After Gideon and his three hundred men have thrown the Midianite army into panic with their trumpets, jars, and torches (and the help of the Lord—Judges 7:22), they set out in pursuit of those who have survived and fled. In 8:4, we’re told that they are “exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit”. If there hadContinue reading “Exhausted Yet Keeping Up The Pursuit”
Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green
It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 1)
Monk aired from 2001 to 2009. It achieved the requisite hundred episodes to enter into the afterlife of syndication, so you can find it today in the cable/satellite tv world as well as on some streaming services. Monk is a police procedural show, a dramedy, but mainly it is about Adrian Monk. He had beenContinue reading “It’s a Jungle Out There (Anxiety & Faith, pt. 1)”
Life Among the Thorns
Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Corinthians 12) can be the gateway to some important and profound truths—and none of them have anything to do with identifying what his infirmity was! Whatever Paul’s “messenger of Satan” (v. 7) was is unimportant. What matters was God’s purpose in allowing it and Paul’s response to it. EverythingContinue reading “Life Among the Thorns”
God’s POV
Paul has something to say in 2 Corinthians 10! It was something he had been building toward the entire letter. It concerned a problem that had been brewing at Corinth for quite some time. Things weren’t as they should have been because there were some people who weren’t as they should have been. They complained,Continue reading “God’s POV”
Caring and Committed
In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, we have a minister to the Gentiles raising funds for Jewish people. That might sound a little strange to us, but it is totally consistent with the biblical principle that we are people first and everything else (i.e., all the adjectives we choose to describe ourselves) is a distantContinue reading “Caring and Committed”
The Judgment (1)
Paul alluded to the afterlife in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, so it’s natural that he develops this more in 5:1ff. It’s an encouraging section of Scripture as the apostle speaks of what God has planned for His people and his personal desire to enter into that. “So that what is mortal may be swallowed up byContinue reading “The Judgment (1)”
Living Without a Veil
Paul is absolutely unequivocal in telling the Corinthians, “What we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). This was in contrast to the “super-apostles” who had captured the Corinthians’ attention and had much to say about themselves (10:12, 11:18). He continues on thisContinue reading “Living Without a Veil”
I Can Only Imagine
In the second half of 2 Corinthians 3, Paul continues to use Moses as he speaks to the Corinthians. It seems likely that the false teachers opposing Paul were overemphasizing Moses and the law and underemphasizing the covenant brought by Jesus. This would explain why Paul continues on the Moses track as he contrasts theContinue reading “I Can Only Imagine”
Letters and Life
Moses comes to the forefront of Paul’s thoughts in chapter 3. He was indirectly introduced in 2:14-17 through the triumphal procession and then alluded to in the aroma of life and death (Numbers 16). But in chapter 3 he rises above the waterline and is not only named by Paul but incorporated into important comparisons/contrastsContinue reading “Letters and Life”
The Triumph of the Broken and Burdened
This piece is longer than usual but it deals with a pivotal text and topic in Paul’s ministry and in our lives. Paul hadn’t made the trip to Corinth he had written (and apparently talked) about (1 Corinthians 16:5-9; 2:1:15-17). Instead, he ended up making a quick, “painful visit” to them that didn’t go wellContinue reading “The Triumph of the Broken and Burdened”
