The backdrop for understanding the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4/Luke 4 is Israel’s time in the wilderness. The parallels aren’t difficult to see. I’ve adapted the following from Liefeld and Pao (Luke, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary). Israel was God’s son (Exodus 4:22-23); Jesus was proclaimed God’s Son at His baptism (Luke 3:21-22). God ledContinue reading “Words for the Wilderness”
Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green
Living in the Land of Promise
“Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, The Lord is one,” (Deuteronomy 6:4). It’s hard to overstate the importance of this text for Israel or the follower of Jesus. For Israel, these words were spoken to them as they were on the brink of f-i-n-a-l-l-y entering the land of Canaan. The previous generation of IsraelitesContinue reading “Living in the Land of Promise”
Someone We Can Relate To
Moses was a great servant of God, but passion for God doesn’t mean immunity from struggles whether we’re talking about Moses, Noah, Esther, David, or anyone else. And there’s no hesitancy on the part of biblical writers to call out mistakes, flaws, or weaknesses in the people they write about and that’s one reason weContinue reading “Someone We Can Relate To”
Stepping into the Story
I suppose as long as there have been summer vacations there have been children who had to write about what they did on them. And as long as there have been vacations of any kind, there have been people like us who took way too many pictures. We can post those pictures, but it’s muchContinue reading “Stepping into the Story”
Background on Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy is the final book written by Moses and a fitting conclusion to the Pentateuch (the first five books of Scripture). Genesis is the book of beginnings. Exodus advances the story from Egypt to the wilderness and ends with the construction of the tabernacle. Leviticus furnishes Israel with laws concerning the tabernacle and sacrificial system.Continue reading “Background on Deuteronomy”
Turning Brokenness Into Beauty
When our children were very young, my wife and I made an important economic/ascetic decision. Rather than go on vacations to places we really couldn’t afford and our kids wouldn’t (fully) appreciate, we would go to state parks instead. You could rent a cabin at just about any park for a very affordable price andContinue reading “Turning Brokenness Into Beauty”
Selling Out To Good
Finn Daly is six years old and lives in West Hartford, Connecticut. He has Down Syndrome and autism. He also has a great love and appreciation for our country’s flag. He can sit on the floor of his house and look through the storm door at the flag flying outside for long periods of time.Continue reading “Selling Out To Good”
It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 4)
4. Spiritual anxiety is fed by an emphasis on wealth and status. The message should be clear: material wealth, the latest technology has to offer, creature comforts—none of them can satisfy the spiritual needs we were created with. And an over-reliance on them can actually hurt us. You can everything in the world to liveContinue reading “It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 4)”
It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 3)
1. We begin by recognizing the anxiety has a spiritual component. Human beings possess a mind, a body, and a spirit. That’s who we are. It is how God made us. Consequently, to think about anxiety only in terms of the mind and body is a failure to treat it fully and completely. It overlooksContinue reading “It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 3)”
It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 2)
Anxiety seems to be everywhere. Every day we hear reports, stories, and statistics about it. It’s like the pandemic came along and took the lid off our anxiety jar and everything started spilling out. But that perception isn’t entirely accurate. According to research conducted by The American Psychiatric Association and The U.K. Council for PsychotherapyContinue reading “It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 2)”
