When Jesus told this parable, he was speaking to people who understood sheep and shepherding. For centuries, the Jewish people had been known throughout the ancient world as expert shepherds. They knew how to care for flocks, how to protect them from predators, and how to find good pasture. So when Jesus began talking about a man with a hundred sheep, his listeners would have nodded along. This was familiar territory.

But then Jesus says something that must have made them pause. The shepherd loses one sheep and leaves the ninety-nine to go searching for it. Wait a minute. Would a good shepherd really do that? Would he really abandon ninety-nine healthy, obedient sheep just to track down one that had wandered off? From a practical standpoint, it doesn't make much sense. You could lose the whole flock while you're out chasing after one stubborn animal.

We understand this kind of thinking in our modern world. Business people today build losses into their calculations. They expect a certain percentage of customers to leave, a certain number of products to fail, a certain amount of shrinkage in their inventory. It's just the cost of doing business. You accept the loss and move on.

But that is not the way God does business. God is not interested in acceptable losses. He does not write off the wanderers and focus on the ones who stayed put. Every single one of us matters to him, not as a percentage or a statistic, but as a beloved child.

The image of the shepherd putting that lost sheep on his shoulders is a tender one. He doesn't drag it back by the ear or scold it for wandering. He carries it home with joy. And then he throws a party. That's what our return means to God. Not relief that the numbers are back in order, but a genuine celebration.

Our Father, thank you for seeking us out when we wander. Thank you for not treating us as acceptable losses. Help us to understand how precious we are in your sight, and to extend that same relentless love to others. 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/.

This letter to the Colossians was written by Paul and Timothy, chosen by God to be apostles of Christ.

In this letter, Paul clearly teaches that Christ has paid for our sins, that Christ has reconciled us to God and that we have been given the knowledge and the ability to grow spiritually. Christ shows us how to live and provides an example of how we are to live and what He would have us become. Christ is Lord of all creation, center of our lives, and King of all. He is Lord over our lives and the head of the body, his church and we are called to nurture our connection to him.

This same scripture found in the Message includes an extra verse which may aid in our understanding. Hear these words…. “Don’t lie to one another. You are done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the creator, with His label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete.” And verse 11 adds, “From now on, everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.”

Through these two versions of this verse, we can see many rituals and seasons where we receive validation and opportunities for new life and pathways to leading a Christ-like life. The most obvious are baptism, communion, Easter, and Christmas.

As Paul has clearly taught us, when we learn what Christ is like, we see what we need to become, and all the promises and resolutions we make to be better Christians will be natural. Sin is all around us, but we can improve and conquer our personal sin, and we will then become more Christlike.

Every new year, many people in the world make promises or resolutions to begin once again and make a fresh start. Many resolutions, such as improved health, regular exercise, spend more time with family, visit parents or grandparents more, volunteer more, work on anger issues, share more love, worship more, pray more, and so forth. All these reflect the acknowledgement that our lives can be made better and we can become more Christlike.

What changes have you committed to this year to become more like Christ?

Gracious God, as we are entering this new year, let us make our faith, our church, our families, and your children our priority. May we be ever aware of your call on our lives and your desire for us to follow. Let us not only be dressed in new attire but also be filled with the desire to serve every day.

In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Leland 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: 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/.

Bonnie Ware spent a number of years as a palliative care nurse. She cared for the dying. Over the course of that time she heard a great many patients express regrets, and she began to catalog them. Some were particular to an individual, but many of them she heard from a lot of patients. She listed the ones she heard most frequently, and from that list and her experiences she wrote a book, “The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.” Here are a couple of them.

The most frequent regret she heard was: I wish I had had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others wanted for me. In other words, I wish I had listened to my heart and followed my own dreams rather than trying to meet the expectations of others.

Number two was: I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. Every male patient who expressed regret said this. They were saying I wish I had spent more time with the people I love.

As I reflected on the most common regrets people have as they near the end of life, what strikes me is that all of them,at the base, have to do with relationships. Jesus told us that what is most important is our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves. We call this the Great Commandment.

In contrast with those who ended up with a life of regrets, listen to the Apostle Paul. He says, “The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight (that is, I’ve given my life to what matters), I have finished the race (my life is ending), I have remained faithful.” No regrets!

It’s not too late for you and me to turn our regrets into resolutions.

I Resolve: to live an authentic life, not one someone else wants for me but one true to who I really am.

I Resolve: to put relationships first: my relationship with my Creator and my Savior, with central people in my life, and to engage everyone with kindness and helpfulness. So there are no regrets!

O Holy One, I have this one life to live. Help me not to waste it, but to make your priorities mine, and finish my race with faithfulness. Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Herb Sadler.

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/.

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/.

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 hope that each of these scriptures and podcasts will bring you a full measure of joy, peace, and love.

Now, let's listen to the scriptures that have been on our hearts this week.

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/.

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 Jesus to tell us, to remind us that our job, our greatest commandment, our business, is to LOVE God and to love our neighbors, our fellowman, as we love ourselves. That is the most important job on earth!

And who is our neighbor?

To paraphrase Marley’s ghost from the tale A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, “Mankind is our business. The common welfare is our business. Charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, and love are all our business.”

And who is our neighbor?

Mankind is our neighbor; humans on earth are our neighbors.

These operating instructions are explicitly clear! God assigned us to LOVE him and to LOVE our neighbors!

I don’t know about you, but I know I fail to LOVE from time to time. I’m sure of it! So, this year, I resolve to keep LOVE at the top of my To Do List every day and to remember my assignment, my God-given purpose, every single day.

Dear God, please forgive me where I have failed in my assignment and help me to LOVE more and to do good works in your name continually. Help me to forgive as I wish to be forgiven and to recenter myself in your LOVE over and over throughout my day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen!

This devotional was written and read 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: 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/.

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 fill our hearts, but somehow we seem to struggle to allow this. Somehow, we see the world, and we want to take instead of give. Somehow, we seem to think that we will lack. We fear scarcity. We fear loss. We fear not having enough, not being enough.

Share love. You have been given everything—so give. No greater, more complete joy exists than to love others, and yet so often we do not. We blame instead of trust. Blame seems to give people the idea that it justifies their choice of behavior that follows. Instead, open your heart, let it fill with love, and let it flow.

God so loved the world that he gave his son to be sacrificed. Jesus so loved God that he submitted to his will and plan. In the garden, Jesus says, “take this cup from me,” yet he follows with “your will not mine.” He does not say, “This is a fine mess you’ve gotten me into.” He does not attack those who arrest him. He does not blame Judas. In fact, he loves and blesses him. How can that be? Well, because he is connected to the true vine and source of all love. His joy is full, and God so loves him that it is enough. He does not fear. He trusts and loves God. He submits to a plan that will end his human existence, but it keeps him connected to his source of joy.

Never let us forget that with the birth of Jesus, we have been shown and told that full joy can be ours if only we trust in God and allow our hearts to be filled with joy. Be joyful. Be loving. Look at all that we have been given, thank God for it, and share it with all you encounter. This is the greatest gift and the greatest joy the world has ever known.

As we pray today, let us know that the love of God fills our hearts if we allow it.

As the old hymn teaches us:

God, please help me to empty all but your love from my heart, my words, and my deeds. Teach me to let go of everything in me that is not your love, and may I be full of your joy, Amen.

This devotional was written by Jill Pope and read by Susan Daves.

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/.

Let’s set the scene. Moses has just spent hours speaking to the entire nation of Israel, going back and forth with promises and dire warnings, presenting a stark contrast between some really good things and some really bad things that will happen to them depending on choices they make. It is in this context that he delivered the famous line, “I have set life and death, blessing and curse before you. Now choose life—so that you and your descendants will live” (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Moses winds up saying, in essence, “But I’m 120 years old. I’m not going to live to see this. Joshua over here, he’s going to take over the leadership of this whole thing.”

He looks around a little vaguely, spots Joshua, says, “Joshua! Just the guy I was talking about. Come on up here, son.”

Joshua looks a little sheepish, mounts the steps to the platform. Moses faces Joshua, looking him straight in the eye, grasps his shoulders, and delivers the lines we read at the beginning of this devotional.

Joshua looks around. There are people on every square foot of land as far as he can see, maybe as many as two million people, and the man who led their ancestors out of Egypt, who has gone before them for 40 years, who has talked with God himself, has just told all of them that he, Joshua, is going to lead them into the land God has promised.

And, he says, don’t be afraid or scared.

And, strangely, when Joshua looks back at Moses, his heart becomes calm. Because he has heard, to the depth of his soul, Moses words: “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 won’t abandon you.”

Do you, too, hear that promise, really hear it?

Father, your presence banishes our fear when we really take it to heart. Keep giving us that message so that we can rid our hearts of trouble. In the name of the Christ who came and lived as one of us to know our challenges and our fears, Amen.

This devotion 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: 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/.