Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Seeing Beneath the Surface

There are many people who are building a life without God—and it seems to be working just fine. They live in nice houses, have good jobs, and enjoy excellent health. God isn’t a blip on their radar and yet they are blessed in this manner, in some cases, above and beyond many followers of Jesus. Does thatContinue reading “Seeing Beneath the Surface”

Vindication of Joy

James Mays offers this in regard to Psalm 126: Words for laughter/joy occur five times in the whole, giving the song its dominant emotional tone. The song is about joy remembered and joy anticipated. In both cases the joy is the work of the Lord, in the first through the restoration of Zion and inContinue reading “Vindication of Joy”

Joy for the Journey

Psalm 126 has Israel’s return from Babylon (“When the Lord brought back the captive ones” (v. 1 – NASB) as its starting point. The nation’s response to God’s great deliverance is both poetic and powerful, “Our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with shouts of joy . . . we are filled with joy” (v. 2-3). TheContinue reading “Joy for the Journey”

Surrounded, Stable and Secure

A mountain is no small thing. While that sounds like it’s straight out of the mouth of Captain Obvious, there might be more truth to it than meets the eye (or ear). Although we do hear about small mountains, even those are substantial in terms of size—just try climbing one! But mountains are big inContinue reading “Surrounded, Stable and Secure”

Our Help is in the Name of the Lord

Redeemed how I love to proclaim it . . . Many of us recognize this as the opening line in a familiar song. It’s one that tells our story. We are the redeemed. We’ve been rescued from sin, death and eternal loss. We have been saved from the futility of our thinking and its attendant destructiveContinue reading “Our Help is in the Name of the Lord”

This is where the tribes go up

We all recognize it’s a serious mistake to think that going to church is the biggest or most important part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Such a view overemphasizes our meetings and tends to trivialize all that takes place outside them. At its absolute worst, it can produce the bankruptContinue reading “This is where the tribes go up”

The Joy of Community

Community is a prominent theme in the Psalms of Ascent. As we’ve noted, the background for these psalms are the pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the three annual feasts. These trips were made in the company of others. It was not only a safe way to travel, it was also spiritually enriching. God’s goodness was experiencedContinue reading “The Joy of Community”

I Am For Peace

Our journey toward God is a journey of and toward peace. Christ told His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace.” He went on to say, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33). That’s exactly the problem the writer is experiencing in Psalm 120—he’s havingContinue reading “I Am For Peace”

Psalms for the Road

Psalms 120-134 were recited by Jewish pilgrims as they journeyed to Jerusalem for the three annual feasts celebrated by the nation of Israel. These 15 psalms speak to anyone who is traveling—whether it is a trip from point A to point B, or the larger journey we make through life. They were referred to asContinue reading “Psalms for the Road”