THE GIFTS OF GOD — Sondra Ray and Markus Ray on A Course in Miracles

All spiritual gifts we give are our own. Can we receive them?

All the gifts of Joy are ours. Even if they are given by someone we do not even see. Thousands of these gifts, every second, are coming to us. All expressions of happiness benefit us, and go into the storehouse of our gratitude. Our minds are joined in this Joy of God. All the treasures are appreciated by us in this Lesson. Other people's Joy gives us Joy. The Gift of God's Love is all around us, especially when we are aware it is being shared. We can use the Gifts of Joy of others to give ourselves Joy, because all expressions of Joy belong to us.

What but the present is here? The past is gone. Life is NOW. There is no cause for suffering when we let go of the past. We enter a "quiet future full of joy!" Our past mistakes are dissolved by the Atonement—total forgiveness of our past and everyone else's past as well. Can we "forget the past" and not keep any "records of wrongdoing?" We can let go of guilt from any past errors that we or someone else made? Let us correct our main error, and enter this present NOW in which we are absolved of our mistakes. We are Sons and Daughters of our Creator Who's Will for us is perfect happiness now and forever.

This Lesson is our choice to use Christ's vision of our "sinlessness." We are stuck on the concept of "sin" because of very strong programing about "sin" from our "church programming." Today we are allowing a new perception into us. We make contact together with our Eternal Innocence. This Lesson gives us this "new perception," beautiful and loving in our true Identity. Our Divine Connection we share, Christ Consciousness, is our to claim now. Forgiveness is the doorway. As we release others into this grace, we enter into grace ourselves. We can have this miracles now. Guilt and sin and fear are GONE. We can let this new perception in now. Why not?

We decide in this Lesson #312 to give up all of our judgments about any situation, person, or thing. Can we see through the eyes of the Holy Spirit? This would require that we give up the way we "see things." Our thoughts precede the events in our life. Thoughts precede perception. This Lesson is about giving up the thoughts that produce suffering in our life. We are responsible for cleaning out our mind of all these negative thoughts and judgments. Ultimately if we want the Peace of God, we have to "think with the Thoughts of God." It is always our choice to let go of our judgments that may be keeping us in our "hell." We can just as easily have "Heaven" instead.

What is the Last Judgement? God created us innocent, fully loving, and limitless as Himself. We are asked to let go of all sense of "condemnation." We are released from all forms of "guilt" and trade in all judgments we had made for this final Judgment of our total holy innocence. We are in the purity of our Being, and we have never left our Holy Home of total forgiveness. Forgiveness transmutes all of the petty "judgments" we have projected, and turns our awareness back to our original state of Innocence. This Innocence is in all our brothers as well, and this is Christ's vision. Then the world can fade away. Until then, we have Service work to do, to bring all of our brothers and sisters to this holy vision of God's Last Judgment.

A moment outside of time is where this Lesson takes us. Can we bask in the joy of it? Can we extend this joy into the whole of our life? This Lesson holds out a promise when we give attention to it. Nothing less that the awareness of Heaven is the advent of fearlessness and love. Can we enter into this sacred space of the Mind and stay there? Why would this evade us? It is offered here now when we completely let go of everything else. Can we "completely let go?" What do we have to lose, when Heaven is held out to us?

Why do we fear to "look within." What do we think we will see? The Lesson says we will see my Eternal Innocence. Do we think this is what we would see, or would we look upon some disaster of ourselves? The fear we feel is to look within and see "guilt" or the "lack of holiness." We have misperceived ourselves and this is the source of our fear to "look within." However, we can see our real will, which is in alignment with God's Will for us, which is "perfect happiness." We can look within and see our glory as God created us. Eternal Innocence is our inheritance. But we have to claim it through looking within.

Can we be in present time? The NOW is the only time there is. Christ's Presence is here now. The perfection of Life is in this Instant. Can we be with this present instant? What would that be, to be totally immersed in our present moment? The "redemption" of total forgiveness is here. Christ's vision is here now. We are absolved of former mistakes. We are corrected in this Holy Instant now, in a state of timelessness. We are redeemed now, not later. Can we show up for this glorious moment now. This is what Lesson #308 holds out to us.

The Will of God is something different than fleeting "wishes." "God's Will for me is perfect happiness." This would be free of all conflict. Preferences and choices could be our "conflicting wishes" that do not bring us peace. We are responsible for conflict in our life. And these conflicts are thoughts. We do not normally see that we are causing our own pain—our own conflict. But we are choosing conflicting wishes instead of the Peace of God. We can be challenged in our relationship with someone that tests our resolve to bring these Lessons of ACIM into application. These challenges are essential in order for us to receive the miracles.