Hi,
I'm Teresa Hubbard.
Welcome back to our continued reading of the text to A Course in Miracles.
We continue today in Chapter 7,
The Gifts of the Kingdom,
Section 11,
The State of Grace.
To summarize my takeaways,
In Section 11 of Chapter 7,
We are told that by demonstrating to ourselves that there is no order of difficulty in miracles,
We convince ourselves that there is no difficulty at all,
Because our natural state is a state of grace.
When we are not in a state of grace,
We are out of our natural environment and do not function well.
We are asked to consider the kingdom we have made and judge its worth.
Does it protect our peace and shine love on us?
Does it keep our hearts untouched by fear and allow us to give always without any sense of loss?
Does it show us that this giving is our joy?
We are reminded that this is the only environment in which we can be happy,
But that we cannot make it.
It was created for us as we were created for it.
We are called to remember that we have been chosen to teach the kingdom to the kingdom.
Recognizing the majesty of God as our brother is to accept our own inheritance,
Yet God gives equally.
If we recognize this gift in anyone,
We have acknowledged what we have been given.
Because God shared his being with us,
We can know him,
But we must also know all he created.
Therefore whenever we heal a brother by recognizing his worth,
We are acknowledging his power to create in our own.
A brother cannot have lost what we recognize in him,
And we must have what we see in him.
When a mind has only light,
It knows only light.
I invite you to keep a few things in mind as you listen to the reading.
The Course uses male pronouns,
Yet this is simply a way of pointing to the spiritual being,
Having no gender.
The Course is written in first person,
And although not introduced directly to the reader,
It becomes clear that the words are from Jesus,
Often quoting from the Bible.
The Course uses traditional Christian terms in a non-traditional manner.
These words are simply pointers to truth,
Nothing more.
A few definitions of terms you will hear within this reading.
Kingdom A state of consciousness The non-dualistic world of knowledge,
Wherein God and his creations dwell in perfect unity.
Ego Our belief in the separated or false self that we made as a substitute for the self that God created.
God The Creator The Source of all being,
Or life.
God's essence is Spirit,
Which is shared with all creation.
Holy Spirit The communication link between God and us.
Bridging the gap between the mind of Christ and our human minds.
The voice for God.
Miracle The change in mind that shifts our perception,
Transcending the laws of this world to reflect the laws of God.
The miracle provides the means to heal our own minds and the minds of others.
And now,
On to the reading.
A Course in Miracles Chapter 7 The Gifts of the Kingdom Section 11 The State of Grace The Holy Spirit will always guide you truly,
Because your joy is His.
This is His will for everyone,
Because He speaks for the Kingdom of God,
Which is joy.
Following Him is therefore the easiest thing in the world,
And the only thing that is easy,
Because it is not of the world.
It is therefore natural.
The world goes against your nature,
Being out of accord with God's laws.
The world perceives order of difficulty in everything.
This is because the ego perceives nothing as wholly desirable.
By demonstrating to yourself there is no order of difficulty in miracles,
You will convince yourself that in your natural state there is no difficulty at all,
Because it is a state of grace.
Grace is the natural state of every Son of God.
When He is not in a state of grace,
He is out of His natural environment and does not function well.
Everything He does becomes a strain,
Because He was not created for the environment that He has made.
He therefore cannot adapt to it,
Nor can He adapt it to Him.
There is no point in trying.
A Son of God is happy only when He knows He is with God.
That is the only environment in which He will not experience strain,
Because that is where He belongs.
It is also the only environment that is worthy of Him,
Because His own worth is beyond anything He can make.
Consider the kingdom you have made and judge its worth fairly.
Is it worthy to be a home for a child of God?
Does it protect His peace and shine love upon Him?
Does it keep His heart untouched by fear and allow Him to give always without any sense of loss?
Does it teach Him that this giving is His joy and that God Himself thanks Him for His giving?
This is the only environment in which you can be happy.
You cannot make it any more than you can make yourself.
It has been created for you as you were created for it.
God watches over His children and denies them nothing.
Yet when they deny Him,
They do not know this,
Because they deny themselves everything.
You who could give the love of God to everything you see and touch and remember are literally denying heaven to yourself.
I call upon you to remember that I have chosen you to teach the kingdom to the kingdom.
There are no exceptions to this lesson,
Because the lack of exceptions is the lesson.
Every son who returns to the kingdom with this lesson in his heart has healed the sonship and given thanks to God.
Everyone who learns this lesson has become the perfect teacher,
Because he has learned it of the Holy Spirit.
When a mind has only light,
It knows only light.
Its own radiance shines all around it and extends out into the darkness of other minds,
Transforming them into majesty.
The majesty of God is there for you to recognize and appreciate and know.
Recognizing the majesty of God as your brother is to accept your own inheritance.
God gives only equally.
If you recognize His gift in anyone,
You have recognized what He has given you.
Nothing is so easy to recognize as truth.
This is the recognition that is immediate,
Clear and natural.
You have trained yourself not to recognize it and this has been very difficult for you.
Out of your natural environment you may well ask,
What is truth?
Since truth is the environment by which and for which you were created.
You do not know yourself because you do not know your creator.
You do not know your creations because you do not know your brothers who created them with you.
I have already said that only the whole sonship is worthy to be co-creator with God,
Because only the whole sonship can create like Him.
Whenever you heal a brother by recognizing his worth,
You are acknowledging his power to create and yours.
He cannot have lost what you recognize and you must have the glory you see in Him.
He is a co-creator with God with you.
Deny His creative power and you are denying yours and that of God who created you.
You cannot deny part of truth.
You do not know your creations because you do not know their creator.
You do not know yourself because you do not know yours.
Your creations cannot establish your reality any more than you can establish God's.
But you can know both.
Being is known by sharing.
Because God shared His being with you,
You can know Him.
But you must also know all He created to know what they have shared.
Without your father,
You will not know your fatherhood.
The Kingdom of God includes all His sons and their children,
Who are as like the sons as they are like the father.
Know then the sons of God and you will know all creation.
