Coming to God – Page 7 – A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green

Funeral For A Friend

Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. (Genesis 25:7-8) I conducted a funeral this morning. It was for a member of our church who passed away last week. He was 95Continue reading “Funeral For A Friend”

The Fork In The Road

There is a fork in the road of life. There is a sign by the side of the road that bends to the left. It says, Follow this road and you can be anything you want to be. It is a big, wide road that has obviously seen lots of traffic. You imagine that onContinue reading “The Fork In The Road”

Hand Grenades, Barbeque, And Frontier Law

Both believers and non-believers are capable of hurling what the Scripture says like hand grenades at the expense of failing to pursue the deeper, more primary issue of what the Scripture means by what it says. This predictably produces more heat than light and in turn results in more factionalizing than uniting. Interestingly, the Scripture zeroes in on thisContinue reading “Hand Grenades, Barbeque, And Frontier Law”

God’s Redeeming Curse (3)

So where does all of this mean to us? Much more than can begin to be said here! Books have been written on this and an excellent one is Celebrating the Wrath of God by Jim McGuiggan. Here are a few jumping off places. It should temper the way we think about our Father. God’s goal forContinue reading “God’s Redeeming Curse (3)”

God’s Redeeming Curse (2)

What does this redemptive curse entail? I think the better question would be to ask what it doesn’t involve? According to Deuteronomy 32 (the same text that spoke of God’s moral perfection), it’s all encompassing (see v. 23-27). Tornados, tsunamis, droughts, earthquakes, and famine, are all under His domain. Even the abuse, brutality, and criminality of the wicked (althoughContinue reading “God’s Redeeming Curse (2)”

God’s Redeeming Curse (1)

Mankind was cruising along in the garden and it was great! There was uninterrupted fellowship with the Father, perfect companionship with a special partner, and a an uncursed creation in which to live (who can really say what that was like?). All we had to do was follow God’s loving directions given for our ownContinue reading “God’s Redeeming Curse (1)”

Oneness With God

Last week part of the fence in our back yard was taken down. Before that, it had formed an L-shaped corner with a longer section of fence. There was a wooden pallet leaning in that corner with one of those wire plant baskets perched on top of the pallet. As you’ve probably figured out, itContinue reading “Oneness With God”

Giving God Fast Prayers

It’s important to note that the record of Jesus’ teaching that Matthew relates to us in 6:1-18, is given in response to Pharisaical abuses (5:20,21,27,31,33,38,43). If the “hypocrites” of 6:2,5,16 aren’t exclusively Pharisees, it certainly would include them (see 23:13,15,23,25,27,29). So we shouldn’t approach the text as an open forum on the subjects of giving, fasting, andContinue reading “Giving God Fast Prayers”

“God Answered Our Prayer!”

“God answered our prayer!” we proclaim as someone who has been in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers is brought to better circumstances. We mean well by such a statement. We mean to bring glory to our Father and recognize what He has done. But the truth is, these words can be a poor way of expressing our joy. Church bulletins,Continue reading ““God Answered Our Prayer!””

Nice Prayers or Good Prayers?

When we have prayed over every wart, pimple, and problem of people both known and unknown, have we really ministered to them? Have we done what God would have us to do for them? Is this the essence of what the church is to be about? Curiously, there’s nothing in the New Testament to sanction the fervorContinue reading “Nice Prayers or Good Prayers?”