In this passage, we see the transfer of leadership of the children of Israel from Moses to Joshua. It is a political transfer, but God infuses it with his presence and makes it holy. God makes some incredible promises to Joshua. No one, he tells Joshua, will be able to stand before him throughout his life. He promises Joshua success.

Joshua, of course, has his role to play. He has his decisions to make. He is not some wind-up toy that God simply sets in motion. He is a human being with free will to make his own choices, but God cautioned him to follow in the ways of Moses, and to turn neither to the left or to the right. Joshua will be successful only as long as he acts in concert with God.

This is a powerful passage, one that demonstrates God’s direct intervention into the life of a person. Joshua is to “go and do,” as we all are, but we are always to go with the Lord. What do we see and hear when we imagine the conversation between God and Joshua? Does God treat us any differently from Joshua?

God makes promises to us. What are we to do to fulfill our part of those promises? Joshua, as we know from later parts of the story, had many successes in leading his people into the land of Canaan. What successes does God have in store for us?

Dear God, give us the strength to fulfill your promises. Give us the wisdom to turn, neither to the right, nor to the left, but to follow in your Paz, and to act with your guidance. Amen.

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: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

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/.

Mentioned in this episode:

Thank you for joining us for Grace for All. This month, we are repeating some of our most loved episodes. We hope they will inspire and encourage you on your faith journey. Welcome.

What words do you associate with the word, “go”? Go home? Go away? Go ahead? Go back?

Do you envision a crowd shouting “Go!” at a sporting event, cheering on your favorite team? Do you think of places you want to visit, of going on a trip, or a vacation?

Chances are that these associations to the word “go” are much more likely to come to mind than the concept of being sent. But when God instructs God’s people to go, it is almost always a “sending to,” and not a “sending to” a place as much as a “sending to” a person or a people.

This is the message of Christ to his disciples when he appears to them after the resurrection. Remember, he says, that God sent me to you. And now I am sending you so that the grace of God will be multiplied. And he breathed on them, saying Receive the Holy Spirit. By the power of the Holy Spirit, then, we are moved. We are sent.

As God sent Jesus into a world in need, and as Jesus throughout his earthly ministry personally touched people in need, God sends us as the Body of Christ to serve one another in love, to reach into the loneliest and lowliest places, to continue to minister to a world in need.

In this season of life, where and to whom are you being sent?

Lord Jesus, love of God in the flesh, you were sent to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. Now send us to those who need an extra measure of your grace this day. Amen.

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: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

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/.

Mentioned in this episode:

Thank you for joining us for Grace for All. This month, we are repeating some of our most loved episodes. We hope they will inspire and encourage you on your faith journey. Welcome.

Several decades ago, a song appeared on some of the country music charts that was titled, “Who Will Pray for Me When Mama’s Gone?” In the song, the narrator regrets the life that he has lived and confesses that he does not feel worthy enough to get down on his knees to speak to God.

No one, we believe, is so far away from God that he or she cannot call upon God and be redeemed. But we can certainly understand that lost feeling. In this instance, the narrator’s hope is that someone else — in this case his mother — can pray effectively for him. But what if his mother is no longer with us?

The song’s narrator fears that no one will take him up in their prayers.

In the passage of scripture that we just read, the writer of the epistle makes the point that prayer should be more than just individuals in communication with God. Prayer should be a communal effort. For that to happen, those who enter into prayer should, if possible, do so as members of a community of faith. We should pray for one another. We should share each other‘s joys, concerns, and sorrows. Again and again, while he was on earth, Jesus prayed for other people. His example is one that we are admonished to follow.

I confess that I do not know how prayer works. What I do know is when I pray for others, the burdens that I carry seem to be lighter and more bearable. This passage of scripture and the old country song raise the questions: who is praying for us, and who are we praying for?

Dear Lord, we come to you today with thankful hearts that just as we pray for others, there are people in our lives who are praying for us. May our prayers join with those of our family and friends to keep us close to your kingdom. Amen.

This devotional was written and recorded 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: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

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/.

Mentioned in this episode:

This month on Grace for All, we are replaying some of our most listened to episodes. If you are enjoying these devotions and would like to have them in written form, our first six months of content is now available in print. You can find it by searching Grace for All, a book of daily devotions, by Jim Stovall on Amazon. As always, thank you for joining us, and we pray that you will be blessed.