# A New Vision Of Money - 10: Interest in the things of the world costs us God When we read that Jesus once said we should sell everything we have and follow Him, the idea of sacrifice naturally comes to mind. In this world we think that letting go of the things we possess—such as money—is a sacrifice. However, what is truly a sacrifice, Jesus tells us, is not releasing the things of this world that we consider valuable. What is really a sacrifice is the cost of believing that those things are valuable in the first place. One of the phrases that has impacted me most in the Course appears in the supplement The Song of Prayer. There Jesus tells us plainly that any goal we pursue in this world costs us God Himself. We are sacrificing God in order to chase after other things we see as “more valuable”: > It is not easy to realize that prayers for things, for status, for human love, > for external "gifts" of any kind, are always made to set up jailers and to > hide from guilt. These things are used for goals that substitute for God, and > therefore distort the purpose of prayer. The desire for them is the prayer. > One need not ask explicitly. The goal of God is lost in the quest for lesser > goals of any kind, and prayer becomes requests for enemies. The power of > prayer can be quite clearly recognized even in this. No one who wants an enemy > will fail to find one. But just as surely will he lose the only true goal that > is given him. Think of the cost, and understand it well. All other goals are > at the cost of God. ([S-1.III.6](https://illuminatemind.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Song-of-Prayer.pdf)) Whenever you find yourself desiring external things, you can be certain that you have sacrificed God in your mind. We rarely think in these terms. The idea of sacrificing God may even seem ridiculous to us. On the contrary, it is far more common to think that God is demanding some kind of sacrifice from you in order to reach Him. What the Course tells us is that whenever we believe we are sacrificing something in this world, we should remember that we are sacrificing what is nothing. From that perspective, there can be no loss at all. Sacrifice is a fundamental belief for those of us who live in this world. Every time we hear God’s guidance asking us to do something, we also hear another voice saying, “Will that sacrifice be worth it?” The things you seem to have to sacrifice are tangible: your time, money, career prospects, and so on. You could, for example, spend a few more minutes on Instagram if you didn’t meditate. This is what the Manual for Teachers is referring to when it says that it seems we are being asked to sacrifice our best interests for the sake of truth.  The way we deal with sacrifice varies greatly. There are those who want to live a hedonistic life and resist sacrifice by allowing themselves as much pleasure as possible, with a guilt-free attitude. There are also those who, under a spiritual pretext, seek the same thing. Their justification is that material abundance and sensory pleasure are their divine right. At the other extreme, most spiritual traditions make sacrifice something holy, good, and noble. In fact, the root of the word sacrifice is sacrum, which means “holy.” I am sure that most who read this have a bit of each attitude I described above. At times we chase what is pleasurable, at other times we sacrifice ourselves to purify ourselves (“I ate too much in December and now I’ll diet”), and many other times we consider material abundance to be what we deserve and therefore pursue it. If we want to understand why going after things in this world is to sacrifice God, we must understand very clearly what the Course means by the idea of sacrifice. Basically, the Course explains that sacrifice can take two very different forms of illusion. ## First illusion: giving up things in this world is a sacrifice The common attitudes we hold regarding sacrifice—including the extremes—all share the same belief: that giving up things of this world is a sacrifice. In the Manual for Teachers, the subject of sacrifice is explained very clearly: > It takes great learning both to realize and to accept the fact that the world > has nothing to give. What can the sacrifice of nothing mean? It cannot mean > that you have less because of it. There is no sacrifice in the world’s terms > that does not involve the body. Think a while about what the world calls > sacrifice: power, fame, money, physical pleasure. Who is the hero to whom all > these things belong? Could they mean anything except to a body? Yet a body > cannot evaluate. By seeking after such things the mind associates itself with > the body, obscuring its identity and losing sight of what it really is. ([CE M-13.2](https://acimce.app/:M-13.2)) Virtually all of us in this world share the same illusion. Imagine, for example, that you found a magic lamp. This lamp has a genie that grants any wish. For instance, being a millionaire, being famous and loved by the public, or any other pleasure like traveling to every country in the world. If I now asked you to give up the lamp and not make a single wish, would you listen to me? Most likely not. Since you still consider those things to have value, it would be a great sacrifice for you. However, the previous quote states that the world has nothing to offer. It is so radical that it is as if I were telling you not to use the magic lamp. Jesus gives the things of this world a value lower than Monopoly money. If we could recognize that the things of this world truly have no value, then giving them up would not involve any sacrifice at all. How can we move closer to that truth? We first have to recognize that those things are only valuable for a body. It is the body that can enjoy sensory pleasures. It is the body that can become famous and that can travel the world. It is the body that can enjoy money. But a body is nothing in itself without a mind directing it. Without the mind that gives things meaning, the body really cannot enjoy anything. You are a mind controlling a body. If you identify with a body, you are identifying with something that has neither mind nor will. A body is only a vehicle, not your identity. And if what the world offers only makes sense for a body, is there really anything the world can offer you, the one who is driving it? Try to consider these questions with as much seriousness and honesty as possible. Would you not rather have things that hold more value and meaning for what you really are? ## Second illusion: sacrifice is the cost of believing in illusions The second illusion is of a corrective kind. It is still an illusion, but its purpose is to replace the first illusion. It is an illusion because loss is impossible in Heaven, which is our reality. Loss, however, can be experienced in this world. The second illusion is, then, the true meaning of sacrifice: > What is the real meaning of sacrifice? It is the cost of believing in > illusions. It is the price that must be paid for the denial of truth. There is > no pleasure of the world that does not demand this, for otherwise the pleasure > would be seen as pain, and no one asks for pain if he recognizes it. ([CE M-13.5:1-4](https://acimce.app/:M-13.5:1-4)) Sacrifice does not mean losing the pleasures of this world as a result of giving them up. Sacrifice is the loss that comes from assigning them value. Sacrifice is what we miss out on because we are chasing the pleasures of the world. What do we miss? If we remember that the things the world offers are empty, then we are giving up our right to find true happiness. It is impossible for what is empty and nothing to give us happiness. As we studied earlier, we condemn ourselves to trying to fill the inner emptiness with things that can never fill it and that leave us even more thirsty. By going after what we consider valuable in this world, we are giving up all of God’s gifts. These gifts are freedom, peace, happiness, and His Love. Whenever you find yourself without peace, depressed, and without love, you can be certain that you have chosen between what the world offers you and what God wants you to have. You can also be sure that you have chosen to sacrifice God. Earlier we said that the central lesson the system we made wants to teach us is that we are a body, and that the body is cause rather than effect. The cost of valuing within this system is truly a great sacrifice. By trying to satisfy the body through the pleasures it seems to demand, we are sacrificing God. And God—who is love, peace, and happiness—will disappear completely from our awareness. ## Practice ### In the morning We will devote 15 minutes this morning to focusing the mind on God as our goal. For this, we will use the meditation technique the Workbook teaches, in which we center the mind on the Name of God. 1. Close your eyes and resolve to spend these minutes with God without letting thoughts interrupt you. 2. Slowly repeat the phrase: “Father, the only thought I have.” 3. Watch your mind, and if any thought distracts you, confront it by saying: “No, this is not the thought I want to have. I want to be with my Father.” 4. Slowly repeat the phrase: “Father, the only word I have,” and notice how your mind calms as you center it on a single word. 5. If distracting thoughts come, confront them now with: “Father, the only word I have.” 6. Now repeat, slowly and letting the meaning of the phrase come alive in your mind: “Father, the only goal I desire.” 7. Spend the rest of the time in silence, keeping your mind focused on God as the only thing you want. ## During the day Throughout the day you will watch your mind to identify desires of any kind. They may be bodily, professional, family-related, etc. To any goal in which your body is the central character, respond immediately: > “God is the only goal I truly desire.” Let the meaning of these words enter your mind and help you see the need beyond the bodily desire. Use your phone’s timer to remind you every 20 minutes that your goal is God: > “This day I dedicate to God. It is the gift I give Him.”