Grace for All

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.  This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcas...

Psalm 103:2  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.  Psalm 103 reads like a litany of blessings, or like a shower of blessings. Listen to the benefits of God the psalmist recites:  God forgives, heals, redeems, crowns with love and compassion, satisfies, and renews. God works righteousness and justice for the oppressed.  God is compassionate, gracious, slow...

Psalm 95:2 (NIV) Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.   For 10 years, my commute to work was 28 miles from my house in Walland to my job in the Seymour area. Most mornings, I'd catch the sunrise spreading across the sky—brilliant oranges and pinks painting the Tennessee hills. Sometimes I'd notice them, even pull over to photograph one when it was partic...

Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Psalm 91:11-12 For he will command his angels concerning you   to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands,   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Throughout the summer and early Fall of 202...

Psalm 95:2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! 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...

2 Corinthians 2:14-16  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession  In Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and to those who are perishing. To one, the smell of death and to the other, the fragrance of life. We have several butterfly bushes near our house. As I...

Psalm 107:8 Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. This is a powerful verse that is a call for gratitude and praise for the everlasting and unchanging love bestowed upon us by the Lord. It’s a reminder to all of us to acknowledge and appreciate all the many blessings that He has given us because he loves us. There have been many times in my lif...

Welcome to the Saturday episode of the Grace for All podcast. Thank you for joining us today. Saturday is a special time when we take a few moments to review the scriptures that we have cited in the episodes this week. If you missed any of those episodes, you might want to consider listening to them today. And even if you heard them all, there may be one that you might want to listen to again. We...

Colossians 3:17 (NIV) And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. It’s only 8:15 AM, and I have already failed to follow this command! I used angry words and had vindictive thoughts this morning, after listening to something on the news. I was in total disagreement with the sentiment of the newscast, and I...

2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.   Usually, when I think about God’s blessings, I tend to reflect on all the ways God is pouring love and grace into my life. And while this is true, for God does surely bless us each and every day, Paul, in this letter t...

Jeremiah 17:7-8  But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,    whose confidence is in him.  They will be like a tree planted by the water    that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes;    its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought    and never fails to bear fruit. Where do you p...

Numbers 6:24-26 The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.  Our scripture is from the Old Testament, the book of Numbers, chapter 6, verses 24-26.  Here these words read from the New International Version of the Bible. "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on y...

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Do I view this as a commandment? Do I live this as a commandment? Do I teach this as a commandment? The Lord has made this day and every day so that I might be alive. And if I am going to live, what shall I do with the time I have on this earth?  I could lament. There are many things in this world that are wort...

Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits.  It’s probably not uncommon to think of music when you read the Psalms. After all, many of the Psalms were written as songs. When reading this Psalm, I think of the song “10,000 Reasons,” recorded by Matt Redman.  This second verse of Psalm 103 reminds us to remember all of the Lord’s benefits. I would think that...

You are listening to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.  This is Scripture Saturday, a time when we pause and reflect on the scriptures we have read throughout the week. If you missed any of our devotionals on these passages, you can find them on our website at 1stChurch.org or wherever you get your podcas...

Psalm 118:24 (NIV) The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice and be glad. The musical “Oklahoma” has one of my favorite opening numbers, entitled “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!” in which the main character, Curley, comes singing to Aunt Eller and is taking such delight and pleasure in what a beautiful morning and day it is.  His infectious joy in this opening number spreads on when h...

James 1:22 (TCENT) But be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. Let’s get up and walk the walk with Jesus! It’s so easy to talk the talk. The walk takes effort!  I am fortunate to participate in a very collegial adult Sunday School class at First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee! Here are some examples of how classmates walk that walk...

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NRSV)   Blessed are those who trust in the LORD,   whose trust is the LORD.  They shall be like a tree planted by water,   sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes,   and its leaves shall stay green;  in the year of drought it is not anxious,   and it does not cease to bear fruit.  Thes...

Mark 10:17-22 17 As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do so that I may inherit eternal life?” 18 But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not give false testimony, Do not defraud, Honor...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)  Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Happiness is like the breezes that blow through the branches and leaves of the trees in the nearby mountains, but joy is the deepest roots of the oaks and hickories. In the Appalachian mountains, the trails and paths are seldom smoot...

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  I tend to be a worry wart at times. I think many moms are when it comes to your children. I remember when my husband lost his j...

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 share...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. A friend recently told me of her cancer diagnosis and the news that the cancer that had started in her lungs may have metastasized, spreading to other organs. Her treatment is beginning soon. As I write this sad news, I am heartbroken for her and...

Psalm 118:24  This is the day that the Lord has made;  let us rejoice and be glad in it.  How do you begin your day? Do you first spend a few minutes intentionally praying about things or do you just pop out of bed ready to start your day? I have to admit that for many years that second way was my usual routine. I would wake up and immediately my to do list filled my mind. It felt l...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  All human beings have difficulties in their life, times of great happiness and joy, and times of sorrow and darkness. The command in this passage is not too hard to obey when things are going well: rejoicing when we are feeling happy and optimis...