Yum!!

 

Thank you, O Lord, for taste buds and for creating yummy food! 

God could just as easily have created us without the ability to taste.  We could have been constructed in such a way that we consume food at set times each day merely for nourishment and energy. Flavor would be a foreign concept to a people with no taste buds.  Ah....think of all the wonderful, delicious things we would have missed!

Here is a stack of fluffy, golden pancakes with sweet maple syrup drizzling down the sides - does that make your mouth water?  Such a response to food is one of the blessings of a sense of taste.  Anticipation of that first tasty bite is part of the pleasure of a good dish of food.

Here are a few interesting verses in the Bible about food:

"Men ate the bread of angels; He sent them all the food they could eat" Psalm 78:25.  This verse refers to God sending manna from heaven for the Israelites to eat in the wilderness.  God called the manna "bread of angels."  Doesn't that have a lovely ring to it?

"He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you" Psalm 81:16.  Again, the verse refers to the Israelites, this time it speaks of the sad loss that resulted from their disobedience to God.

We'll end these food-related verses with a happy one - "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him" Psalm 34:8.  This Psalm of David opens a wondrous door to the men and women who trust in the Lord.  Through our faith, we are enabled to see how good God is and to actually taste His magnificence in our lives.  Yum, pass me another, please.

Thank you, O Lord, for your goodness and mercy and grace -- and for all the wonderful foods you've provided for us to enjoy!

Note:  Larry created that lovely stack of pancakes one morning last week (:

Sola Gratia

 

Sola Gratia - "by Grace alone"

 



    I was recently introduced to the Latin phrase - "Sola Gratia" - which means "by Grace alone."  Not only does the sound of the Latin phrase have a lovely ring to it, the meaning is precious and powerful.  I chose this photo I took of a spiral staircase in the Benedictine Monastery in Melk, Austria, because I felt it could signify our upward journey toward a deepening relationship with Holy God and the continuing grace He offers us each and every day. 

 

    God offers wonderful grace to we His creations.  He offers grace through salvation and daily blessings and the privilege of serving Him and His very Spirit dwelling within us.  It's incredible and exciting to see all the ways He shows His love and grace to we mere mortals.

    One of the best Bible verses to show the true meaning of Sola Gratia is found in Ephesians 2:8-9:  "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

   I'm incredibly thankful that God offers a grace that is greater than ALL our sins.  As the famous song by John Newton so beautifully puts it:  "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see."

   I pray this New Year of 2018 will be a year of grace for each of us.  May we show grace to those around us as God has and still does show grace to us.