Grace for All

The constant drone of awful information can cause us to feel afraid, worried, and overwhelmed. Reports fill our eyes and ears with news of the constant drone of awful information — devastating floods, raging fires, heartbreaking famine, endless wars and bombs, plane crashes, drug overdoses, suicides, murders, school shootings, and political unrest. The list goes on, and we feel captive, involved, and tormented, with the unrest that seems to surround us. We want to find the mute button, the off switch, but the horrors just keep coming, and the stress and anxiety fill us with dread. 

Today’s scripture provides the key to unlock the door to the pathway to peace. Let’s hear it again… Don’t worry about anything, instead pray for everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. If you do this, you will experience God‘s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. 

We should all mark our daily calendars with several reminders to stop, find a quiet place, and pray for everything that’s on our minds. We should use those prayer appointments to tell God our needs and thank him for his answers. In the quiet, wrap yourself in God’s great LOVE. Then continue your day wrapped in the peace he promises. 

Dear God, the world is so full of pain and turmoil. We worry about all the terrible things that we hear each day. We worry about all those people who are hurting, all those wars that are being fought, all those needless deaths, the suffering children, the homeless, the heartbroken. We ask you, Lord, to help and heal. We ask you to take control of our hearts and help us lean on your promises and on Christ Jesus. Help us, Lord, to trust you. Calm our fears, soothe our worried minds, and lead us into your peace. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

P.S. Lord, if there is something you want me to do for you, to help in some way, please push me in the right direction to be your hands and feet, to spread your LOVE and Peace wherever I go.

This devotional was written and read by Bernice Howard.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

One doesn’t have to be a performer to have heard the advice for someone who is nervous to go on stage or speak or perform in front of a crowd: just imagine everyone in the audience in their underwear (or sometimes, it’s even “imagine them naked”). I think that I first heard that advice on a cartoon as a child, but I’m sure that it was well before I understood that the advice was a coping strategy to convince your mind of the equality you share with the others for whom you are performing as a means of not being quite so nervous. Imagining them in a more humbling version of themselves helps us see each other not so hierarchically, with the audience lording over us, but instead reframes them in a more equal and comfortable relationship. 

Similarly, in Paul’s letter to the Romans, he describes the justice of God in terms of equality. We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. We all fail and are broken people in some way. To be human, frankly, is to be fragile. To live in this world necessarily means that you will mess up sometimes, that you will not always be the best version of yourself. But friends, the good news here is that God understands, God loves you, and God claims you — that is the gift of God’s grace. Furthermore, there is no value in comparing our “goodness” with others; God loves us equally. 

I worked in a Presbyterian church at one point, and a friend who was a lay leader of that congregation was doing a presentation on being part of that denomination. She said to me, “so many folks tend to get caught up on the predestination thing. All that really means to me is that nothing I can do can make God love me any more and nothing I will do will make God love me any less.” While I don’t mean to open the theological can of worms that is the concept of predestination, especially in a podcast produced by a United Methodist church, I think that sentiment is so beautiful, and it is at the heart of what Paul is saying here. So let us all remind ourselves of this important and affirming truth: God loves us, God is on our side, and God wants what is best for us. And, as Paul writes a few chapters later in Romans, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” 

God, we thank you for the gift of your love and grace. Thank you for understanding our hurts, our failures, our brokenness — our humanity. And thank you for being with us in spite of it all, no matter what. We pray that we honor you by living lives that demonstrate our gratitude by sharing and showing that grace and love with others. In Christ’s name, amen. 

This devotion was written and read by Dwight Dockery.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

How did this mind of Christ reflect in his day-to-day life? He touched the unclean leper and healed him. He was compassionate to the woman caught in adultery. He made mud and placed it on the eyes of the blind man. He sat and talked with the Samaritan woman who had a checkered past. He washed the feet of his disciples and, yes, he submitted to torture and execution as a common criminal. No one and nothing was beneath him as he demonstrated his servant's heart. 

I was reminded in reflecting on this scripture of the late Pope Francis. He who washed and kissed the feet of female inmates from his wheelchair; who washed the feet of Muslims; who demonstrated love and patience for the elderly, the children, the infirm, and the disabled. 

And then I remembered an incident recently as I visited my daughter's family in Oregon. One day I took my granddaughter to the library. In the bushes outside was a young woman crouching down, talking loudly on a phone to someone or no one. We went inside and I sat down in the lobby and began listening to an audiobook on my earbuds while my granddaughter went to check out books. The young woman from the bushes came in, sat in the chair next to mine and plopped her stuff down on the little table between us. She got up a couple of times, walking around the lobby, talking loudly on her phone to someone or no one. And then she came and sat down again. Next to me. Through the audiobook in my ears, I heard her say, "So how are you this fine day." Hoping that she was talking to someone else, I stared ahead, listening to my book. I wasn't being asked to wash her feet or lay hands on her. Simply to respond to a friendly greeting. She grabbed her stuff and walked out of the library. And I missed an opportunity to show compassion and grace to a young lady in whose presence I was sadly uncomfortable. 

I am reminded of something Pastor Jonathan said in one of his first sermons that we will never look into the eyes of someone who is not a child of God. I hope that when given another opportunity, I will not neglect to remember that. 

Father, help me to never pass up a chance to show your love, your compassion, your grace to one of your children. Help me to better adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus. Amen.

This devotional was written by Charlie Barton and read by Cliff McCartney.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

I am so grateful that God’s grace is bigger than my doubt. In my life, I have been blessed to witness numerous things I would consider miracles, things that by the odds never should have happened. Some have been big—life-changing. Others have been small; perhaps no one even noticed but me. Each, an unexpected gift. Undeserved favor. Grace. 

And yet… 

Doubt clouds my thoughts. When I consider all that is wrong in the world, all of the problems of our planet and the history of humanity with our greed and hatred, doubt in a positive future sits heavily on my stubborn heart. I just don’t see it. Sometimes, I am afraid to believe in it. 

Thomas didn’t see it either. He was afraid, too—afraid to believe, heavy with doubt. And Jesus showed up, anyway. God’s grace was bigger than his doubt. How much greater the blessing is for those who believe without seeing, yes. But do not miss this message: doubt doesn’t prevent the blessing. 

Thomas experienced Christ’s resurrection power despite his doubt. And right now, all the world needs to pivot, to change, is just a little bit of resurrection power. 

Lord, we pray for resurrection, for communities weighed down by conflict, individuals trapped by disappointment, and nations yearning for peace. May your grace always find us in our doubts, and lift our hopes toward futures unimagined. And Lord, if the world needs just a little bit of resurrection power, may it begin right here—with a sacred yes, and a heart ready to believe again. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Thank you for joining us for today's Grace for All podcast.

On Saturdays, we pause for a few moments to look back on our week and to review the scriptures that we have used in our podcast.

We encourage you, after listening to this episode, to go back and listen to the episodes you missed, or to review the ones that were particularly meaningful for you. We trust that the thoughts that we have shared with you this week have provided a full portion of the joy, peace, and love of Jesus Christ.

Now, let's hear this week's scriptures.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Reading the red passages in the Gospels, the words spoken by Jesus sometimes terrify me. Previously in this chapter, Jesus describes His return and uses a metaphor comparing believers and nonbelievers to sheep and goats. Sheep, highly valued, will be on the right. Goats go left. The sheep receive the inheritance, the kingdom of God, while the goats are sent to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The image of the eternal fire and the devil feeds right into the fire and brimstone sermons I heard as a youth. Again, they were terrifying. I knew early on that I wanted to be a sheep and not a goat! 

But the heart of the message comes after this description of the separation. The sheep are the followers who acted on earth: feeding the hungry, giving water to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, visiting the imprisoned. The crowd is understandably confused. They ask, Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or imprisoned? Then the bombshell reply, “... just as you did it to the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.” The bombshell is that Jesus is telling his followers then and now to care for ALL humanity. The least of these are the marginalized, the vulnerable, those who look, act, and think differently from us. No more hiding them out of sight, allowing them to die from illness, starvation, or preventable illness, or lack of any basic human needs. 

You may not see too many people you would consider “the least of these,” but they are here, and they are all over the world, and our calling as Christians is to care for them however we can. 

One part of the worship service at First United Methodist Church of Maryville that I really appreciate is the pastor’s brief message before the offering. He or she shares how our gifts and offerings are used to carry out Jesus’ command to serve others. Whether it’s preparing buckets for UMCOR, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, or supporting ministries for children and youth or senior adults and their families dealing with dementia, we have many opportunities to support programs that help others in need. We may not be the ones physically doing the work, but our gifts enable others to fulfill their calling. We also have many opportunities to be physically involved in the service of others: Welcome Table, Celebrate Recovery, Vacation Bible School, Go Do projects, DayBreak, the Grace for All podcasts. The list of opportunities goes on and on. It is up to us to take advantage of those opportunities or volunteer our services in other ways.

Maybe it isn’t easy to be a sheep, but it is possible when the Holy Spirit leads and empowers us. After all, no one wants to be a goat. 

Heavenly Father, as human beings with all our faults, we know it can be very challenging to follow Your commands. You make it clear what we are to do through the words of your Son, Jesus Christ, and with the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the strength. Sometimes, the only thing lacking is resolve. Please help us remain resolved to do what You would have us do to serve the least of these, both in our community and in the world. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Pat Scruggs

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

When we think of faith and good works, our minds go immediately to the New Testament and the words of James, “Faith without works is dead.” Recently, however, I was reading the story of David and Jonathan anew from the Old Testament. In it, I see a story of faith and action that challenges me as to how I should be living my faith. 

David had been anointed by Samuel to be the next King of Israel. Jonathan was the crown prince, the son of King Saul. In almost every scenario imaginable, these two would be implacable enemies. Yet, that was not the case. They loved each other as brothers. Jonathan went out of his way to protect David from the murderous intentions of his father, even to the point of risking his own life. The scripture today is from the last time they saw each other. Jonathan sends David away in peace. Soon after, King Saul and Jonathan were killed in a climactic battle with the Philistines. You would think David would be rejoicing, for now he could seize the crown and fulfill his destiny. Instead, we read how David cries in sorrow for the loss of his dear friend. 

Jonathan knows that God has selected David to be king. He is not angry, he is not jealous, but instead accepting. He does not use his power to destroy David but instead sends him away in peace. His faith in God and his love for David were lived out in courageous actions. 

In reading this story, it made me pause. Do I have the faith and love of Jonathan? If another got the job I wanted, would I do everything in my power to make sure they were successful? If someone in the family seems to be more favored than me, would I accept the reality that is, or would I let resentment eat me up? You can add to this list, but a story like Jonathan and David reminds me that it is much harder than I want to admit to unite faith and actions. To do this, you need to believe that where I am and what I am doing right now is exactly where God wants me to be and that what I am doing is exactly what God wishes. It means setting aside my desires and goals for a higher purpose. It means loving others even when they might be hard to love. It means setting aside what I want and striving to live doing what God wants. 

I am sure it wasn’t always easy for Jonathan, knowing that David, and not he, would be the next king. Yet, because of the commitments he had made to David and his faith in God, he would find the strength to live the path God had set before him in honor and love. 

Loving God, we confess that it is hard, at times, to put our faith into action. We let pride, hurts, and disappointments get in the way. Remind us that we need to be like Jonathan, and live faithfully and lovingly always, even when it is hard and the path is full of disappointments. AMEN.

This devotional was written by Bill Green and read by Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

I suspect Peter must have suffered from a little (or a lot) of John envy. It was John whom Peter relied on to ask Jesus who the betrayer would be. It is believed that John was the disciple who was allowed in the court of the high priest, while Peter was relegated to standing outside by the fire with the help. So, John, like Jesus, would have been there to witness Peter's betrayal. At the crucifixion, there was no mention of Peter, but there was John standing with the mother of Jesus to comfort her and take responsibility for her care. Then John outruns Peter to the tomb, though it was bold Peter who entered the tomb first. 

And now in our scripture, when Peter is accepting his charge to ministry from Jesus, there is John (the disciple whom Jesus loved) following along behind. Jesus had earlier told Peter that he would be the rock upon whom he would build his church. And in this scene, he instructs Peter to feed my lambs....take care of my sheep....feed my sheep. And still Peter is compelled to ask, "Lord, what about him?" And Jesus' response is "what difference does that make to you? You must follow me." 

And what about us? Do we see and envy the gifts of others? Do we wish that we were more musical, more artistic, more skilled at building, more articulate at sharing our faith, more adept at speaking in public or leading a committee? I'm sure Jesus would say to us, "What is that to you? You must follow me." Jesus will use us just as we are with gifts we may not even know we possess, to bless his sheep and enrich his kingdom where we live every day. We just need to hear and respond to him, saying now to us, "Follow me." 

Father God, open our eyes and our hearts to the ways you can use us as we are, where we are. And open our ears to hear Jesus call, "Follow me." It's in his name we pray. Amen 

This devotional was written by Charlie Barton and read by Cliff McCartney. 

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Who are the greatest influencers in your life? Family? Friends? Coworkers? Neighbors? Or are they politicians? Content generators? Social influencers? 

We have entered an unprecedented era in which the people who influence our behavior the most could easily be people we have never personally met and likely never will. While we may identify with them on some level of shared interest, belief or experience, there is no personal connection. And while there is potential good in the resources that are now available to most people--the ability to access a wealth of information and learn about any topic--there is also unprecedented potential for harm and exploitation. 

What do the people who influence you the most “spur you on toward”? Is it personal growth? Service? Vanity? Humility? Wealth? Generosity? Do they spur you on toward love, or toward fear? Toward hope, or despair? 

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews knew that human nature makes us susceptible to all kinds of influence. And he knew that to hold on to hope, we need two things: we need God, and we need one another. He encouraged his readers to—in chapter 10, verse 22—"draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance of faith,” and in verse 25, to “not give up meeting together.” 

And he knew that if we do these things, we might spur one another on toward love and good deeds. We might become the very evidence of hope—love in action. 

I am richly blessed, and have been throughout my life, to have faithful friends, followers of Christ, who spur me on toward love and good deeds, who by their examples of love and joy in service encourage me to act out my faith. They show me what it means to be more than receptacles for God’s grace. Instead, they show me how to serve as channels of God’s grace. 

So, friends, who spurs you on toward love and good deeds?

And who might you spur on today? 

Loving God, you pour your grace into our lives not as an end in itself, but so that we might share your love with one another in action. As we go through this day, let us consider how your grace can flow freely through us, that we might spur one another on toward love and good deeds. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen. 

Today’s devotion was written and read by Greta Smith.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

In thinking about this passage and reading other versions of these words, I came upon a phrase I think more accurately describes what the author of Hebrews is asking of the reader. Rather than the word “spur,” the phrase I prefer is “stir up”. I understand this phrase as someone who enjoys baking. I’m often stirring up various ingredients to create a blended mixture. Sometimes the flour has settled to the bottom of the bowl, and quite a bit of stirring is needed! Motivating others is like that. It’s stirring up what’s already there but perhaps has settled to the bottom of their hearts. As a believer, the love is there in them, and the opportunities for good works are already in front of them. It just takes some motivation to stir it up! 

I can certainly apply this to my own life. Like some of you perhaps, I go through times of great energy and enthusiasm for ministering to others and other times when it's a struggle. At these times, a good stirring up is needed. 

So, how do we “stir” ourselves and others up? Maybe the key is in the second verse I read earlier. Verse 25 says, “don’t give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but encourage one another”. This habit of attending worship service and other church activities is cultivated by regularity. The idea that Sunday is church day is one we tried as parents to instill in our children and one we continue working on even now. Being around other believers, singing or listening to worshipful music, digging into the Bible, exchanging ideas in a Sunday School class or small group, praying as a congregation, volunteering to lead a committee or hep with a project at your church, or just praying for others . . . these are all ways we can stay committed to actively seeking out opportunities to love others and perform good deeds just as Jesus taught. 

Loving God, you sent your son Jesus to show us by the perfect example how to love others and look for ways to express that love through good deeds. Guide us in choosing how we spend our time so that we can be the hands and feet of Jesus and encourage others to do so as well. Amen. 

This devotional was written and read by Amy Large.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life. 

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: [email protected]. 

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.