Grace for All
"Grace for All" is a daily devotional podcast from the laity of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. Each episode presents a verse of scripture and a brief reflection on that verse written and recorded by members of our church. These short episodes are meant to inspire you and help you in your journey of understanding and faith. We believe the central message of Jesus is one of grace. Grace for all human beings. Grace for All is a podcast ministry of First United Methodist Church, Maryville, TN
Build your house on the rock!
Matthew 7: 24-27
Jesus said: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like the wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell and g...Scripture Saturday (May 31, 2025)
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.
Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace.
Welcome and thank you for joining us.
Grace for All is a daily...
Jesus and Compassion
Mark 6:34
Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began to teach them many things.”Luke 6:36
So you must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the question: do we want leaders who reflect the values of Jesus or do we want Jesus to reflect the values of current leaders? Now, the answer seems obvious: those of us who say we follow Jesus want—we say...
We sing our praises!
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 organ. I heard our worship team sing praise songs some of which were converted from old favorite hymns now accompanied by guitar and drums. The...
There was Darkness
Genesis 1:1 (KJV)
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.In the verse following Genesis 1:1, we read that the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Then He created light, saw that it was good, and separated the light from the darkness.
Creation is bringing something into existence, and God’s first creation is light.
A few years ago, my daughters and granddaughters and I visited the Lost Sea in Monroe County, Ten...
A Place in the Kingdom
Luke 5: 8-11 (NIV)
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.Have you ever been in a place where you knew you didn’t belong...
Blessed are the Meek
Matthew 5:5
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.Merriam-Webster.com defines meek as enduring injury with patience, and without resentment. The Bible offers meekness as a virtue that means to be humble, gentle, and submissive to God’s will. It is often associated with patience and putting aside one’s own desires, to follow God.
Jesus was meek while the soldiers arrested him in the garden, where he was only praying.
Jesus was meek while Herod and the soldiers mocked and ridiculed him. He was meek as they spi...
Clap and Sing for Joy!
Psalm 98:7-8 (NIV)
Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy.I love the imagery of this Psalm. It includes three of my favorite things in nature: the ocean, the rivers, and the mountains. I have often heard people ask others which they prefer, the seaside or the mountains. How could we possibly choose? Both are beautiful and unique!
I try to make at least one trip to the beach each y...
Scripture Saturday (May 24, 2025)
This is Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by the people of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee.
This episode 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.
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...
Kindness in the Face of Need
1 Corinthians 10:24
No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.Proverbs 19:17
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.Several years ago, I was heading up a USAID project in Southern Africa and I found myself in Mozambique at an agricultural experiment station. The grant I had contained little room for unplanned expenses. But with that grant, we trained more than 15,000 farmers in Lesotho, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe and greatly improved corn yields for those farmers.
<...Seeing God's Glory
Psalm 19:1
The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.As I write this, it is the morning after the total lunar eclipse of March 2025. I stayed up all night watching and photographing it.
I have photographed astronomical phenomena over the years, and my pictures have one thing in common: They rarely adequately represent the actual event. Technically, the images are fine, but they seldom have the impact of what I saw with my own eyes.
In addition, I often cannot explain or express what I saw in...
Creation sings with us
Hello, and welcome to Grace for All, a daily devotional podcast produced by members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. I’m Grace Jonas, the reader and writer of today’s devotional, which I’ve entitled “Let Heaven and Nature Sing”. Thank you so much for joining me today!
Psalm 96:11-12
Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.When I was younger, I remember a song from either Vacation Bible Scho...
Why God?
Isaiah 40:27-31 (CEB)
Why do you say, Jacob, and declare, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, my God ignores my predicament?” Don’t you know? Haven’t you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He doesn’t grow tired or weary. His understanding is beyond human reach, giving power to the tired and reviving the exhausted. Youths will become tired and weary, young men will certainly stumble; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength; they will fly up on wings like eagles; they will run a...A Show of Strength
Psalm 37:11 (KJV)
"But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."The advice we receive throughout our lives follows a pattern of stay strong, be independent, be resilient, fix your problems, and be proud of your accomplishments. The advice in scripture in dozens and dozens of places throughout the old and new testaments is to be meek. In the modern world, we rarely hear people advise us to be humble. We strut and brag. We go around pointing out what is wrong with others. We want more, and we are t...
Everything is New
Revelations 21:1 – NIV and The Voice
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea.Let's listen to that verse again from The Voice – “I looked again and could hardly believe my eyes. Everything above me was new. Everything below me was new. Everything around me was new, because the heaven and the earth that had been, passed away and the sea was gone completely.”
Some days the news of the world is so filled with...
Scripture Saturday (May 17, 2025)
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.
<...When rivers clap their hands
Psalm 98:8-9
“Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.”The creek had been buried by overgrown brush and debris for fifty years until the neighborhood coalition worked to “daylight” it. Now children gather at its restored banks, learning the names of native plants from elders who remember when fish were plentiful. “This creek carries stories,” explains Rita, who helped lead the restoration. “When we heal the water, we heal the connections between people and place.”
The psalmist imagines...
The glorious freedom of God’s children
Romans 8:18-25
I believe that the present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory that is going to be revealed to us. The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughters. Creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice—it was the choice of the one who subjected it—but in the hope that the creation itself will be set free from slavery to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of God’s children. We know that the whole creation is groaning together and suffering labor pains up until...Hearing No
1 Chronicles 29:10-12
Then David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly; David said, “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, are the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.I am sure we have all been in this situation. You had a dream, a plan that you wanted to accomplish, and then...
Why were you created?
In the last book of the Bible, the Book of Revelation, the author is given a number of visions. Chapter Four has a vision of heaven revealing the heavenly creatures who are praising and worshipping God and I particularly like verse 11 from the Common English Version where it describes the twenty-four elders crying out...
Revelation 4:11
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you created all things. It is by your will that they existed and were created.”Isn’t it fitting that the Bible begins w...
Forgetting the Past
Scripture Isaiah 43.18
Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past.Luke 9:62
Jesus replied, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the Kingdon of God. NIVOn April 8, 1964, my life changed. I was two months from graduation from college in june, ready for a summer job with Virginia Tech extension, preparing for marriage in august and starting graduate school in September.
While studying between classes, a secretary said i needed to call home. I was told m...
Exclusion or Inclusion
Mark 9:38-41
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40 for whoever is not against us is for us. 41 Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.This short passage is enigmatic and raises more questions than...
Scripture Saturday (May 10, 2024)
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.
We invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced...
Beware Pride and Arrogance
Daniel 4:35
All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: ‘what have you done?’Daniel 4:37
And those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.The book of Daniel also tells us the story of King Nebuchadnezzar II, an extremely powerful King of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, known for conquering Judah, destroying Jerusalem, and exiling many Israelites to Babylon. He was a powerful and ambitio...
The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be for now, for it is proper to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the...God is Greater
Isaiah 45:12
I made the earth, and created man upon it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens, and I commanded all their host.The prophet Isaiah lived in a period of Israel's history in which the nation was in rebellion toward God. A series of evil kings led the nation into idolatry, and the worship of God that was left was meaningless and perfunctory.
The book of Isaiah serves as a warning to the nation of Israel. Isaiah correctly predicts that God would use the mighty kingdoms of the day, first Assyria and t...
Caring for the Gifts of God
Psalm 115:16 (NIV)
The highest heavens belong to the Lord, but the earth He has given to mankind.What an amazing gift is this! Psalm 115 reflects Genesis 1: 28-31 in which God reviews his Creation, finds it supremely good, and gives it to humanity, whom he had created in his divine image.
As with many other gifts, this one comes with a huge responsibility – to care for the Earth as God cares for us. What would God say to us today if we were having our work review on how we care for earth, inc...
Whose Land Is It?
Leviticus 25:23 (CEB)
No land may be permanently bought or sold. It all belongs to me – it isn’t your land, and you only live there for a little while.In The Message, the verse ends by saying “you are my tenants”. This helped me clarify my thoughts.
The earth is the Lord’s. How many times have we heard this, said this, even memorized a similar verse. The trickier part is believing and acting accordingly. In the verse we share today, we are reminded that it all, the land – the earth, belongs to Him. We rarel...
Stewardship
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 earlier generations, who lived more simply, preserving the earth. When my dad and his wife Cathie married, they ch...
Scripture Saturday (May 3, 2025)
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.
<...Spreading the Word
2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.Each fall and at other times during the year, there are sprouts of trees growing everywhere in my yard, flowerbed, and even in the cracks in the driveway and sidewalk. It is truly amazing how far and wide seeds get sown; roots are put down and sprouts start shooting up after a bit of rain.
Some seeds even have little wings and propellers to help them spread near and far. Birds assist in...
Rejoicing in the Lord
Psalm 104:24-25, 33-34
24 Lord, you have done so many things! You made them all so wisely! The earth is full of your creations! 25 And then there’s the sea, wide and deep, with its countless creatures— living things both small and large. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I’m still alive. 34 Let my praise be pleasing to him; I’m rejoicing in the Lord!
Psalm 104 is a celebration of the God of creation. The writer celebrates all the glory of this wonderful earth. The...
Who do you think you are?
Job 41:11
Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.To grasp the weight of Job 41:11, we must look at the larger picture—specifically, chapters 38 through 42. Some scholars believe Job is the oldest book in the Bible, which, if true, underscores a timeless struggle: Why do bad things happen to good people? And just as ancient is the mistaken assumption that suffering must be punishment for wrongdoing.
The first 37 chapters detail Job’s misfortunes and his debates with so-called friends who insist he must have sinn...
The Whole Earth is Full of His Glory
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 gray, the sounds of children playing and even in quiet moments of reflection.
In our fast paced lives we often overlook G...
The Mustard Seed
Mark 4: 30 to 32
He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.”A tiny seed growing to great stature! That is what we can all be! Through our actions we can be the wind tha...
Jesus is Supreme
Colossians 1:15-17
"[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
While under house arrest in Rome, the apostle Paul had a visit from a man named Epaphras. Epaphras started the church in Colossae, a city in Asia Minor (modern Turkey), about 1,300 miles from Rome, and he soug...
Scripture Saturday (April 26, 2025)
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.
Now, we invite you to listen and receive Grace. Welcome and thank you for joining us.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast...
Everything Belongs to the Lord
Welcome! We have so many questions about the world around us, there is much we do not know about how and why our universe works the way it does.
Today’s scripture reading does make one thing clear about our world…hear these words from the Book of Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 14.
Everything belongs to the Lord your God, not only the earth and everything on it, but also the sky and the highest heavens.Everything? That means all the physical things we can see, mountains and oceans, cities and fields, plants and animals. Also things we ca...
A hymn of joyful praise
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 familiar to many of us. They express wonder and awe at God’s creation. We all have sunrise and su...
The earth is the Lord’s and all who live in it.
Psalm 24:1
“The earth is the Lord’s and all who live in it.”I remember when I was a little girl studying in school about the Sun, the Moon, the nine planets, and the far away stars. Yes, there were nine planets at that time, including little Pluto. My grandmother used to let me read from her huge family Bible that sat in a prominent place of honor, in her living room.
I loved reading the creation story in Genesis 1 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth…” The story goes on to explain that God c...
