Pastor's Corner is a weekly devotional and encouragement that is posted each week.
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Week of September November 17, 2024
Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (KJV). The word “grace” comes from the Greek that means receiving from God what we don’t deserve, specifically forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him in heaven.
But when we say grace it’s a prayer we offer before we eat a meal. It’s a prayer of thanksgiving for the food set before us, and that God would bless or sanctify it to our bodies. By saying grace, we are giving thanks to God for His provision and goodness because in reality it all belongs to God, and therefore it is by His grace we have it to eat. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1 NKJV).
The origin of saying grace goes back to the Apostle Peter and his situation when faced with a vision of unclean animals God commanded him to eat. Peter responded by saying he has never eaten anything that was not allowed in the Law of Moses. But the Lord replied, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” (Acts 10:15). And the Apostle Paul said in his first letter to Timothy, “For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” (1 Timothy 4:4-5).
Sadly, saying grace has become more of a ritual than its original intent and that is acknowledging God’s grace when partaking in the meal. So, when we “say grace” before a meal we are acknowledging that God has provided not only what we have been given to eat, but everything we have and how He has given to us everything good. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” The best gift we have been given is salvation through Jesus Christ. Have you received that gift? If not, do so today while you have the opportunity.
Pastor Dave
