[acimlessons_list] Lesson 364 - December 30

[Sue Roth]

LESSON 364 - DECEMBER 30

"This holy instant would I give to You. 
Be You in charge. For I would follow You, 
Certain that Your direction gives me peace."
Practice instructions

See Practice Instructions for Lessons 361-365.

COMMENTARY

I'm going to suggest that for the last two days of this year you read
through the epilogue following the last lesson, as well as the lesson. I
will share a few comments based on the epilogue over the next two days (all
of the Course quotes that follow are from the epilogue unless otherwise
indicated); however, your practice should still be of the final lesson.

The epilogue echoes two of the themes of this final lesson: <following> the
Holy Spirit as our Teacher and Friend on the path, and the <certainty> of
our reaching the end of the path successfully. 

Your Friend goes with you. You are not alone.	(1:2-3) 

	You are as certain of arriving home as is the pathway
	of the sun laid down before it rises-Indeed, your
	pathway is more certain still.	(2:1-2)

Today I will discuss the theme of following, and tomorrow, the certainty of
arriving home.

The epilogue makes it clear that even when we complete the Workbook and have
achieved the purpose it sets for us, having developed a daily habit of
giving our lives over to the direction of the Holy Spirit, we have only
begun our journey, and there is more to go. The path ahead may yet be long.
There will yet be difficulties along the way. Why else would Jesus emphasize
the certainty of the ending unless we believed we still have reason to
doubt?

We are told this course is a beginning, not an end (1:1). We can expect
troubles (1:5) and problems (1:7). We will still be going through lessons,
although not the "specific" ones of the Workbook (3:1). "Efforts" will still
be required (3:3). We will experience "difficulty" and will still have times
in which we think that pain is real (4:1). We are still on the way to
Heaven, but not there yet (5:4). We need guidance (5:5), so there must be
obstacles or a path that at times seems unclear. We are still on the road
towards home (5:7). "We will continue in His way" (6:2). Jesus says he will
never leave us without comfort, so comfort will still be needed (6:8).

I am pointing out all the indications that a major portion of our journey is
still ahead, because we are so easily inclined to think otherwise; we get
impatient and want the journey to be over. The positive themes of this
epilogue are designed to counteract the discouragement that may come over us
when we realize that there is a long way yet to go.

First, we have a Friend Who goes with us. A "Friend!" Has my experience with
the Workbook taught me that? The Holy Spirit is my Friend. (Perhaps, for
some of us, that Friend has personalized as Jesus.) Has my interaction with
Him been enough that He has earned my trust, "by speaking daily to you of
your Father and your brother and your Self" (4:4)? There are such wonderful
promises given to us here of His helpfulness. We cannot call on Him in vain.
He has the answers for everything we might ask, and He won't withhold them.
All we need to do is ask. He speaks to us of what we "really want and really
need" (2:4). 

	He will direct your efforts, telling you exactly what to
	do, how to direct your mind, and when to come to Him in
	silence, asking for His sure direction and His certain
	Word.	(3:3)

We do not need to worry about the length or complexity of our journey. We
have a Guide. The Workbook is not the journey; it is a training camp that
prepares us for it, introduces us to our Guide, and teaches us to trust Him.
By doing the Workbook we have learned how reliable and knowledgeable He is;
now, we are ready to set out on the journey itself, walking with Him in
confidence that He knows how to bring us home.