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

The willingness to let go into the care of the Holy Spirit is the theme of this Lesson. Any concerns or fears are dissolved by this simple "letting go." This Holy Instant is our doorway to a new vibration, and new receptivity to receive the will of God into our life. It is not our effort through which we do this. It is simply our little willingness to come forward and let go. We need not prepare ourselves with elaborate plans or actions. In fact, to receive the Holy Instant and be released, we must release in ourselves this "need to plan."  Let all things be as they are—and then we trust and say AMEN. "Thy will be done." 

What is our home, but a state of Heaven consciousness? What prevents us from entering this state of Mind is our own preoccupations of thought. What have all of our "to do lists" done for us? What concerns and worries we have ever truly improved our life, or helped us to avert a deep feeling of being unfulfilled? Can we drop all of that? This Lesson is asking us to enter Heaven now. No need to wait on certain conditions to be met in the future. Heaven is NOW or not at all, and no conditions need to be met other than for us to drop all "conditions." Then we see Heaven is already here. We can go there now, inside of ourselves. We can hasten home in this Holy Instant.  

Returning God's Love through extending it to our brothers is essential. We realize we have God's Love by giving it away. Giving and receiving thus become the same. (Lesson #108) Can we give love to our brothers and receive it for ourselves? Both then become the beneficiaries of this Divine Connection. Let us reach out today, and give our love to someone, near or far, who needs our attention. We then fulfill this lesson and realize truly that "giving and receiving" are the same. 

Our Name is still known to God. Our Name is our Identity in Love. It is a State of Being free of all conflict of duality. It is a Unified field of Wholeness—Oneness. This Lesson introduces us to a deeper awareness of Who we are as God sees us. We can claim this Identity today. Why wait? We allow God to reveal it to us. AMEN.  

Could we see the "face of Christ" instead of our mistakes? This is what this Lesson #223 is asking us to do. What would that involve? We would have to give up all of our "attack thoughts." We would have to let go of all forms of anger, guilt, and fear. We would have to cease to have grievances about others, and ourselves. This would require us to use a different thought system than the one we have been using [the ego]. We embrace the benefits for doing this, which would be a mindset that could deliver us to Heaven. Why not? We say let go, and be who you really are now as God created you to be. 

We are in this physical dimension. Would we not find it holy? Even though we are "not a body" in essence, we do have a function in these physical planes to bring the Light of Truth into this Life. This Lesson brings this Light. The SOURCE is here in the air I breathe, the food I eat, the water that sustains me. It inhabits the holy Thoughts that guide me from the Spirit. This Lesson imparts an aura of holiness even in this level of our incarnation.

We introduce this Year of THE GIFTS OF GOD with Lesson #221: "Peace to my mind. Let all my thoughts be still." Can we be still? Can we stop our thought? This is the state of inner emptiness imparted by these Lessons of PART II of the Workbook of A Course in Miracles.  Give yourself space to lay everything aside. Give yourself space to connect with your Creator. Give yourself space in which the Peace of God resides. We send you our blessings, as we know you will send to us  as well, and to all receiving these GIFTS OF GOD in this New Year. 

This is the last Lesson in a long sojourn of this past year to bring A Course in Miracles into application in our lives. We have walked together in this, holding hands with the Christ, and it has been one of the most meaningful years of our lives. "There is no peace except the Peace of God."  We are certain that miracles will be given us now. We can join in healing the separation we once believed was real. Together we can enter into a new Action, "THE GIFTS OF GOD-2023."  We welcome you to reinforce the innocence that is our power and strength, our inheritance from our One Creator. God Bless. SONDRA & MARKUS

As we come to a close with A YEAR I GIVE TO GOD, this key lesson opens the floodgates for our Spiritual Identity to come forth. "I am not a body. I am free, for I am still as God created me." We are poised on a new beginning, in which we have transcended the body, the ego self—and a new Action is about to take place. All is good. Are we ready to take the next step together? We will begin THE GIFTS OF GOD with Part II of the workbook on January 1, 2023. 

What would it take for us to have a holy vision of God's Glory? Did you ever think about the Glory of God? It is available to us, but we prevent this kind of vision with all of our judgments, attack thoughts, grievances, regrets, complaints, etc. What would stop all of that nonsense in us?  "Only my condemnation injures me," it says. can we stop condemning ourselves and others? The Glory of God is there to see if we do. We can forgive the past totally, and hence cease to condemn. Are we all ready to do this? What do we have to lose? Try it.