Did you know?...
The abbreviation "Pt." can stand for :
"Pacific Time zone"
"Pro tempore" (a Latin phrase meaning "for the time being")
"Physical training" (an abbreviation used commonly in the US military)
"Price Target" (the price at which a stockholder is willing/is projected to sell their stock"
"Proverbs 31 Woman" (OK--not really--that one was for my friend Thomas Unson)
"Part" (as in pt. 1, 2, and 3 of a story. like harry potter)
In Units of Measurement
"Point" (as in promontory, a physical landmark, e.g. point loma, point dume, etc.)
"Pint" (as in a unit measuring volume)
"Point" (as in a measurement of the thickness of card stock)
"Prothrombin time" (a measurement of blood coagulation)
"Point" (as in a unit of measure used in typography)
In Science
"Platinum" (a chemical element)
"The Periodic Table" (yes, Angelica--if you're reading--this one's for you)
"Polythiophene" (again relating to chemistry)
"Transverse momentum" (relating to particle physics)
"Pressure and temperature" (in geology)
"Post-tensioned concrete" (something relating to structural engineering)
"Patient" (like when we go to the doctor's office!)
"Physical Therapy"
"Pararosaniline-Toluidine" (a histological stain, "histos," or "ἱστός"; the greek word meaning "tissue," ergo: the study of tissues)
"Percutaneous" (a medical procedure)
"Mitochondrial permeability transition" (a disease)
"Pulmonary Hypertension" (basically reallllly high blood pressure. Leigh--or any other future nurses--I'm looking for you to correct me on this one if I'm mistaken.)
"Phyllodes tumor" (a breast tumor)
Places
"Palestinian territories"
"Petronas Towers" (a pair of towers in Malaysia)
"Park and Tilford Gardens" (a botanical garden in N. Vancouver)
"Palau Tiga" (an island in S. China Sea)
"Petah Tikva" (a city in Israel)
"Port Townsend" (a city in the state of Washington)
"Portugal"
Politics
"Partido dos Trabalhadores" (a Brazilian political party)
"Parti des travailleurs" (a French political party)
"Partido del Trabajo" (a Mexican political party)
Miscellaneous!
"Pressure treated" (a type of wood)
"Petunidin" (a plant pigment)
"Peat" (decayed vegetation soil)
"PT Cruiser"
"PT boat"
"Panorama Tools"
"Pro Tools" (a computer program)
".pt" (an internet top level domain name for Portugal. i.e. www.facebook.pt )
"Pythagoras Theorem" (I remember this from geometry: a^2 + b^2 = c^2)
"Porcupine Tree" (a British rock band)
"Priston Tale"
"Prison Tycoon"
"Pokemon Platinum" (all these past three being video games)
"Prequel trilogy" (like star wars episodes 1, 2, and 3)
"Pro Tour" (like in skateboarding, or sports in general)
"Passing Tone" (a term used in music theory)
"Portuguese Language"
"Perpetual traveler"
"Pandit" (as in the honorific title applied by Hindus to scholars)
"Capital Cargo International Airlines" (I don't see how they do this one... oh well!)
"West Air Sweden" (Oh, probably in a different language)
"Putnam Transit" (a New York public bus system)
"Portugal Telecom"
How many of those random facts did you know? Probably not too many... In fact, my guess would be that most of you could probably count the number you knew on one hand. How does any of this relate to the topic of humility? SO GLAD YOU ASKED! Yesterday I was studying the omniscience of God, the attribute which has often been defined by theologians as the attribute by which “God fully knows himself and all things actual and possible in one simple and eternal act.” Meditating on this truth began to humble me.
As I read, I began to ponder the infinite knowledge of God and--in contrast to God's perfect knowledge--how little I actually know. It doesn't take long after reading a silly little list like the one above to realize theres so much I don't know, and yet, it's so easy for me to walk around with my head held high (metaphorically speaking), strutting internally as if "I know what's up!" I struggle at times especially with becoming a "know it all"; how little I actually know! What a wicked sin this is to see ourselves as knowing better than God. I've never instructed God, have you? No! And yet so often I carry this attitude around with me as if I can teach Him a thing or two. I know it sounds ridiculous--that's because it is--but it's the truth! How irrational my thinking, tainted by sin, has become! As Isaiah asked, "Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?" (Isaiah 40:14) Sometimes I think I'm the answer to this rhetorical question; oh how I have erred, Lord! All knowledge You give is given as a privilege to lowly creatures; a precious gift! I'm reminded of Your words to the Corinthian Church, and of Your words spoken through the prophet Isaiah...
"What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" (1 Cor. 4:7b)
"For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, andrighteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.” (1 Cor. 1:26-31)
“But to this one I will look,
To him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word." (Isaish 66:2b)I remember hearing C.J. Mahaney say, "if one desires to be humble, one must study the attributes of God." I'm beginning to understand what he meant by that... The very nature and person of the Creator brings humility to the the creatures He reveals His character to.
Well, loved ones, do you see my point? (or Pt.) Haha :). I hope and pray you would understand by God's grace, and that He would lead you to humility. Let the knowledge of God's perfect and infinite knowledge leave you humbled. As silly as it sounds, God knows all these "pt's" perfectly. In fact, they are but a grain of sand in the infinite desert of his mind. I must qualify that my language pales in comparison to the actual, but it's the best I can do. Grace and peace, ya'll.
-zach
