The psalmist supplies us with several reasons for praising God. At the start of his list is “forget not all of His benefits” (103:2). In v. 3-8 he enumerates some of those. Applicationally speaking, this is a part of the psalm where there is plenty of room for us to personalize the psalm by thinkingContinue reading “Reasons to Praise”
Author Archives: A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green
Subversive Joy
What kind of man is it, who knowing He is just hours away from being subjected to one of the cruelest, most painful, and shameful deaths imaginable —speaks of His joy? How could He possibly talk to His disciples about His joy being complete in them (John 15:11)? What are we to make of this? A person unfamiliar withContinue reading “Subversive Joy”
There is no substitute!
“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” Most of us are familiar with this saying. More to the point, we are familiar with this feeling. We’ve been there. We know what it is like to be running on empty. That’s where Elijah was in 1 Kings 19. He had been through 3 ½ years ofContinue reading “There is no substitute!”
If it’s not broken, God hasn’t fixed it!
Psalm 51 is a challenging psalm. There’s the historical context (it is likely a psalm written by David after Nathan exposed his adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah). Then there’s our context (i.e., most of us have not committed adultery and set a man up to be killed as David did). That beingContinue reading “If it’s not broken, God hasn’t fixed it!”
Praying Wisely
A couple in their sixties is walking along the beach when they spy an object hidden in the sand. They uncover it, knock the sand off, and identify it as an old, old lamp. Before they know it—POOF! —a genie appears to grant them three wishes. They would like to travel the world they tell him andContinue reading “Praying Wisely”
If Love Was a Truck
I drive a truck. Sometimes I even think about life in truck terms. I was working with 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 and trying to come up with a paraphrase of it and . . . well, you can see for yourself what happened. Hopefully, it will be useful to someone. Love has strong shock absorbersContinue reading “If Love Was a Truck”
Ten Lepers and Two Cookies
Our six-year-old grandson (Bryant) lives a few states away, but I get to talk with him and his brothers every Sunday night. Our conversations revolve around sports, bad jokes (“Why couldn’t the pirate recite the alphabet? He kept getting lost at sea”), food, and what they learned in Bible class that morning. We go otherContinue reading “Ten Lepers and Two Cookies”
Reverence & Rejoicing
David had become king of Judah and Israel—but this didn’t happen all at one time. He became king of Judah when Saul died (2 Samuel 2:4), and then king of Israel 7 1/2 years later (5:4-5). This reflected the instability that existed among the tribes of Israel. Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son, had been king of IsraelContinue reading “Reverence & Rejoicing”
God Prepares a King
1 and 2 Samuel were originally a single book. However, when the Hebrew book Samuel was translated into Greek in the Septuagint, it took up too much space for a single scroll, so it became 1 and 2 Samuel. (The same is true for Kings and Chronicles). While Samuel and Saul occupy important roles, David is theContinue reading “God Prepares a King”
Samson: Strong Man with a Weak Character
Samson is a messy character who meshes perfectly with the messy spirituality of the book of Judges. It’s easy to see the book of Judges as nothing more than Israel’s habitual inability to live right and God’s resulting chastisement. That’s certainly part of the story—but it’s not the only part. Why does God bother withContinue reading “Samson: Strong Man with a Weak Character”
