Grace for All

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 woul...

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...

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Did you catch that!? God prepared good works for us to do, even before he created us! He designed us to complete the work he had already prepared for us! God is love. His design for us is to do good works of love on his behalf! He backed up the plan by sending Je...

John 15:11: These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. In John 15, Jesus shares his relationship with God and teaches how to have a relationship that brings full joy through our true vine and connection with God. God loves us—always. God loves us when we sin. God loves us when we love. But we hate when we sin. And we love when we love. Love can fil...

Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (CEB) Then Moses called Joshua and, with all Israel watching, said to him: “Be strong and fearless because you are the one who will lead this people to the land the Lord swore to their ancestors to give to them; you are the one who will divide up the land for them. But the Lord is the one who is marching before you! He is the one who will be with you! He won’t let you down. He w...

Isaiah 41:10 (Common English Bible) Don’t fear, because I am with you; don’t be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will surely help you; I will hold you with my righteous strong hand. I recall a story I heard a pastor tell. His granddaughter and another girl got into a lively game of comparison. One would say what they could do and then the other would come back with something eve...

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul’s message to the Romans is quite clear. It can not get any clearer than that! God gave us commandments to help us avoid sin and then live a productive life. Thou shall have no other Gods before me. Thou shall not make any graven image. Thou shall not take the name of the Lord thy Go...

Psalm 139:1-6 Lord, you have examined me. You know me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. There isn’t a word on my tongue, Lord, that you don’t already know completely. You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me. That kind of knowledge is too much f...

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. N...

Ephesians 5:8 For once you were in darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of the light. Winter, and the shortest, darkest day of the year, began about a month ago with the Winter Solstice. We will not see much longer or lighter days, however, for another several weeks. This time of year is hard for me. I do not mind the cold, but the long, dark days of January and February z...

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God and the work of his hands. I remember my school days with fondness. It was a small country school, and almost everyone knew one another. It was easy...

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Have you ever gotten up in the morning and wondered, "What's going to happen today?" Of course you have. We all have. We think about the meetings on our calendar, the errands we need to run, and the people we're going to see. We wonder if the day will...

1 Thessalonians 5:5 (NLT) For you are all children of the Light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. Reflecting on these words brings several things to mind. Notice that it says we are all children of the light. This is a reminder that we are called to shine God’s light in the world. We are His beloved children. We belong to Him. We are a product of His light. Whoa! There's real...

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (Common English translation) So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day. Our temporary minor problems are producing an eternal stockpile of glory for us that is beyond all comparison. We don’t focus on the things that can be seen but on the things that cannot be seen. The thi...

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. My grandfather used to say with a straight face that he owned one of Abraham Lincoln's axes. "It's had eight handles and six heads since he owned it," he'd say, "but it's still his." I laughed at that when I was a kid, but now it sounds to me like something a bunch o...

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...

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” The confusion Nicodemus expresses about being born again captures the human condition well. We think we know how the world works, but the teachings of Jesus tend to show us that we don’t. Over and over in the gospel, we are shown that humans can’t see. We can’t find the eye of th...

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here! Happy New Year! The new is here! Tradition is to make a New Year’s Resolution and to keep it! On January 1, 2008, I made a New Year's resolution to never consume alcohol again. And today, I am celebrating 18 years of keeping that resolution! I think God is celebrating with me t...

Luke 2:30-32 In the Temple when Simeon held the Christ Child 8 days after his birth he gave this prophecy to Mary and Joseph, “Sovereign Lord…I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations, and he is the glory of your people Israel!” As the Christmas season neared, the gift shop in the hospital where I worked at the time displayed thr...

Ephesians 5:19–20 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the beginning of this year, my star word was Apply . I’ll be honest—it didn’t feel inspiring at first. It sounded plain, almost unfinished. Others drew words like Joy, Peace, or...

Luke 2:8-11 (NIV) And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;...

Luke 2:4,7: And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem... And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Have you ever received a gift that was a complete surprise? Maybe it was something you had hoped for bu...

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...

Isaiah 43:1-4a (The Message) But now, God’s Message, the God who made you in the first place, Jacob, the One who got you started, Israel: “Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end—Because I am Go...

Isaiah 7:14 (NIV) Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. One of the most powerful and meaningful things anyone has ever done for me was sit with me in silence through my deepest grief. Sometimes there are no words powerful enough to speak comfort to the hurting. Sometimes presence is the greatest gift. Being w...