Gò0dNews from the Pastor’s Desk
Grace Is Like Grits
G
by Bobby Fleck
race…it’s free? There has to be a catch. After all,
like this, where the grits are there whether or not I want
we all know there is no such thing as a free lunch,
them, it in effect makes them free. They are a bonus, an
right? Most of us have been duped at one time or
extra, there regardless. The Bible says something similar
another (or maybe many times before) by someone offering
about a free gift: “But the free gift of Christ isn’t like Adam’s
something that they presented as “free” only to find out
failure. If many people died through what one person
that there was a catch. Sign up for a free trial subscription
did wrong, God’s grace is multiplied even more for many
to a streaming service with your credit card only to be
people with the gift—of the one person Jesus Christ—that
charged indefinitely $19.99 a month until you cancel. A
comes through grace” (Romans 5:15, CEB).
free door-buster at a store quickly turns into a high-pressure sales tactic to get you to spend more money. A free night’s stay at a hotel is attached to a three-hour-long presentation on a time-share rental. Yep, we’ve probably all been there way too many times. We are tired of being tricked into something we didn’t sign up for, which is perfectly understandable. Here’s a vignette I recently heard: A couple went to Waffle House for an affordable meal out. The couple looked over the menu intently and found what they wanted to order. After returning with their drinks, the waitress asks, “What can I get started for you?” The man looks at the waitress, and he says, “I would like the All-Star Special but
God’s gift to us through Jesus is multiplied for all
leave off the grits.” The man thought to himself that this
because of what the one (Jesus) did for all. That gift, just like
was a simple enough request. The waitress replied, “Sorry,
the grace at Waffle House, is available and on the plate of
grits come with the All-Star Special.” The man responded,
life whether or not you order it. Yes, this grace is free. There
“That’s fine. I am not asking for a change in the price of the
is nothing you can do to earn it. There is nothing you can
meal. Just don’t bring me the grits.” Persistent, the waitress
do to add value to grace or subtract value from grace. This
said, “Grits are like grace, sir. You get ’em whether you want
grace—God’s grace—is free, truly free. God’s grace is like
’em or not.”
grits…it’s there whether or not you want it.
The instant I heard that little vignette, I completely
Thank God for the grits of grace.
agreed with the story. Not about grace, at least not initially. tried not to get the grits. My waitress protested as well and told me the grits would be there regardless. In a situation
6 // March 2022
About The Author
I’ve been in this exact situation at Waffle House before and Bobby Fleck has been in ministry for nineteen years as a youth pastor, family pastor, and associate pastor. Bobby, Tiffini, and their triplet nine-year-old daughters live in Ringgold, GA. Bobby is an Ordained Pastor with the International Ministerial Fellowship and currently works in community relations for Healthy Foundations, a non-profit healthcare initiative in Northwest Georgia.
