In Reply to: Re: To Mike posted by Farmer on September 27, 2006 at 13:12:29:
Farmer:
I always appreciate the kind and gentle tone of your posts. You’re very intelligent; of course, and it’s also not flattery to say that you show a great deal of tact and personal wisdom. Please pray I might grow in that area; myself! I seem to have lees “gears” than you do; emotionally. I am geared to QUICKLY communicating what might be missed by way of warning. I also go for blood after turning “two cheeks ONLY”! Then, if someone has gone to the trouble of purposely insulting me, I usually try for my legalistic “pound of flesh”; if you’ll forgive my corny reference to Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”. The point of that play is good, here; though: you can’t take flesh without drawing blood, so answering tit for tat (or evil for evil) is a type of short-term vengeance, and Christians aren’t supposed to do that! My bad!
I also like what you said about the difference between the joy of parts of the creation can bring being so much less than the joy that only knowing the REAL Jesus can bring, by comparison; in reference to crystals.
I believe that I DO show respect. To me, it’s kind of my resistance to Swede in our little exchange. I cam e to see I had misjudged him, and was wrong about his motives (or her motives, as the case may be). I just want to “cut to the chase”, and that CAN offend, even when not intentional.
And, at times I have been self-righteous—I can easily do that when I’m insulted, and feel defensive, which is also a sign I’m not yirlding to God’s grace on the matter, and I am definitely “going it alone”, during which time I usually REALLY show my ass!
I easily relate to the “I had not known sin…” comment. Before knowing Christ, I was exactly the same way; trying to be the very BEST “college-weekend hippie-hindu-wannabe”, etc.
Coveting something that essentially belongs by God-ordained rights to either another human being and/OR to God really IS the essence of sin; isn’t it?
Well-said, Farmer; my good friend!
Oh, yeah; relativism really IS crap; isn't it?!
Yours in Christ,
OT2 (OldtimerToo)