Archive for January, 2006
A Little More Wise
January 5, 2006 7:51 am
Having these wisdom teeth pulled has got me thinking about a number of different things. Near the top of the list, I’ve been provoked to contemplate the wisdom (har har) of God. No, really. And not just because they are called wisdom teeth.
My back teeth have been sore from the surgery (all four were impacted), the surgery sites very tender. So I’ve spent the last week chewing what food I could eat with my front teeth. And I’ve discovered that front teeth aren’t very good for chewing. They’re made for biting, and it’s hard to mash stuff up with them. (Profound, I know.)
But this is amazing to me! We’re talking about teeth - a pretty minor component of our beings, when you think about it. And yet God has wisely (there it is again) designed our teeth with specific jobs to do. Our God pays attention to details.
So, if God has put this much care into designing our teeth, is there any situation in our lives that we cannot trust him to wisely (one more time) superintend for our good and for His glory? VERSE!
A New Year’s Resolution
Parents, as you are making resolutions for the New Year, can I suggest that you consider one having to do with encouraging those around you, in particular, your children.
Richard Sibbes (1577-1635) was a Puritan, known to his contemporaries as “The Sweet Dropper.” I’m not sure exactly what that nickname means, but he must have been an encouraging guy. Consider his comments on encouragement from his book, The Bruised Reed, page 22:
Many, so far as in us lies, are lost for want of encouragement.It is not the best way, to assail young beginners with minor matters, but to show them a more excellent way and train them in fundamental points. It is not amiss to conceal their defects, to excuse some failings, to commend their performances, to encourage their progress, to remove all difficulties out of their way, to help them in every way to bear the yoke of religion with greater ease, to bring them to love God and his service, lest they acquire a distaste for it before they knew it.
Are you aware of spiritual performance in your teens that you can commend, or progress that you can encourage? By all means, tell them today.
Bible Statistics
January 4, 2006 8:32 am
Now that many of you have read the entire Bible, maybe you are curious to know what are the most popular books, chapters, and verses of the Bible. On the ESV Blog, the folks at Crossway provide the answers, based on search results compiled from the ESV website.
The most popular books are reported to be Ephesians, Philippians, and Romans. The least popular are said to be Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and Hosea.
Not surprisingly, the four most popular chapters of the Bible are:
The most often queried verses are:
- John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
- Proverbs 31:10 and following: “An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.”
- Matthew 5:30 “And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”
- Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
- Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
- Genesis 24:27 “and said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me in the way to the house of my master’s kinsmen.â€
The least-often searched verses are:
- Numbers 31:25 “The Lord said to Moses,”
- Joshua 15:24 “Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,”
- 1 Samuel 30:28 “in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa,”
- 1 Chronicles 8:37 “Moza fathered Binea; Raphah was his son, Eleasah his son, Azel his son.”
- Ezekiel 22:17 “And the word of the Lord came to me:”
What about you, what is your favorite book, chapter, and verse of the Bible?
Happy Birthday, J.R.R.
January 3, 2006 9:28 pm
(Photo: Wikipedia)
Today is the birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, among other things. He was born in 1892 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. I was just reading today about the instrumental role Tolkien played in the conversion of C.S. Lewis.
Everybody now:
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday to you.
Happy birthday, dear J.R.R.
Happy birthday to you.
Survey Says…
7:23 amThe results of our survey:
Very impressive! How unusual it is to have so many teens who have read through the Bible in a year, and so many who, even if they didn’t read the entire Bible in a year, are regularly meeting with God through his Word! Well done; you are all to be encouraged!
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
A Little Less Wise
January 2, 2006 8:25 pm
(Photo: Wikipedia; not really my teeth)
I had all four wisdom teeth pulled Thursday. I am not uncomfortable, and the swelling is finally going down. I spent several days looking like an overgrown chipmunk.
I asked the dentist what happened years ago, before people got their wisdom teeth pulled. He explained that maybe nothing happened to you, but there were a couple of horrific options if things went bad: they might have encroached upon and killed the molars (so you couldn’t chew stuff like steak), they might capture little bits of food and become terribly infected (in the days before antibiotics, this was really bad news), or they might eventually lead to cancer.
So, I’m thanking God that we live in a day when modern surgery can remove such risks. Not only can we thank God for the surgery itself, but for everything that accompanies it: drugs to knock me out, powerful pain killers, antibiotics to ward off infection. All are gifts from God.
Here’s the other thing that amazes me: this is the biggest trial I’ve experienced in a long time. Many people live with serious pain every day. Many people around the world face conditions such that their wisdom teeth are the least of their concerns. What grace-filled lives we lead, that we are even making decisions like this. So, this is provoking me to be grateful to God that I live with such an experience of prosperity, that serious adversity is so rare in my life. Psalm 16:5-6:
“The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.”
