Our Theme for June

We know that God called creation good. And then came humans with the freedom to do both good and evil. As we look around our world today, we see that bad things can and do happen every day.

With news available around the clock from all corners of the globe we see and hear of disasters daily. We see reasons to be fearful.

Do we also see the compassion, altruism, and generosity of our fellow humans?

I’m reminded of the healthcare workers during the early days of the pandemic, when no one was sure what we were dealing with and how they selflessly put themselves in harm's way to care for the sick. This got our attention and gratitude for a brief time.

When fear threatens to overwhelm us, can we be reminded of the good also? Ask God if there is a place we can serve. Mortals can and do hurt us, but they also provide so much good. The letter to the Philippians put it this way.

God, we pray to you for strength to overcome our fear and to be the humans who advance your will in our world. 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/.

Our Theme for June

A large army had come against Judah. The very future of their nation was in doubt. God’s prophet shares a word of hope. “This battle is not for you to fight. Do not fear or be dismayed.” When morning came they found that the opposing army had fought between themselves and the survivors had fled. They were rescued.

We have all had those times when a situation or problem is so monumental and our resources so small that we feel defeated even before tackling it. It is then that we need to be reminded that God is going before us. We may not have to fight this particular battle. God will take care of it.

I think of a time when there was great division within the church I was serving when I was first out of seminary. A major board meeting was approaching that would likely decide my future as their pastor and possibly the future of the church. The problems and how to deal with them were more than I knew how to handle. I prayed and finally turned it over to God. I approached that meeting with trepidation but also with peace, believing God was in control. What I did not know is that behind the scenes people had been working together to bring the factions together. When we gathered there was a sense of unity that had not been present just days earlier. The instigators of the problem, seeing they had no support, left the meeting. The rest of us began to plan for the future instead of fear the present. The Lord had gone before us and fought the battle for us.

I had gone worried about a fight, and God had already moved beyond the conflict to peace and the future. This doesn’t always happen but it is a reminder that when we fear the future we need to let God go before us trusting that God will fight at least some of the battles for us. When we do we will often be surprised at the results.

Loving God. When life overwhelms us remind us you are with us. You are going before us and much of what we fear will never transpire because you have dealt with it for us. AMEN.

Today's devotional was written by Bill Green and read by Amy Large.

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/.

Our theme for June

“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 firstchurch.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome, and thank you for joining us.”

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/.