Athens First UMC Devotions

“The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, ‘“Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29 

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“But look! A king will rule in the right way, and his leaders will carry out justice. Each one will stand as a shelter from high winds, provide safe cover in stormy weather. Each will be cool running water in parched land, a huge granite outcrop giving shade in the desert.” Isaiah 32:1-2

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Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?” Matthew 21:42

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“Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1 

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I’ve listened to the song “I’m Getting Ready” by Michael Kiwanuka many times over the past few years. Listen after listen, the beautiful instrumentation and arrangement pierces right through my hard-outer shell and finds its way into my soul. To be honest, I’ve always had trouble relating to the lyrics, which are about someone who is “getting ready to believe.” Through Chuck’s sermon, “Great is Hard,” I was given a lens through which to experience these lyrics in a new way.

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“Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.” Psalm 105:2-3

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“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1

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God brings grace to us even before we know God’s name. This is prevenient grace: the grace that goes before us and calls us into relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I rejoice in this word today because it signifies God’s love for all of humanity from the beginning of time. Even despite our human shortcomings and propensity to sin, God’s love for us remains. And God’s grace means that God extends to us unmerited favor according to God’s purpose and nature in this world. Through God’s prevenient grace, we are able to recognize our shortcomings, begin to understand God’s will, repent, and grow in our faith. 

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“I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” Jeremiah 24:7

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“O love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee. I give thee back the life I owe, that in thine oceans depths its flow. May richer fuller be.” Psalm 139: 7-10 

Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.

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