Recently I bit down on some food and one of my teeth literally crumbled in half. I wasn’t eating anything hard or super chewy; it was a complete surprise. I thought, “that did not just happen”, with initial disbelief that perhaps the “crunch” was something that inadvertently made it into the food. Alas, my hopes were crushed when I reached into my mouth and grabbed the remnants of the broken tooth.
Trying to eat or talk with a jagged half-tooth is not fun. There was some pain and I could tell my speech sounded slightly off. Apart from the impacts, what was more concerning was the thought, “how did this happen?”. What caused it and will other teeth start to fall apart as well?
With great thanks, I soon received excellent care and a solution through the wonders of modern dentistry. The procedure took less than thirty minutes!
The dentist told me that I have a powerful bite (while I was proud of myself, I don’t think this was meant to be a compliment) and that I am probably grinding my teeth while sleeping. Often, when a person grinds their teeth in their sleep it is due to stress and anxiety. Think about it. Even while awake we might bite down hard during a painful or stressful event. Stress and anxiety can take a serious toll on our bodies.
Today’s reading: Matthew 25:1-30
I no longer call it a coincidence when I’m studying for the next post and a related life event happens that correlates with the scripture. It is the Holy Spirit at work. It increases my faith and I hope yours as well.
Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25:30 – NLT)
According to gotquestions.org: “The Greek phrase for “gnashing of teeth” literally means “grinding one’s teeth together.”
Jesus was teaching about being ready for his return and for final judgment. Similar to yesterday’s scripture, Jesus makes it clear that we must remain vigilant and be ready. We must use our time and gifts wisely.
Similar to my own initial denial that my tooth was crumbled, we often want to look past difficult (scary) verses like this. Scriptures teach us that there will be a final judgment and those who are not “ready” upon the return of Christ will be condemned. As much as you don’t want to read it, I don’t want to write it. I don’t like it however it is the truth so it must be told.
While a mouthguard might mitigate some of the impacts of teeth gnashing in this life, what’s needed is an eternal fix, and that’s Jesus. The choice is ours but it must be made in advance.
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
We all have at our disposal the ability to directly communicate from anywhere at any time with the creator of the universe, the creator and designer of all things that are good, the one who loves you more than you can imagine; He is God Almighty. He seeks a relationship with you right now in this very moment and he is ready to listen and ready to respond. All you have to do is call out to him and place his son Jesus in his rightful place over everything in your life.
Here’s another post from our site to help you learn more about being saved: “Are You In?“