to see things from the liberating and healing context or perspective of perfect God and man in harmony, and from the empowering practical transformative context/perspective of each interaction as an opportunity to better understand and obey the Golden Rule, better loving God and myself and others as God does. What are God's lessons and blessin's for me in this to better bless others? A new way for me to do so is within the context of Compassionate or Nonviolent Communication that sees every human unconscious and conscious choice as an attempt to meet human needs, calling forth empathic connection and compassion from us to more clearly express and check these calls to meet needs in terms of requests that are positive, do-able, clear, present, action-oriented. So we can be a part of Divine Love meeting every human need. Never separated from Love. Moving it from mere empty nice theoretical distancing words to individually and presently living God's Word., that connects us through healing compassion.

This con- text (together- weave structure) makes me think of us coming together, being interwoven, as Church's structure that unites and strengthens and beautifies is powerful and liberating. It is all the text coming together of Love's story and structure for us.

What a great message, Tom, thank you. I'm rejoicing today that the God who is Life eternal would never give Her children -- you and me and all of us -- any other context to live in, except the Life that is eternal.

Thank you so much, Tom for the nice lift.

In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy wrote that the Indians caught some glimpses of Soul when they called a Beautiful lake the "Smile of the Great Spirit" I live near an Indian Reservation and they have their Pow Wows every year. In their native american religion the theme of eternal life is evident as they do every thing in circles, their dances, their art, their homes(teepees) as the circle is continueous and never ending. #62 said it nicely. We are all in the circle or context of Love,never ending..

Keeping thoughts and life focused on GOD or LIFE - comforting lift for me today at school after being informed about the death of a former pupil

What a great lift! Thank you Tom and commenters. Sure takes the pressure off and puts everything into a mellow context.

Thank you Tom!

Thank you for this great perspective! And a title to make it easy to keep in mind. Such deep ideas that I had to write them down and to ponder many of them, especially the two " We have a lot of living to do " and "we can not expect any type of decline"! Life is really infinite, when it comes to all the ideas expressed through all these wonderful daily lifts!
Thanks also to JS, Nr 11, for this inspiring story, that I could link to todays CSMonitor Christian Article "Narcissism and the joy of unselfish living".

Thank you so much for the words "our purpose for living today is being what God is making us to be, the window of His eternal expression". I love that thought!! Thank you for sharing it with us!
Thank you also to the BoL for making Daily Lift available!

Hi Tom...This is the perfect message I needed. Thanks for the lift. Suepxo

Thank you. An inspiring message!

That is pretty terrific---Can't say more than thank you for the clarity!

Life is eternal! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! perfect context. Thank you.

Hadn't realized that the word con-text has the same root as text and textile - weave, braid, join together.
(comment 77 Edie)

Luther Bible, Acts 17:28 is, translated into English: ... in Him we live and weave and have our being.
Apostelgeschichte 17:28 "... in ihm leben, weben und sind wir."

Enjoyed the message, Tom, and how you presented it to us. Certainly enjoyed everyone's comments, as well....such healing inspiration from ALL!
Thanks to the Board of Lectureship for your contributions, and to Nate and the crew for such a "job well done" every Monday through Friday!

Thanks you and I especially liked no.11's story. I recognize myself. Instead of enjoying the journey, it put a sense of heavy responsibility on me. I am absorbing this, however I can. I so, appreciate these "lifts"and everyones comments. i am so grateful.

I awoke this norning as if in a dream that I was in heaven on earth, Life is Eternal. " Is this a dream, or not," I asked myself. I never experienced anything like this. Then a calamity hit on the telephone. I thought I'd miss my Bible reading for the day. It was postponed to address the calamity. The calamity was finite. Life Now is still Eternal. I have to remember that as I sail thru the day. I am well nourished with your podcast. Bless you 2.

Thank you, Tom. My friends were all commenting today as I met them. What a great Lift! I know there are many who would write and don't but still are out there loving the unity of us all on the "same page"!
I got the "feeling" of God smiling as He watched us listen to the Lift and then read the words of the comments! What a variety on needs met!
To me God said, "I AM an ever presence within your thoughts, your thinking, your consciousness. I AM always there!"

Thanks Tom! Not only are problems finite, they do not exist when seen in the Light of Truth!

Thanks #29 Lori for answered my question about mountains near Whittier!

I second #90 Renate's thanks to #77 Edie for explaining the root of the word con-text.

"Text" reminds me of "the Word" in Genesis 1, which Science & Health (p. 575) says is the North side of "the city foursquare" (mentioned by #38 Ruby). According to the Word, the text, of God, God's expressions of Himself (the "only ... Us" that #43 Bev referred to) are attracted only by "the polar magnet of Revelation."

In the context of this DL, this means to me that the magnet of animal magnetism claiming that our life is not of God, Life, thus not eternal, cannot fasten itself on us or fascinate us. Only the Word, lived -- that is, woven into the fabric of our lives --, can hold our full attention.

I'll be forwarding this beautiful DL fabric, stitched together by Tom and his listeners, to two friends who work professionally with textiles.

Thank you! Yes, context matters a lot.

I have just listened to this and been reading down thru the comments, and the tears are just streaming down my face...
am so grateful when the letting go happens so effortlessly...
then I at the last minute called into a new (for me)teleconferenced Wed service and heard Nate reading, and testifying, not to mention all the other testimonies...
I was muted, but here I am expressing my heartfelt gratitude for the Lifts, for the service tonight
THANK YOU

Dorothy B...Hello..M rs. Eddy uses the word pressure only once, on page 451 in Science & Health.
Christian Scientists must live under the constant pressure of the apostolic command to come out from the material world and be separate......
Love to all. good night.

Oh, what a great ending to today's activity. Thank you Tom.

Thank you Tom for this wonderful Lift.

I don't mean to overdo my posts, but today I received what the emailer calls the Japanese version of the 23rd Psalm. It reminds me of portions of Tom's DL; perhaps it will resonate with a reader of two:

The Lord is my pace-setter; I shall not rush
He makes me to stop for quiet intervals,
He provides me with images of stillness,
which restore my serenity.
He leads me in the ways of efficiency,
through calmness of mind,
And His guidance is peace.
Even though I have a great many things
to accomplish each day, I will not fret,
for His presence is here.
His timelessness, His all-importance,
will keep me in balance.
He prepares refreshment and renewal
in the midst of my activity by anointing
my mind with His oil of tranquility.
My cup of joyous energy overflows.
Surely, harmony and effectiveness shall be
the fruits of my hours
And I shall walk in the pace of the Lord
And dwell in His house forever.

Great lift, Tom! What a good message to always keep in thought.

Thank you so much, Tom, for that clear and pure message reminding us all where we live and what our life is.

Wow, thanks Tom!
I can share this immediately!!!!

Thousand thanks for the big reminder, what context realy is. Many times to me it seams to be material and defined by human thougt. I will try harder to remember that context always means to start with God, the infinite Good.

Tom Thanks. Good to hear from you great Lift. Hope to meet again

Tom - I really enjoyed this. Context - a really important concept in architecture. There is a whole conceptual approach to things called 'contextual design'.

Wonderful!!! Thanks so much.

Tom, thank you for this wonderful lift. And to all those who have commented and shared insights. #102 Little Child thank you for the version of the 23rd Psalm. A very needed prayer to keep in front of my thought in a time of busy and challenging activities this week!!

Tom, as a student of language and literature -- "texts" -- I love the way you bring down the idea of "contexts" to the one context that really matters. Just a minor point: I don't want challenges to "fade away," I want them met at dealt with. This may mean picking up the glove and duking it out; or it may mean not picking up the glove and seeing the confrontation as a chimera, an illusion that is best dealt with by understanding it <i><b>as</i></b> illusion.

Many thanks to Tom for such an insightful range of ideas. Special thanks to Sher #56 as your healings really moved me and helped me.

Christian Science teaches us to put together the right ideas that bring healing and progress to mankind. Thanks Tom, for the clear message on context. There is always an element of healing in all daily lifts that cannot be avoided, simply because it is always in the right 'context'.
En español
La Ciencia Cristiana nos enseña a reunir las ideas correctas que traen curación y progreso a la humanidad. Gracias Tom, por el mensaje claro sobre contexto. Siempre hay un elemento de curación en todos los mensajes inspiradores diarios (Daily Lifts) que no se puede evitar, simplemente porque está siempre en el 'contexto' correcto.

Our wonderful master Christ Jesus did say 'life is eternal' - we only have to put and keep it in its proper context. Thank you for helping us do that with this lift.

Thank you so much, Tom! This lift was so helpful to me.

Though I only see these lifts when I take my computer to the library WiFi, I cherish them. I'm especially grateful for this lift, and will invite this context to keep an open door in thought.

Hello from Vietnam. I have been here 5 weeks and atlast able to get on Daily Lift again. Thank you for the lovely lift . The Japanese version of the 23rd Psalm is a great gift to me. It is my favorite prayer from the Bible and I find the specific interpretation so useable. Many thanks.

What a great lift! I felt a grand sense of peace after listening to it. No need to be a part of the so called rat race. We can be productive and live eternally in peace. Thanks so much!