ACIM Workbook Lesson 344 – for Saturday, December 10, 2011
Affirmation: “Today I learn the law of love; that what
I give my brother is my gift to me.”
“Let my forgiven brothers fill my store with Heaven’s treasures, which alone are real. Thus is the law of love fulfilled. And thus Your Son arises and returns to You. (WB75)”
Reflections:
1 – The Law of Love Is Benign
“All that I give is given to myself” is an ACIM fundamental. Jerry Jampolsky elaborated beautifully on this concept in his early work, Love is Letting Go of Fear. The law of love is benign, unless we are still letting the ego rule. We get what we give; that is the law of love. When we love another, that same love is returned to us (but not always by the same person that we love at the time).
2 – What Are Heaven’s Treasures?
What are Heaven’s treasures? ACIM does not specifically detail each treasure, but we can interpret that at the head of the list is the peace of mind that God alone can give. God deals most often in intangibles, but He also knows that we have material needs, and it is not contrary to the spirit of A Course in Miracles to pray for the material as well as the intangible. But the material is illusory, and the intangibles are eternal. So where does it seem that we should put our emphasis? The conclusion is obvious.
3 – Forgiveness
Our forgiven brothers will fill our store with Heaven’s treasures. This is just how important forgiveness really is. Until we forgive, we are like beggars at Heaven’s gate. But when we forgive, we are made ready for the bounty that is our real inheritance.
4 – We Forgive because We Need to Do So
We forgive because it is something that we need to do. It is much like expressing love for God. ACIM says that He recognizes that His communication channels are closed, and He thinks that we sleep and need to be awakened. One means is A Course in Miracles. Another might be seen in A Course of Love. And yet others in the Bible, as well as other scriptures of other faiths. ACIM says that there is a course for every teacher of God. Our students are waiting for us, have been waiting for us to answer the call. And they will find us. Let us be ready and willing to do our part toward bringing salvation to them.
Prayer:
Dear Father/Mother,
I would put into practice the benign law of love today. Help me to know, as had been said many times, that we receive as we give. May I give only love today. And may I have the emotional and physical health not to be so self-centered that I seem to think only of myself. Help me always to remember my brothers and sisters.
Be with all of us as we close this year of studying the Workbook. May we glean from the words of the Workbook all that we can at this time. And may we share as much of what we4 have learned as others are ready to accept.
Amen.
