God created man to bless him—fully, richly, and deeply! In the creation account we hear words like blessed, fruitful, fill, subdue, rule over and I give all made in reference to him (Genesis 1:28-29). The highest expression of man’s favored status lies in the truth that he is made to be an image-bearer of the Trinity (v. 27). In this, man has cosmicContinue reading “Why Did God Create Man?”
Category Archives: Opening the Bible
The Pace of Grace
There’s a pace to grace. It’s like running a long distance race. No one in those races runs as fast as they can. Instead, they pace themselves so they’ll have enough strength to make it to the finish line. They find a nice rhythm on the straightaway to conserve energy so they’ll be able toContinue reading “The Pace of Grace”
Seeing Jesus in New Ways
Dr. Oliver Sacks was Professor of Neurology at NYU School of Medicine but he’s best known for the dozen or so books he wrote. Most of these chronicle his clinical work over the years and deal with patients with unique and intriguing issues. The titles of his books tend to reflect this: The Man who MistookContinue reading “Seeing Jesus in New Ways”
On a Hill Far Away
There are passages of Scripture that are profoundly rich, deep and endlessly expansive. They seem to tower over other texts and have a life of their own. They challenge, inspire, and speak to us on multiple levels. That’s more than a subjective impression, Christ said as much in Matthew 22:34ff and again in 23:23. IContinue reading “On a Hill Far Away”
Land, Man, and Glory
One of the things we should notice in Genesis (and the whole of Scripture), is the importance of land. Man has a unique relationship with the earth. He alone is said to come from it (2:7). That being true, we shouldn’t be surprised that land often symbolizes man’s relationship with his Creator. When man isContinue reading “Land, Man, and Glory”
Why did Moses leave Egypt?
But the man who was mistreating the other pushed Moses aside and said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?” When Moses heard this, he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. (Stephen in Acts 7:27-29) The man said, “WhoContinue reading “Why did Moses leave Egypt?”
Two Markers to Remember
There are a couple of boundary markers we need to keep in our line of sight as we make our way through the Scripture and it makes its way through us. The first is that we can come within understanding distance of Scripture. Whether it’s John 5 or Jeremiah 25, we need to approach theContinue reading “Two Markers to Remember”
Big Stories and Little Stories
There are big stories and little stories. The little stories are about us. They are about where we were born, the family we grew up in, and other significant events in our life. They are rich, wonderful and engaging—but they are also profoundly lacking. Why? Because they have a beginning and an end. We areContinue reading “Big Stories and Little Stories”
For Freedom (1)
Freedom is a word that has been appropriated over the years for every imaginable cause and issue—from noble pursuits such as the deliverance of people from injustice and oppression, to not-so-noble causes like recreational drug use, abuse of natural resources, aborting the unborn and selling the body parts. It should be clear that not everythingContinue reading “For Freedom (1)”
Dealing with the Detested
They detested the manna. That’s what Israel told God in Numbers 21:5. You remember they had been given the food in response to their grumbling (Exodus 16). After a while, they became bored with the blessing (Numbers 11), and then they reached the point of detesting it. As with all ungrateful people, they didn’t realizeContinue reading “Dealing with the Detested”
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 