I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.
1. Today is a day of special dedication.
²Today we take a stand on one side only.
³We align ourselves with Truth and abandon illusions.
⁴We will not waver between these two choices, but instead take a firm position in favor of what is One.
⁵Today we devote ourselves to Truth and to salvation as God has planned it.
⁶We will not argue that it is something else, nor will we seek it where it cannot be found.
⁷We gladly accept salvation as it is, and take on the role God has given us.I
2. How joyful it is to be certain!
²Today we set aside all our doubts, and take our stand with clear purpose, grateful that doubt has vanished and certainty has come. II
³We have a mighty purpose to fulfill, and all that we need to reach the goal has been given to us.
⁴Not a single mistake stands in our way.
⁵For we have been absolved of every error.
⁶All our sins have been forgiven in the understanding that they were nothing but mistakes.
3. Those who are guiltless are unafraid, for they feel secure and know they are safe. III
²They do not turn to magic, nor invent ways of escaping from imagined threats.
³They rest in the quiet certainty that they will do what has been given them to do.
⁴They do not question their own ability, for they know they will fulfill their function perfectly, in the perfect time and place.
⁵They made the choice we make today, that we may share their certainty, and so increase it by accepting it for ourselves.
4. All those who have taken the stand we now take will be with us, and gladly offer us all that they have learned and every gain they made.
²Those who still feel uncertain will also join us, and by sharing our certainty will make it stronger still.
³Even those yet unborn will hear the call we heard, and answer it when they come to choose once more. IV
⁴Today we do not choose for ourselves alone. V
5. Is it not worth five minutes of each hour to accept the happiness God has given you?
²Is it not worth five minutes of each hour to recognize your special function here?
³Do you not think five minutes is a small request in exchange for such a great reward it cannot be measured?
6. You have made thousands of bargains in which you gave away everything.
²Yet here is an offer that guarantees your full release from every kind of pain, and joy not of this world.
³You are asked to exchange a little of your time for peace of mind and certainty of purpose, with the promise of complete success.
⁴And since time means nothing, you are being given everything for nothing.
⁵This is a bargain you cannot lose. VI
⁶And what you gain is truly unlimited!
7. Give Him your small offering of five minutes each hour today.
²He will infuse the words you use in practicing today’s idea with deep conviction and the certainty you lack.
³His Words will join with yours, making each repetition of today’s idea a full dedication, with faith as perfect and as firm as His in you.
⁴His trust in you will light up every word you speak, and you will go beyond their sound to what they truly mean. VII
8. Practice with Him today, saying:
²I will accept my part in God’s plan for salvation.
³In every one of the five minutes you spend with God, He will accept your words and give them back to you radiant with faith and trust, so firm and sure they will light the world with hope and joy.
⁴Miss not one chance to be the happy bearer of His Gifts, that you may give them to the world today.
9. Offer your words to God, and He will do the rest.
²He will help you understand your special function.
³He will open the path to happiness, and peace and trust will be His Gifts and His answer to your words.
⁴God will respond with all His faith, His joy, and His certainty that what you say is true.
⁵And then you will possess the same conviction as He Who knows the function given you, both on earth and in Heaven. VIII
⁶God will be with you in every practice you share with Him, and He will exchange every moment you offer Him for timelessness and peace.
10. Spend the rest of each hour joyfully preparing for the next five minutes you will spend again with Him. IX
²Repeat today’s idea as you wait for this happy time to come.
³Repeat it often, and remember that each time you do, you prepare your mind for the joyful moment that approaches.
11. And when the hour has passed, and He is there once more to spend another moment with you, be grateful and lay aside all worldly tasks, all petty thoughts and limited ideas, and enjoy another blessed moment with Him.
²Tell Him once again that you accept the role He would have you take, and that He helps you to fulfill, and God will give you the certainty that you truly want this choice He has made with you, and you with Him.
I Today’s Lesson is a firm declaration of will. You are urged today to place your will wholly and exclusively in one direction: to fulfill the role assigned to you by God for the salvation of the world.
You do not yet know exactly what is required of you. Do not worry: in two Lessons you will. In the preceding Lessons we have learned who we truly are, and now the time has come to begin the work. We have moved from contemplation to being called to action—to profess our newfound faith.
II Since you have chosen, the alternatives have vanished from your mind, and with them, all doubts. You can now rest relieved of all tension. There are no longer any conflicts draining your energy. Today you have consecrated yourself to a single cause.
III You will not only cease attacking yourself with your doubts—you will, above all, stop attacking yourself by feeling guilty. What for? Under the new interpretation you have already recognized that guilt serves no good purpose. You have realized that guilt does not make you a better person—quite the opposite. Now you know that you have never sinned. Now you understand that, yes, you have made mistakes—but to sin? Never!
You can now use all your energy to correct your mind, and even to repair whatever harm your errors may have caused—but you will do so joyfully and relieved, for you no longer feel guilty. Now you will truly be effective.
IV This is a veiled allusion to the illusory process of reincarnation in bodies.
V With today’s consecration you enter the company of God’s messengers. You are not alone; you join with many others who have made the same decision you make today. With the Love of God in your heart and your mind radiant with light, you embody in yourself the gospel of Jesus.
Now you have chosen the salvation of the world, for that is the mission entrusted to you. And to fulfill it you need neither speak a word nor act on your own. In a couple of Lessons your single role will be clearly defined.
VI It is indeed touching how Jesus presents salvation to you in almost mercantile terms. Moreover, it is a genuine offer! Give that little bit that is asked of you with all your heart, and you will see what happens. Nothing more need be said.
VII The support given to your little faith is entirely real—it is no abstraction. You need only give it a chance to manifest itself, and it will appear in your awareness. All that is asked of you is a little willingness on your part, and you will see how the path to a new understanding opens in your mind. Try it. It costs you nothing, and you will see it for yourself.
VIII The function that has been assigned to you will soon be revealed.
Matthew 6:10 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
IX During those five minutes you reaffirm your consecration to your new function, and for the rest of the time you enjoy the certainty and peace that come from having unified your will. You do not need to neglect your worldly affairs—on the contrary, you carry them out joyfully and impeccably, applying your new way of seeing. You will find that everything goes much better for you. You are no longer alone. You walk through the world performing your tasks accompanied by Jesus, for he goes beside you and is at your disposal for all that you may need.
And when doubts assail you and you feel without strength, recognize that:
① Your consecration is an idea.
② Your doubts are also an idea.
③ Feeling that you have no strength is also an idea, which you may associate with either of the other two.
And then…
④ Associate the idea of lacking strength with the idea of harboring doubts, and you will find you have no strength left to doubt.
Then rest your mind, reaffirm your special consecration, and move forward.