Grace for All

Imitators of ChristRomans 13:14 NIVRather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

When I think about the desires of the sinful nature, I first think of selfishness – Me, Me, Me!  What I want, what I need, what I think, what I feel, what I demand!  But Jesus teaches LOVE, generosity, forgiveness, peacemaking – the opposites of selfishness.

Jesus is loving and kind and generous.  He is calm, prayerful and a thousand more good and lovely things!  If I am clothing myself with Jesus, I am trying to look like Him. 

When I was a little girl, I loved playing dressing, wearing costumes and pretending to be a cowboy or Tarzan, or a fairytale princess.  I would play for hours in the role of these characters.  And when my children were growing up, dress up and pretend was a constant part of our playtime.  I have wonderful memories of all the fairies, superheroes, and fantasy characters my children became in playtime.

And actually, when I think of dressing up, I think of the characters we represent or pretend to be in our day-to-day lives.  We might represent a sports fan, decked out in team colors, or a hiker with a backpack, boots, and poles.  We might be golfers in cleats, carrying a bag of clubs.  We might be a businessperson dressed in a nice professional suit, carrying a briefcase.

There are hundreds of other “costumes” that we wear on a regular basis, according to where we are going and what we will be doing there.  It’s like the saying – “The clothes make the man and the woman.” 

But our dear Lord Jesus hung with no clothes, there on that cross as he allowed the soldiers to crucify him.  He made no hate speech when the crowds jeered and mocked him, as he walked to Calvary, carrying his cross, the instrument of His torture.  When others reviled him – he forgave them.  They called Him names and spit on him.  But he trudged on up the hill, leaving a trail of blood and tears – all the way to the Cross.  And when hanging there dying, alone and in anguish, he prayed – “Father forgive them.”

If we are clothed in Jesus, our attitude and disposition must represent to the world that we are Jesus.  We must emulate him – walking the road of life, sometimes sad and bleeding; often surrounded by hateful, mocking voices.  Yet we must not return the hate speech!

We must be strong, remain calm, and make no evil, angry replies.  We must wear Jesus and LOVE our enemies.  We must pray for them. 

 

Take some time to think about when you feel clothed in Christ.  Notice the times when you don’t.  Learn to put Him on as you begin your day and if you forget or lose Him, pick Him up and wrap yourself in Him again and again!

Let’s pray together now…

Dear God – Help me to be clothed in Jesus!  Help me to pray as Jesus did and to forgive those who make me angry or persecute me or hate me. Help me to forgive my enemies and to LOVE as you LOVE.  Show me that wearing Jesus makes this easy!  And in His name we pray.  Amen!

 

This devotional was written and recorded 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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

I John 1:5-7 (NRSV) This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 

What does it mean to walk in the light of God?  Recently I had an experience that helped to again answer that question.  It is a situation most of us have experienced.  I was staying in a large city and when my wife and I were ready to leave the hotel I put our destination into my phone.  Instead of being directed the way I thought we should go I was told to go a different way because of the traffic.  Heeding the directions we left.  Soon after several turns I was totally lost.  My wife begin to ask?  It this the right way?  My only answer was, “We have to trust the directions being given.”  Just when I had become certain that the GPS was wrong and I was planning to turn around we were instructed to make another turn and like magic the on ramp to the freeway appeared in front of us.  We had never been lost, but we had to trust to find our way.

Currently our lives have been turned upside down with a cancer diagnosis for my wife.  All the plans we had made for the future have been canceled.  What the next months will bring us, neither of us knows.  It would be easy to feel lost.  But as challenging as it might seem, we are not in the dark.  We are walking in the light of God.  We know God is with us through the love and support of family and friends.  This fellowship is truly lighting our path.  

We would like to know the exact path our lives are going to take but we are not given that assurance.  I am learning to trust that each day God gives me the love, the support and the directions I need. I am learning to trust that voice and when I feel like I might be lost I remember my recent experience in the city and tell myself, “You have to trust the directions God is given us and it will be okay.”

All of us will have times when we feel lost.  Life events will upset our plans.  But we have this promise:  God is light and when we stay close to God through prayer and Bible study we are walking in the light.  We might not know the destination but we trust that God is with us.  And when things begin to feel really dark and scary, God will send others into this moment to help you again see the light.  For that Christian fellowship we should always give thanks. 

Loving God,  help us to trust you when things are scary.  You are the light in our lives and the light of our path.  Thank you also for how you send others to bring light and joy into our lives when we need it most.  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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

Ephesians 4:32  "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

This verse tells me how all communities should be with one another in a perfect society. Those three words: Kindness, tenderhearted, and forgiveness are similar but describe a deeper, graduating level of feeling and behavior. Kindness is a quality that shows consideration of others, thoughtfulness and showing goodwill towards others. Tenderhearted goes deeper. It is empathy and compassion; taking on some burdens from others and concern for their misfortune. And deepest of all is forgiveness.  It’s an intentional decision to let go of anger and resentment. Why is it so hard for us to forgive? 

Intellectually, I know that forgiving others who have wronged me is a healthy thing to do. It relieves stress and anxiety in the body from harboring resentments. Forgiveness can bring a feeling of peace and happiness. But it is still difficult to do. I’ve found it helpful to try and understand the mindframe of the person who has wronged me. Did they do this to me maliciously or was it unintentional? Either way, forgiveness is really the only way for me to find peace. Forgiving oneself may be a bit trickier. It involves taking responsibility for your own actions and apologizing to those you have hurt. A range of emotions including embarrassment, guilt and shame all come into play. But again, forgiving yourself will bring you peace.

When I think about how God forgave us through His son Jesus Christ, I can’t wrap my head around that kind of love. But it happened and we can rejoice in His Love for us. Surely I can manage to forgive a slight or wrongdoing to me that may or may not have been intentional. Our relationship may have changed, but our love for one another doesn’t have to end.

Our prayer today:

Heavenly Father, we come before you full of anger and resentment. Please help us to forgive others as You have forgiven us. Release the anger and hurt within us and fill us with peace and love. Amen

This devotional was written by Virginia Hardwick 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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

II Corinthians 3:18  And we all with unveiled face beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another for this comes from the Lord who is the spirit.

Remember the scene the Lion King where Simba is telling to Monan and Pumbaa what he believes the stars are he counted his father once told him, that the stars are the great kings of the past up there watching over them. At this point in the film Simba is still hiding from the reality that he is the true king and is living aveiled existence so to speak.

The moment he hears his father’s spirit imploring him to remember who he is, he steps out of that veiled existence he had shut himself away in for so many years and embraces who he truly is. 

I bring up the scene in relation to this verse for a couple of reasons. Number one, Simba has resigned himself to being an outcast and unworthy of being king. He runs from the legacy that he must continue to prevent his home from falling into ruin. And number two, it's the words of his father delivered by the late great James Earl Jones, “Remember who you are,” that shows him that he has lost himself and become too complacent with hiding from the light. 

I'm sure that many of us are like Simba in this regard, feeling like an outcast and scared to step into the light of God's plan for us. However, as shown, if we keep our eyes to the sky and share our veiled existence, we will be able to grasp the destiny that God has in store for us and realize that in the eyes of God there are no outcasts. We are all one in his vision.

Prayer

And now I would like to invite you to join me in prayer: God, help us to step out from behind the veil and into the light of the future you have for us. Help us to remember that there are no outcasts in your divine vision so long as we keep looking up. Remind us that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ now and always. Amen.   

This devotion was written and recorded by Grace Jonas.

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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

Galatians 3: 28-29 (NRS) There is no longer Jew nor Greek, there is no longer slave nor free, there is no longer male nor female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.

These words were written by Paul to the churches in Galatia half a century after Christ’s death and resurrection. Paul was making a distinction between the Hebraic law that guided humans before Christ’s life on earth and the law of love that now must guide us all. This is the same law Jesus references as the second commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If we are guided in our lives by love, we see each other as equals, all humans created by God and redeemed by the life of Jesus Christ. 

Paul’s words are borne out in our American history. We moved to Blount County about five years ago for its beauty. Only recently I have been discovering its rich history. There is a little town near here named Friendsville after the Quaker residents who have lived there for more than two centuries. In the years before the Civil War, the Quaker friends demonstrated that “we are all one” with their lives. Because they did not believe in slavery, they participated in the Underground Railroad, assisting runaway slaves fleeing to the north and free states. Stories from that time tell of a large cave where the Friends hid the runaways, fed and clothed them, and guided them to the next safe place. One source states that the Friendsville Quakers aided up to 2,000 people. They risked their own lives to free others whom they viewed as their equals under God. 

The courage and faith of the Friends, and the courage of Christians today, challenges me. I am not marginalized by race or financial status. I have always felt comfortably in the middle. But what have I done for those who are marginalized today? How does my life reflect the Biblical statement that “we are all one?” When I am honest with myself, I realize that I have not always lived a life that reflects this commitment. The words of Paul and Jesus are eternally true. We must learn to love one another and live as one. 

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, help us to remember that we are one and that we can only fulfill your commandment by loving our neighbors near and far. Thank you for those in history whose lives are examples of your love. Help us to follow your path forward. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

This devotional was written by Laura Derr and read by Joey 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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

Mark 10: 13-16  People were bringing little children to HIm in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them.  But when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for to such as these the kingdom of God belongs.  Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

Wow!

So many angles here!

As adults let’s not make this too difficult.  We must come to Jesus in humility to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  As Jesus told Jarius, “Only believe!”  We are not expected to be omniscient, only God is!  We are not expected to understand every aspect of the Bible, as Jesus said again, “Only believe.”

The disciples' attitude was one of the times where children were thought of as an insignificant part of society.  But that was not Jesus’ vision.  He saw them as a neglected segment of the population that also needed his attention, thus the rebuke.

Many times I am dumbfounded by the attitudes found in our society.  Didn’t people go to Sunday school as a child?  With their adult behaviors apparently not.  Didn’t they sing: “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world!  Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight!  Jesus loves the little children of the world!”  That is foundational!  How can that song not be in grownups' hearts??  I don’t know.

Dr. T. Berry Brazelton tells us if we don’t establish expectations in children by age twelve, we’re going to have a tough time after that.  That’s why those formative years are so important.  Let’s encourage our children in life, support them.  Show them the way.

I know that childhood.  I could count on Mrs. Culp in my elementary days Sunday School.  She was there every Sunday.  Sharing her love, her kindness, her smile.  Obviously she had a tremendous positive impact on me.  More than I am sure she ever knew.  But this I do know, if there for sure is anyone in Heaven, it’s Mrs. Culp.

We can all be that Mrs. Culp to a child in our own way.  They need us to lead them, to guide them to show them the way.  You can take an active role and volunteer in your own Sunday School.  I know I taught Sunday School for many, many years. Or maybe your way is to support the school, charity or food bank of your choice.  Whatever it is, do it, because Jesus saw the value in it!  

It’s not just the little children, our youth and young adults need us too!  Research shows the human brain only reaches full maturity in some by age 24!  The world is so different now with access to cyberspace and all its traps and snares of misinformation and disinformation.  They need us now more than ever!

Let us pray: 

Living and loving God, send your Holy Spirit to help us guide your children.  Fortify us to shine our light, our Christian light to lead the way.  Lift our voices, our Christian voices to talk the Christian talk, and walk the walk with Jesus! Amen  

This devotional written and recorded by Sam Barto.

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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

John 15:10-12, 17 (CEB) If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy will be in you and your joy will be complete. This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you…. 17 I give you these commandments so that you can love each other.

Among other things I do, I have in my career helped organizations manage their decision-making meetings through understanding and applying parliamentary procedure. Many people view the various rules, such as found in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, as technicalities intended as barriers to progress. However, everything in parliamentary procedure helps to foster one of two rules, or both: 1) Expedite business, and 2) make sure people get heard—not that everyone gets their say out of fairness, but to understand different points of view. When you view every rule of order through that lens, you understand it’s not following rules just for the sake of following rules, but to lead to better decisions.

In the same way, people can view following the commandments of God as just a matter of following the rules, or perhaps of not making God angry. But Jesus tells us why God has given us, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the commandments we have. When one inquirer asked,

36 “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 He replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. 40 All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.” (Matthew 22:36-40, CEB)

You can’t command a feeling, but you can follow a command with action. Love, in the eyes of God, is active. Jesus says to keep his commandments, that his commandment is to love each other as he loves us, and that everything he tells us to do is to enable us to love each other. It’s not about crossing T’s and dotting I’s, as if following all the rules will get us to heaven. It’s that following the rules will get us to love—as long as we understand that’s what the rules are for.

Bow with me?

Father, we want to love you, and we want to love each other, but in our broken nature, we fall short. Thank you for the guidance you give us through your commands so we can grow in love. Guard us from a checkbox mentality, and instead keep us focused on the purpose of your commandments in our relationship with you and with each other. In the name of Jesus who commands us to love, Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

Matthew 16:24Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." 

When thinking of taking up the cross, it can call to mind the lyrics to "The Old Rugged Cross": "On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross, the emblem of suffering and shame; and I love that old cross where the dearest and best for a world of lost sinners was slain. To the old rugged cross I will ever be true, its shame and reproach gladly bear; then He'll call me someday to my home far away, where His glory forever I'll share."

During the crucifixion, the cross could be seen as a symbol of hope being lost. It was undoubtedly a great tragedy for the people to see Christ nailed to the cross. However, the symbolism behind this cross isn't all hopeless. As we all know, Jesus dying on the cross, in turn, represents Him dying for our sins so that we may all enter the gates of heaven someday and place our sins at the foot of that old rugged cross.

If we want to walk as Christ did, we need to take up the crosses we bear. In this case, we need to be able to bear the weight of our crosses, for one day they will be forgiven. We, as humans, are certainly not without sin and cannot pretend to be. The first step in being Christ-like is to be able to take up these crosses and follow closely with Him until the day He calls us home, where our sins will ultimately be forgiven.

And now, I would like to invite you to join me in prayer:

Help us to always remember that as we strive to be Christ-like, we are not without sin. Please forgive us of any wrongdoings and help us to bear our crosses now and always. In our walks with Christ, may we always have hope in that old rugged cross. In your son's name, Amen.

This devotion was written and recorded by Grace Jonas.

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/.

Imitators of Christ

(our them for October)

Colossians 3:13 Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

We are all children of God and citizens of the planet Earth, but we are all different from one another. Sometimes those differences cause us to pass judgment, become angry, make accusations, and even seek retribution. Surely God knew how hard it would be for his children to bear with one another and forgive. And yet we are commanded “you must forgive.”

There have been times when I thought forgiveness was impossible. The one time I wanted to hurt another person – forget forgiveness – involved a person causing great physical and emotional harm to my daughter and granddaughter. I woke up at night filled with rage and weeping with helplessness and grief. The man who had promised to love and cherish my daughter was behaving in a way that threatened her physical health. That frightened me, but even worse, I could see my beautiful, smart, outgoing daughter fading away under the onslaught of false accusations and unfounded blame. 

Three years later, the situation was resolved in a way that allowed her to heal and find happiness. I had prayed constantly – for her safety, for God’s guidance in her life, for the man who was causing such havoc in all our lives to regain his faith and become the father my granddaughter needed and deserved. But I never thought of forgiveness.

As the years passed this man continued to flounder. He lost everything – his home, his profession, his family. At his lowest point, he even tried to take his own life. Only then did I begin to understand that not only did I need to forgive him, but I also needed to ask for forgiveness for myself. I had not recognized the depths of his suffering behind the awful behavior. He needed healing that only God could provide. I began to pray that he would recover and become the man God wanted him to be as well as the father my granddaughter needed. 

I prayed to be able to forgive him for all the pain he had caused, and I asked God to forgive me for the anger and ill feelings that had blinded me all those years. It has taken years more, and we still don’t live in perfect relationship, but I know God continues to love all of us in spite of our failings. I know He wants us to love and forgive one another. 

Let us pray:

Dear Lord, Thank you for all your gifts, especially forgiveness of our sins. It is only through you that we can live in harmony with others as you instructed us to do. Help us to see beyond the hurts and recognize the needs of others, even when they have caused us pain. Amen

This devotional was written by Pat Scruggs and read by Lisa Blackwood.

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/.