Reflective Listening

[BarneyFife]

Filthy rags.

I don't think that it's a matter of us needing to think less of ourselves, but infinitely more of Him.

Oh, you and I def need to bounce some stuff off each other.

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[marks]

Did you have Prodigy?

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I think so, but a couple of weeks of bedrest did the trick!

Much love!

 

[marks]

Ok, I don't know what I'm doing, but weigh this:

I am so unholy, that even if I managed to get a zillion times holier (even by God's standards) than any of you folks, we'd still all look pretty much the same to Jesus.

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So you are so far below God in holiness, that even if you became as much more holy as you can really imagine, there would be no change in how you'd compare to God?

Is that right?

Much love!

 

[BarneyFife]

But . . . but . . . but . . .

Okay so you object to being called a virtual fossil.

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[BarneyFife]

So you are so far below God in holiness, that even if you became as much more holy as you can really imagine, there would be no change in how you'd compare to God?

Is that right?

Much love!

Absotively!!!

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[BarneyFife]

But...

 

[marks]

Filthy rags.

I don't think that it's a matter of us needing to think less of ourselves, but infinitely more of Him.

So you are saying, thinking about our own holiness is the wrong direction to look, instead, keep our minds fixed on God?

Much love!

 

[marks]

Okay so you object to being called a virtual fossil.

.

That's right!

 

[BarneyFife]

So you are so far below God in holiness, that even if you became as much more holy as you can really imagine, there would be no change in how you'd compare to God?

Is that right?

Much love!

But there's more to it than that

 

[marks]

But there's more to it than that

Tell me!

I've gotta run. You guys are great!

Much love!

 

[BarneyFife]

So you are so far below God in holiness, that even if you became as much more holy as you can really imagine, there would be no change in how you'd compare to God?

Is that right?

Much love!

I actually lose sleep, so to speak, over the way my conduct might affect another's willingness to respond to God's love.

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[Mr E]

So you are saying, thinking about our own holiness is the wrong direction to look, instead, keep our minds fixed on God?

Much love!

I'm saying there's no comparison there. It's a difference in scales of magnitude. Scripture says that we are all like an unclean thing and even if you consider the best of us, or the best we've done, even those things are like menstrual cloths that are discarded. We all fade and have fallen like leaves from a tree, and our sins- like the wind have swept us away from our Father.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Why? Because you can't compare our righteousness to His holiness. He is set apart and has set Himself apart from any wicked way. Without a reconciliation we can never even approach Him. We can never enter His presence on our own merit-- it's insufficient.

 

[marks]

I'm saying there's no comparison there. It's a difference in scales of magnitude. Scripture says that we are all like an unclean thing and even if you consider the best of us, or the best we've done, even those things are like menstrual cloths that are discarded. We all fade and have fallen like leaves from a tree, and our sins- like the wind have swept us away from our Father.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Why? Because you can't compare our righteousness to His holiness. He is set apart and has set Himself apart from any wicked way. Without a reconciliation we can never even approach Him. We can never enter His presence on our own merit-- it's insufficient.

This was actually a practice session in Reflective Listening, which is where I want the focus of this thread to be, if you please!

Much love!