Grace for All

Acts 16:23-25 They threw them (Paul and Silas) into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Paul and Silas had just entered a new field of ministry in Macedonia. They were...

Psalm 104:33 (NIV) I will sing to the Lord all my life. I will sing praises to my God as long as I live. I have always enjoyed singing. Many times my singing is not to be heard by anyone but God. I learned a little bit about singing in grade school and what some of the symbols meant. I have learned to sing by repetition and by singing by someone who was right on key. Singing in Eastern All State C...

Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. As I sit and write this, I am looking out of the windows as the sun rises in the sky. Birds come and go from tree to lawn to tree. Baby bunnies hop across the yard. Although the trees are still, the clouds are moving quickly across the sky. The dew glistens on the gras...

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 podcasts. Gr...

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. The word of Christ is made up of the teachings of Jesus and the good news concerning his life, death, and resurrection. It is to be our guide for living as Jesus taught, our guide for living a life that reflects Jesu...

Psalm 95: 1-2 (RSV) O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! One of my favorite hymns is “For the Beauty of the Earth”. It is found in most modern hymnals of all denominations. In the United Methodist Hymnal, it is page 92. Often, worship planner...

Ephesians 1:7-8 (The Message Version) Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! Each day delivered to my inbox is a quote. I enjoy reading them because of the wide range of people they draw from. I never know if the...

Psalm 47:6-8 (New Living Translation) Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King over all the earth. Praise him with a psalm. God reigns above the nations, sitting on his holy throne. I am a music appreciator, especially when people are singing to praise God. Recently I heard the choir at our church sing beautiful anthems accompanied by piano and...

Psalm 100 (KJV) Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good...

Ephesians 5:18b-20 (NRSV) be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to one another, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ In the broader passage from which this is excerpted, Paul is writing to the church in Ephesus about morality and behavior that...

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...

Psalm 98:7-8 (The Message) "Let the sea and its fish give a round of applause, with everything living on earth joining in. Let ocean breakers call out, 'Encore!' as they join the rivers in a standing ovation for God." I play the guitar. Actually, it is more accurate to say I play at the guitar. I know enough chords to be dangerous, I can fake my way through a few fingerpicking patterns, and I've m...

Hebrews 13:13–16 (NIV) Therefore let us go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore. For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices G...

Psalm 100:1-2 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing. As I have been thinking about this scripture over the last couple of weeks, I am reminded that my "star word" for 2026 is JOY. This word is to be a guiding, prayerful focus for the entire year. I was even gifted a bracelet that is engraved "Choose Joy". I really don'...

Psalm 98:1 & 4 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. We have a screen room where we like to eat our meals when the weather allows. We have a number of trees surrounding our backyard and because of that we are blessed to listen to the songs of birds. We have an app that iden...

Psalm 9:1-2 (NLT) I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart: I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High Of all the words in the English language, Joy is one of the most transformative. It can be sparked by moments in our lives but it also dwells deeply within us. Divinely rooted, Joy is a fruit of...

Proverbs 16:2-3 All a person's ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. Recently someone spoke to me of home runs. He seemed to speak with amazement and wonder. But I wonder if it is really something to marvel at. Please bear with my labored sports metaphor. Whether we contemplate the greatest hitters of 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 podcasts. No...

Genesis 2:15 (NIV) The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. It is no secret that as a species, we are environmental disasters. From oil spills to trash heaps to climate change to deforestation to air pollution… We sure miss the mark when it comes to caring for creation. We miss so many opportunities to do and to be better. I think about our earlie...

Matthew 6:9-10 (Common English Bible) Pray like this: Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. This is the beginning of The Lord’s Prayer as told in Matthew’s gospel. But the Common English Bible makes more of a point of God’s Kingdom being here and now. The request to God is “Bring in your kingd...

Isaiah 6:3 (NIV) “And they were calling to one another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty- the whole earth is full of his glory.” This passage details Isaiah’s vision of God’s heavenly throne room where angelic beings declare that the whole earth is full of his glory. This means God is present in everything on earth. His glory is reflected in the seasons, the ocean’s waves, skies of blue and g...

Psalm 19: 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Psalm 19 is the inspiration for a familiar hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth.” The lyrics begin: For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies For the love which from our birth Over and around us lies Lord of all, to thee we raise This our joyful hymn of praise. These words from the hymn are fami...

Luke 6:37-38 (NIV) Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use, it will be measured to you. And let’s hear that in The Message Version of the Bible... Don’t pick on people...

John 5:6-8 (NRSV) "When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?' The sick man answered him, 'Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.' Jesus said to him, 'Stand up, take your mat and walk.'" I'll be honest with you. The firs...

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...