Do You Have a Bounty of Food on Your Table?

Prayer ~ Lord God, Thank You for the bounty of the wonderful meals You have provided. May You be glorified—for You are worthy of glory and praise. 

Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. "All of you listen," he said, "and try to understand. It's not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart." ... Then Jesus went into a house to get away from the crowd, and his disciples asked him what he meant by the parable he had just used. "Don't you understand either?" he asked. "Can't you see that the food you put into your body cannot defile you? Food doesn't go into your heart, but only passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer." (By saying this, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable in God's eyes.) And then he added, "It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you." Mark 7:14-15, 17-23 

Any kind of food is acceptable to eat. Still there are some foods that you want to be sure to pray over…to consecrate…before you eat them. By this scripture it is all right to eat foods that you wouldn’t normally eat…like my young grandson suggested…fried tarantulas, gator kabobs, silkworms or even grilled chicken feet. When a friend of mine found a chicken foot in the tasty soup she was enjoying in Portugal, that was the end of the meal for her. Even some people in the old days flavored their chicken soup with chicken feet. I discovered that you can buy them in some stores, like a local Mexican grocery.

Does your diet honor the Lord? How many candy bars have you treated yourself to this month? Do you give thanks before chomping down those chocolates? What foods do you refuse to eat? Brussels sprouts? Try cooking them in chicken broth (without chicken feet!). It is amazing how they are not bitter when cooked that way. 

Those who worship the Lord on a special day do it to honor him. Those who eat any kind of food do so to honor the Lord, since they give thanks to God before eating. And those who refuse to eat certain foods also want to please the Lord and give thanks to God. Romans 14:6

It is interesting to note that in the Old Testament people were encouraged to give thanks…a blessing…after the meal and it was actually for the land, not actually for the food.

So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey. It is a land where food is plentiful and nothing is lacking. It is a land where iron is as common as stone, and copper is abundant in the hills. When you have eaten your fill, be sure to praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. But that is the time to be careful! Beware that in your plenty you do not forget the LORD your God and disobey his commands, regulations, and decrees that I am giving you today. Deuteronomy 8:6-11

Now the Jewish ritual is not just a simple prayer, but depends specifically on the foods that were consumed. There is a long list of foods and blessings available in Jewish resources and on-line. Google it.

Jesus gave thanks…a blessing to the Lord God, before the meal, like when He fed the five thousand men and their families. Jesus seems to have initiate the pre-meal blessing routine that most Christians follow today. This type of blessing consecrates, makes holy, the food before we it is consumed.

Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. John 6:11

Jews today have a traditional blessing before their meal that is dependent on the food that is to be served. Likewise, after the meal a specific grace is offered for the particular foods eaten, particularly in accordance with the seven food groups listed in Deuteronomy 8. No matter whether you give thanks before, after, or both, and no matter what you eat or drink…

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

Can you choose to share that bounty of food with others?

Verse of Salvation and Thanksgiving ~ But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God. Psalm 50:23   

© 2024 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved. 

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. 

New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. 

Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm. 

Revised and reused from November 19, 2021 - Banquet With The King blog

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