What a helpful, wide-ranging way to cover so many aspects of the 7th commandment. Thoughts and motives are much more significant than we often realize. Many thanks, Christine!

Very very good Christine. Thank you

Thanls for this wonderful and inspiring interpretation of that commandment .

Thank you for that clear explanation of the 7th commandment which as you say applies to us all whether married or not

Thank you for the depth of interpretation in this lift. All the 'Thou shalt not...' commandments certainly apply to thought and motive all the time, whether we appear to be tempted to give outward expression to the activities they describe or not.

Many thanks Christine for pointing out that true "love can never be lost, and which truly satisfies." "Then we feel the power that lifts us/ To Thy holy secret place,/ Where our gloom is lost in glory/ As we see Thee face to face." (Christian Science Hymnal #181).

Thank you.

Thank you Christine, from England. It's fun to be one of the first to read your message and know that wherever I go I'm at One with all of you!

Thank you for this Lift it is great to have these comandments explained to us.

This is a really great Lift, Christine, and thank you for how easy you make it all seem. Was I ever tricked into pursuing a false sense of love? Well. . . I guess you could put a tick there, and a tick for some of the other stuff too, especially the "Look what I've accomplished. . . " bit. But this Lift is full of great sign posts and stepping stones and it's always the right time to change direction, and start to take a firm stand for the promise of the Seventh Commandment, and really stay focussed on divine Love. I may need reminders, but at least a good way to start is the first step forward.
Thank you Nate and the team; the BoL and lecturers; and the Daily Lifters.

One of the routine duties of local law enforcement is to issue to an individual on behalf of another individual, an order not to make contact, in any way. Usually for a period of one year. No crime has happened, it is simply the right of each individual, child or adult, to choose how they live. Only by breaking this order, can the person named then be subject to a possible criminal charge of trespass and arrest. Anyone can talk to their local police about this, and get the details if needed. It was necessary for Moses, from the pattern showed to him on Mount Horeb, to give the children of Israel this same order. Seven is significant in spiritual terms as the representative type of perfection. God's seventh day of creation means that creation is already perfect. Professors get permission to take a year off from teaching after seven years to write a book, for example, or do research. In order to stay unspotted from the world, as James says (James 1;27) we must be unadulterated. Perfection must be practiced by each one in their own unique way. There are many ways of "going straight" like Butch and Sundance in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" movie. Thank you for this restful talk.

Thank you Christine,

I am so loving the manner in which these Commandments are being presented and you did a great job! If you think about it, all of the Commandments are saying the very same thing. Love God and all of his Handiwork! Love Him supremely, absolutely and be in awe of his power.

What I love about this Commandment and the manner in which you presented it Christine, is that it reminds us to look beyond the physical to see the true substance. That is the essence of a healing.

This Commandment, like all others, is a major part of what will read in our Branch Church this coming Sunday "A Rule for Motives and Acts" from the Manual of the Mother Church.

"Neither animosity nor MERE personal attachment should impel the motives or acts of the members of The Mother Church. In Science, (or according to the Laws of God) divine Love (God) alone governs man.."

This does not mean we cannot love humanly because love reflects God. It means that mere personal attachment is not enough to guide us.

The 7th Commandment also supports many who may be lonely, unmarried, divorced, widowed, without children or without a sense of family. As hymn 5 in the Hymnal puts it "your mission is to heal". This is true for all, with or without a sense of family.

As we leave the barricading thought of loneliness we (even if we are alone) can embrace true love whose motive warms many with a sense of healing. The sense of family, ageless love & renewed purpose is then rediscovered

Thank you for this expansion of the commandment -

Excellent ,, Thank you so much!!! :-)

Thank you, Christine! It especially stood out to me this morning when you mention that God doesn't need to get anything to love us back. She just loves. What a perfect model to remind us to love unconditionally and impartially with Principle backing it up.

This is not an easy commandment to explain, but you've taken it beyond the literal and beautifully broadened its application.

Wonderful!!
You touch every important point on this commandment .
Thank you, thank you

Jamás podemos perder de vista al AMOR porque está en cada acción por pequeña que parezca y va delante en cada paso que damos, siento que Dios va delante de todos, el tema es quien está consciente y quien no.

"En esto concemos que permanecemos en él, y él en nosotros, en que nos ha dado de su espíritu""Y esta es la confianza que tenemos en él, que si pedimos alguna cosa conforme a su voluntad, él nos oye" 1ª de Juan

Si dejamos que Él obre en nosotros el Amor se manifiesta, incontenible, en el gozo que hacer su voluntad trae.
"La promesa de Jesús es perpetua. El propósito de su gran obra se extiende a través del tiempo e incluye a la humanidad universal" MBE

Y cual es su obra la más grandiosa de Cristo... El Amor, y Amar, y lo demostró con obras que han trascendido espacio y tiempo hasta llegar a la eternidad.

Muchas gracias Christine, por el Daily Lift de hoy, que nos lleva en alas del amor, a amar.

This was extremely helpful to me, particularly in these tiimes where too many graven images tempt us constantly.. Thank you, Christine.

This is a great lift and so well spoken Christine...thank you so much. This message has expanded my thought and blown it wide open to all that can be looked upon in our daily lives pertaining to the 7th commandment. I am "getting" so much from these Daily Lifts....thanks to all...

Divine "love" cast out doubt. At 63 , I'm beginning to see the light. Divine "Love" is all there is. I'm BINDING PEARLS.

Beautiful, thank you Christine.

Wonderful! Love God first. Love God most. Love Him/Her with purity and character. Instead of pleasure and pain in so-called matter, feel the refreshing and pure delight, bliss, ecstasy of reflecting, expressing our Maker, divine Love.

Thank you very much! The music this week is so soft and gentle...I like it!

Christine, thank you for that comprehensive lift!

A MAN WHO LOVED, the editorial in the June 18 Christian Science Sentinel, elucidates Jesus' life of divine Love. Today's Lift is a Sunday School lesson for the big kids. There really is just divine Love, God, loving us and calling and teaching us to love each other just as Jesus lived, taught, and loved all. Universal love. Thank you with lots of love!

"...discover a [spiritual] love that truly satisfies." - what a great conclusion to these remarks on this commandment. This approach will help us judge more accurately the needs of others, and how to meet those needs, how to "feed my lambs, feed my sheep, feed my sheep" (John 21), a truly satisfying activity. Thank you Christine.

As others have said this is a great Lift, another "keeper" to listen to over and over again for new inspiration and ideas of how to keep God first in everything we think and do moment by moment. Thanks Christine!

Thank you so much for you're thoughts on this commandment.I love how
God is leading thought to meet human need.

Such a much fuller explication of the 7th Commandment--thank you, Christine!

This message is so true... thank you!

The passage I reference is from I John 2:15-17 - "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

I find this is a good guideline to determine what in our thinking is unlike the anointed. (Misc. 355:21). The "anointed" refers to Christ Jesus. His life and teachings illustrated both the power of divine Love and how Love strengthens and purifies the love in human relationships.

Why does this matter? Because it is divine Love which enables us to heal with scientific certainty and the world needs "Love" more than it needs "love". It needs the spiritual love which cures disease and heals hatred and suffering. Mrs. Eddy wrote, ""The healing will grow more easy and be more immediate as you realize that God, Good, is all and Good is Love. You must gain Love, and lose the false sense called love. You must feel the Love that never faileth,—that perfect sense of divine power that makes healing no longer power but grace. Then you will have the Love that casts out fear and when fear is gone, doubt is gone and your work is done. Why? Because it was never undone." (Mary Baker Eddy-Christian Healer (first edition), p. 146).

I like the way this expands upon and applies the essence of the Commandment. Very helpful. Good springboard for Sunday school discussion, too. Thanks.

Wow. Thanks so much Christine and all the Daily Lifters. What a joy to read these every weekday morning!
Judith

This is wonderful Christine! Little by little, I have learned that sensual "love" is a type of slavery, which never satisfies, but always demands more.....slavery to objects, to a human person, to ambition wrongly directed-----it's all the same; and it never comes to closure. To "come out from the material world and be separate" is to so love God that nothing else really matters. To lean on God, and recognize that He alone gives that which fulfills and nurtures and heals. This can never be taken away, be lost, or damaged. It is permanent, beautiful, and satisfying beyond all else.

Thank you, Christine, for "Spiritual love, not lust, satisfies...when we begin by loving God, Spirit, supremely rather than worshipping matter, then we cannot be tricked into pursuing a false sense of love, which ends in suffering...actions...thoughts...applies to all...medical doctor explain(ed)...’being material means that pain, suffering, disease, and death are inevitable’...God's love never fails...(never) causes suffering...if we allow Divine Love to govern and guide our human relationships...truly satisfies." I love your explanation. It reminds me of the utmost importance of how we identify ourselves!!! When I learned this commandment as a child, the emphasis was on the fact that we don't belong to ourselves or each other; we belong to God, who is Love, itself. So, we behave lovingly, like God's children - children of Love, itself. We keep our promises; we don't lie to each other or cheat by saying one thing but doing another; we honor God by honoring ourselves and each other through acknowledging and encouraging the Godlike qualities in ourselves and each other, like integrity and fairness, etc.; and, as Jesus' students or disciples, we live according to the Divine nature He showed is possible while living on earth. "Chastity is the cement of civilization and progress." and "...conquer lust with chastity..." (Science and Health, 57, 405) Thanks again, Christine!!!

This is wonderful, Christine! Thank you for these beautiful thoughts! This is another "Lift" that I will be keeping forever!

For me, Christine you really brought out the clarity of divine Love's image. I had been struggling with the past and its negative events when it dawned on me this morning that not one bit of it was true. This week's Bible Lesson so brings out our oneness with God and in that spiritual oneness all is good. All is divine Love.Thank you so much!

Thank you Christine, just what I needed for today. I will care these thoughts with me through all my activities.

Thank You and how very important it is for me to turn to God's Love for all my needs.

Thank you Chrisine, for describing LOVE
with simpliciity!

Just the message I needed. Thank you!

So how can I feel Love so completely that lust has no pull? I think God as Love is the hardest synonym for me to understand and feel. I understand all the attributes of Love like kindness, joy, etc. but how do I feel this minute to minute? How does it become so real that it governs everything about me? The material world seems to have little or nothing to do with love.

Such a clear message of lust's constant need to get instead of reflect our totally satisfied nature as God's beloved child. Thank you for this Life

Amen!!

Thank you, Christine. In other words "thou cannot lust" because it's in our divine, pure, innocent nature not to. When we realize as Christ Jesus did, that we're already complete as God's image and likeness (lacking nothing), and that we have all we need right at hand from God's infinite supply, there's no reason to lust for anything. Add lust for money to the list.
That wise medical doctor said, "being material means that pain, suffering, disease, death are inevitable." He was awake and clear as to how matter works its havoc to imprison man...

But aren't we grateful that spiritual living based on the 10 Commandments promises...
boundless spiritual joys & pleasures (not pain)
peace (not suffering)
harmony (not disease)
eternal life (not death) ....boundless good is inevitable when we live in and of true Love, Spirit.
Our guide Christ Jesus promised: "I am come that you may have life and may have it more abundantly." More abundantly!! Each day we have the personal responsibility to choose to live out from matter or centered in Spirit.
Hugs to you Christine, and all involved putting these thoughtful, life-changing lifts together.

Wonderful lift! These Lifts on the 10 Commandments are great!
Thank you Christine, team, and lifters :-)
Beautiful Loving day to all!

We have a natural craving for spiritual love that can never be satisfied by lust. Only though God we can discover true love.
The 7th Commandments sets us straight.
“Thou shalt not,” these are our protecting fences, when we brake them we get hurt or hurt others, and this applies to ALL the 10 Commandments.
What a great proof of God’s care!
ESPAÑOL
Tenemos un anhelo natural por el amor espiritual que nunca puede ser satisfecho por la lujuria. Sólo por medio de Dios podemos descubrir el amor verdadero.
El 7° mandamiento nos pone en el lugar correcto.
NO HARÁS TAL O CUAL COSA...estas son nuestras vallas de protección, cuando las rompemos nos hacemos daño a nosotros mismos u a otros, esto se aplica a TODOS los 10 Mandamientos. ¡Qué gran prueba de la atención de Dios!

"Father, where Thine own children are,/I love to be. (Hymn 253-257)" We are all in one grand concord the offspring of divine Love.

Thanks Christine, and everyone for putting my thought in its rightful place.

A truly direct approach to this rule for happiness. Thanks so very much Christine. The loving way in which you present this rebuke to a merely material sense of love is awesome! Man is no sperm and egg creation trapped into finding love and happiness through material means. We are loved!

Thank you so much Christine for this lovely message. Very helpful xoxoxo

Years ago someone shared with me that someone had called her for help and after they talked and the practitioner was sharing the idea of the 10 commandments, especially the 7th one, the caller said well, I'm following all the other 9 commandments! The idea of course was that she was only breaking one of the 10 commandments. I had a good laugh over that. I think they come as a set! Her comment certainly helped me to see that we must follow all of the laws that are required of us. Loved this lift. Thanks for all the comments. These aren't really commands they are promises of protection.

Great question, Alan (#43). Mrs. Eddy says, "Evil thoughts, lusts, and malicious purposes cannot go forth, like wandering pollen, from one human mind to another, finding unsuspected lodgment, if virtue and truth build a strong defense." (S&H 234:32).

I find it very helpful to pray daily affirming true manhood and true womanhood for everyone. Since we are all made in the divine image and likeness (Gen. 1) and given dominion over all the earth (the pull of animal magnetism, sensuality, materialism), then it is natural for the man of God's creating to express purity, unselfishness, goodness, patience, tenderness, compassion, fidelity, spirituality, and it is natural for the man of God's creating to cherish, uphold and be committed to the woman of God's creating. As the reflection of Spirit, divine Love, it is natural for the woman of God's creating to express those same spiritual qualities.

Lust and sensuality seem to have a magnetic hold on many people, but if you took the world's most powerful magnet and turned it on a little bird, it would have no effect on the bird because the bird has no qualities which respond to the pull of magnetism. You, being a spiritual idea of God, have no qualities which respond to the pull of animal magnetism, sensuality, lust, pornography, drugs, alcohol, or caffeine. Mrs. Eddy says that Spirit is the only true attraction, so nothing else has a hold on you. (continued in next box!

Continued response to Alan (#43)
I find it very helpful to study the four Gospels: the life, teachings, and healing work of Christ Jesus. He demonstrated real love--love which doesn't need to receive anything. "Love meeting no return and still remaining love." -- Mrs. Eddy's definition of Gethsemane (S&H p. 586:23). Jesus' ultimate demonstration of love and of the two great commandments [ 1. Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind; 2) love your neighbor as yourself] demonstrated the basis for all true love--a love that never fails.

What does this look like in human relationships? There is an amazing movie out called "Fireproof" where a man, whose marriage is failing, is given a book to read (The Love Dare) with a different quality of Christly love explained on each page. He is asked to think about one of those qualities each day for 40 days and to try to put them into practice no matter how hard it is and irrespective of whether he finds love being returned to him. By the end, the young man has discovered the Christly love which loves whether or not it is returned, and the result is that his wife wants so much to return to their marriage just so she can learn more about this unconditional, patient, unselfed love which heals. You can rent it from Netflix or buy the movie and book from Amazon.com.

I Cor. 13 gives a clearer sense of this unconditional love that never fails. The more we express it, the more we discover God as infinite, divine Love.

Thank you so much for such an awesome explanation and clarification. Wow.

Loved your presentation on "true Love". Thank you Christine.

Thank You.

Thanks SO much Christine and thanks to everyone for their comments. The idea that so strongly came to me was: ".....love meeting no response, but still remaining love." (S&H 586:24).....SO POWERFUL!

Christine. Thank you so much for your response to my question. I felt an immediate response when you spoke of being "committed to the woman of God's creating." I've never thought of it quite like that. I've recently concluded that I understand Love intellectually but have not connected with Love as a powerful presence. I've also concluded that is what is missing in my practice of Christian Science. I will go immediately to the Netflix and request the movie. Thanks again.

Thank you so much Christine! I can't wait to watch the movie "FireProof" you recommended! With so many failing marriages and people yearning to be in right relationships, I think this commandment is one that is very pertinent today. I also love your ideas on true manhood and womanhood. Men and women are naturally pure, tender, compassionate, unselfish, express fidelity and cherish those qualities in each other!

What a wonderful example purity you gave about the little bird not affected in the least by a powerful pull of a magnet!! I will be holding these ideas close in thought!

Thanks so much!

Superb, powerful and helpful! Great clarification.
Thank you.

Thank you, just what I needed to hear :)

Thanks, Christine! What a difference there is between being "in love" and being "in lust"! Thanks for reminding us of that.

Yes thank you Christine this is what I need to hear today! So thank you for this Dail Lift!!

I want to thank you for your additional comments.They too were clear,inspirational "lifts" that were very helpful to understand Love.

Thank you so much...it keeps us firm n Loving....!!

Thank you, Christine, you included a wide range of ways lust would try staking a claim on our thoughts, affections, and actions. As important as it is to be pure, and if married, to be true to vows made, if we crave for matter in any form, we are cultivating pursuit of matter instead of Spirit. If kaleidoscopes were some evil object, for instance, because mine shows predominately blue formations, while another shows much orange, one is no more innocent than the other. It would be the possession of, and fascination with the object, crowding out attention to righteousness. We need to heal our own lust, no matter how it presents itself. Thankfully, kaleidoscopes aren't evil, but illustrate my point. In the sermon On the Mount, Jesus said that our needs would be provided, if we sought the kingdom of God and His righteousness first. It stands to reason that our loving Father will provide everything for our benefit, if we put this first need truly first. Because of several children and even more grandchildren visiting, I barely get time to read or write comments, so maybe already mentioned, Christian Science Hymn # 225 fits this Lift and covers all needs met, with no good withheld. It sings of rich satisfaction, depending on God. I like your use of the bird not affected by a magnet, in #53 & 54. There are many remarks on these Commandments that enrich what we get from the Daily Lift. It's a wonderful series.

I truly appreciate the response of Christine to Alan's comment. There is so much in this. I, too, struggle to feel God's love. Thank you I, benefit from these lifts, and all who participate. It is wonderful .

Thank you very much, Christine. This is great! Thank you for your comments too.

"You shall not commit adultery" Is the 7th commandment which also means not seeing God as a Supernatural being reflecting human qualities as anger, impatience etc. To see God as such is committing adultery against God. Human cheeting is a symbol of the above.

Thank you for your lift and also for the additional comments in response to responders. It's wonderful to have further explanation from one whose awareness is constant in rebuking the world thought and whose study and implementation of Mrs. Eddy's word and works is a radical departure from the world scene. Thanks again.

What a :mocking spectacle is" lust! what a "mocking spectacle is" is pain and pleasure in matter! Divine Love partners with none of the ways of mortal belief The parable of Adam and Eve shows this, the wrongness of "self-justification, self-love, and self-will" and the subsequent shame and self-condemnation. Purity, chastity, fidelity, health, holiness, negates all of this and I am grateful for the dialogue with God that leads on His path for us. thank you very much Christine!

Thanks so much Christine and all the commenters! Loved your response to Alan so much! Will look for the movie Fireproof as well. I feel so enriched in my understanding of the 7th Commandment!

Love the truth of what you said in your comment: the man of God's creating has no trouble being faithful and committed to the woman of God's creating (paraphrasing) and vice versa. That's so cool and a firm foundation on which to maintain a loving and lasting relationship. Thanks.

Looking deeply into this Commandment, as Christine has led the way, I see such quotes as, "For Thy Maker is thine husband;" this is in Isaiah; and Jesus said, "They neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels in heaven." and he said, "The kingdom of heaven is within you." And Mrs Eddy says in Science and Health, "The illumination of Mary's spiritual sense put to silence material law and its order of generation, and brought forth her child by the revelation of Truth, demonstrating God as the Father of men." So it is impossible to commit adultery, because it's not about coming together, although, supporting my wife in her individual relationship with God is a transcendent love that has come to me to base the progress of our marriage, and helps to "unfold our wings toward heaven." Union of the sexes is a human concept (S&H p. 516), union of the "masculine and feminine qualities" (S&H p. 57) is a divine idea, a path each of us are on to demonstrate our individual completeness, nobility, spirituality, as Children of God. God is Father-Mother, there are not two gods, one male, and one female, and we reflect their dynamic, Mrs Eddy says, again, "In divine Science, we have not as much authority for considering God masculine, as we have for considering Him feminine, for Love imparts the clearest idea of Deity." The only attraction is to that of Spirit, God, He is our only relationship, and all human interaction, on every level, is through Him. (to be con't)

(continuing, if I may)
In Revelations 21, the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Light of the Holy City, this is God wedded to His idea, man, us, and God doesn't cheat on Himself in any way. In fact, the Gates of the City are wide open, because nothing enters (His mind) "that defileth, neither worth abomination, or maketh a lie:" So how can we truly say that someone committed adultery? We are all moving forward as best we can, and our innocence is maintained, and forgiveness always comes…Peter asked Jesus how many times to "forgive our brother, seven times?" and Jesus replied, "I say not unto thee, till seven times, but seventy times seven." Just being offended by someone, or trespassed upon, is a false judgement, an adulteration of their status as child of God. It doesn't mean you have to stay in the situation, but love is the answer to everything.

Mrs Eddy does caution though, in S&H: Until the spiritual creation is discerned intact, is apprehended and understood , and His kingdom is come as in the vision of the Apocalypse, — where the corporeal sense of creation was cast out, and its spiritual sense was revealed from heaven, — marriage will continue, subject to such moral regulations as will secure increasing virtue. And in this marriage, partners support each other in their paths up the Holy Mountain of God.

Sincere, unconditional gratitude and love, filled with the peace and love that surrounds each of us, now.
Your message is so clear.

The truth of "two individual natures in one" is made practical in our present human circumstances by declaring and upholding the truth that the man of God's creating is faithful to the woman of God's creating....aka..unto thine own self, be true!

We always need to plunge deeper into "words of wisdom."

Thanks, Christine