The real kingdom of heaven is the right state of mind.

Ideas from BIBLE INTERPRETATIONS
Emma Curtis Hopkins
1891

The Bible Interpretations were given during the early nineties at the Christian Science Theological Seminary at Chicago, Illinois. 

The reason for keeping the Bible records, is because they describe the religious experiences of every mind under each class of circumstance recorded. Every mind has its religious aspiration, which is its perfume, as every flower has its perfume. Political history teaches ethics, fixing the mind on the results of injustice, justice, oppression, liberty, as carried on by civil authorities. Material history teaches what can be done with materiality. The Bible records use no meaningless or unnecessary terms.

All is Mind and Mind's ideas. Every idea unfurls itself from your mind, as the pattern within a roll of cloth unrolls and exposes itself. Every thought we think first exposes itself in our own body, and then in our circumstances and environments. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."[John 5:17] This is the Law of mind, to think and show forth. So we think and show forth our thoughts as our Origin, Mind, does. If you will read this (John 5. 17:20) you will find out what to do and say when your motive was all right, but things have all turned out wrong because you condemned yourself, and now people are blaming you terribly. You are to let the motive be its own justification. A good motive is the power of God working in you to will and to do of its own good pleasure. Just lean hard on the motive itself and declare as Jesus Christ did, "God moveth and I must act."

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"How can I be other than depressed and anxious when my father has failed in business, my brother is a drunkard, and my mother is paralyzed?" Then you must take Job's way of getting into an exalted state of mind. Job reasoned with the Almighty. He told the Almighty face to face that His own hands having fashioned him he could not be wicked and that he would maintain his righteous cause before Him. … This reasoning out your own case with that divine Presence that folds you so close is a mighty help to your state of mind, and never was known to fail anybody. The poorest and most unhappy can plead their cause with this Presence. … Be sure to be very definite in stating your case. Do not let your emotion consume your words. Be on hand to mumble out something besides intense emotion of grief, or anger, or fear. The "Word" is very essential. Then when your mind gets into an exalted state, trust God. "Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee."[ Psalm 73:25] Now, in this calm state of confidence you may take deliberate account of your assets and liabilities.

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Now nobody has any more religion than just as much as he can command in time of trial. This religion of Jesus teaches you exactly what to do and say to redeem yourself from grief, disappointment, failure. Also that if you deal exactly right with your own mind, the people around you will spring right up into right conditions. Even the patient who shows that he or she just looked upon you as a useful penwiper or doormat for them and so were not promptly cured, he will be cured if you understand this lesson. Jesus Christ did not despise healing the people, feeding them, furnishing money or anything else for them. He did not look down upon any humble ministry, but He knew that to look at money for its own sake, or food for its own sake, or healing for its own sake, is a belief in the value of earthly things which must be denied.

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"I have a right to the best, and I will trust to my rights to bring me out right." To believe in the claims of weather, inheritance, climate, etc., is to be in bondage. There is a way of getting free from the effects of false words in good science. You take each word as it comes into your mind and mix it and mold it and rectify it by right words till you would never know it to be the word you set out with. Each word of Truth is a setting-free principle. "But," you say, "the damp draught does give me neuralgia." No. That idea of yours about the failure of your business, or the injustice of your neighbor, or the envious thought against another, brought the neuralgia. "Oh," but you say, "my little innocent child has the neuralgia from damp air." No, it has not; it was your idea that folded it around like a magnet to draw trouble unto its little self. "Envy is the rottenness of the  bones," says the Scripture. "Awake, O earth!" "Arise, shine, for thy light is come." "Awake! arise!"

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The kingdom of heaven is not a place, though the place where we are may seem heavenly.
The real kingdom of heaven is the right state of mind.
The right state of mind is where there is perfect health, perfect judgment, and perfect prosperity.
These are all secured by right reasoning.
The most exalted or freest reasoning gives the most exalted state of mind.
If anybody stops short in his reasoning he stops short in his health and judgment; also in his prosperity.
The only way to get into heaven or a perfect state of mind is to reason to the highest ultimates your mind can conceive without regarding whether it would be considered reduction and absurdum by the old-fashioned doctrines or not.

What a reasoner for materialism you would make if early in your pathway had not come this text to you: “God is Spirit.”