Grace for All

2 Corinthians 9:10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.If you walked down Main Street in East Nashville back in the 1960s, you couldn’t miss the towering brick factories of the General Shoe Company—later known as Genesco.The multi-story red brick buildings framed the street, humming with the rhythmic clatter of assembly lines and the scent of tanned leather and machine oil.From the street, those industrial brick walls looked permanent, solid, and secure.At the helm of that empire was W. Maxey Jarman. Under his leadership, Genesco grew into a retail colossus, becoming the first apparel company to top one billion dollars in annual sales.Jarman was also a devoted believer who quietly poured millions of his personal earnings into Christian missions and charitable work.Years later, corporate overexpansion, heavy debt, and boardroom strife unraveled his holdings. Genesco’s stock crashed, and Jarman’s fortune largely vanished.Sometime afterward, a close friend asked Maxey Jarman if he regretted giving away so much money, knowing how much he had lost in the end.Jarman paused and replied quietly: “I never lost a dime of what I gave away; I only lost what I kept.”Jarman’s statement echoes Paul’s words to the Corinthians some 2,000 years before.Paul reminds us that God provides two distinct things: bread for food and seed to the sower. Bread is meant to sustain our daily lives; seed is entrusted to us to be scattered.Our natural instinct is to hoard our seed, believing that holding tight protects our future. But anything kept in human hands—whether grain or stock portfolios—remains vulnerable to economic disasters. The only resources we are sure never to lose are those released into the soil of other people's lives.When you sow in faith, you don’t lose what leaves your hands. You simply place it into God’s economy, where He promises not only to replace what you’ve given away, but to enlarge a lasting harvest of righteousness.Look at what rests in your hands today. Some of it is bread to enjoy with gratitude. But some of it is seed waiting to be released. Trust God’s promise, scatter it freely, and be sure that whatever is given away for the kingdom is safe forever.Please pray with me.Father, we thank you for providing the bread that sustains us each day. Help us to remember that you also supply the seed for us to scatter liberally so that others also may be sustained. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Chuck Warnock. 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: [email protected] 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/.

Psalm 30:5Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning. This verse is a powerful reminder that when we are facing loss, pain and grief it will not go on forever. Our hope and faith is that there is always a new day beyond any nights of weeping. While it might not always bring with it joy and rejoicing it is a new day. New possibilities await. I am reminded of the story behind the writing of the anthem that turned into the beloved hymn, “Hymn of Promise.” Natalie Sleeth was a gifted composer of choral anthems. After a dear friend died she was reading from T.S. Eliot when she came to the line, “in our end is our beginning.”Those words, which begin the third verse of the hymn, summed up for Sleeth all the feelings of loss she was feeling at her friend’s death but also the hope she felt because of her faith. She soon wrote the words and music, first as an anthem, but soon turning it into a hymn. Its words carry the promise of spring and the hope of Easter in its beautiful metaphors. Shortly after its composition, Natalie’s husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The Rev. Ronald Sleeth, a seminary professor, requested that "Hymn of Promise" be sung at his funeral service. From that time it has often been used at memorial services to acknowledge our tears of loss while celebrating that God is still at work in our lives and creating new possibilities. I have observed many times unexpected, joy filled moments, after times of loss. I am sure you have too. Examples I can think of are of people finding new life giving relationships after loved ones have died. New jobs that were more enjoyable and meaningful than the one that ended. People striving to find new purpose after an awful life moment, becoming advocates for change so others will not have to experience what they went through. I am sure you can think of others. This verse from the Psalms acknowledges the hard truth that with living comes times of tears. When those sad moments occur we need to acknowledge the feelings we are experiencing. They will likely stay with us for awhile. These are what another calls the dark nights of the soul. But we are not going through this alone. God is with us in these tear filled times. But in those tears remember God is at work creating something new. As the hymn reminds us, “From the past will come the future, what it holds a mystery, ..something only God can see.” So when there are times of tears, have hope. Find comfort it knowing that this hard time will eventually pass. God is at work at something new for you. What it is may surprise you and it might even replace the sorrow with joy. The future is a mystery to us but we can trust in God’s love that it will be just what we need. Let us pray. Loving God. We know the hard tear filled times will come again in our lives just as they have in the past. We find comfort in knowing you are with us and that this time will not last forever. Even more we celebrate how you are at work at creating new joy filled moments for us in the days to come. AMEN. This podcast was written and read by Bill Green.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: [email protected]. 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/.

Hebrews 10: 11-18 (NIV)Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:“This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.This remarkable New Testament passage recalls vividly the covenant that God made with Noah and his family, the survivors of the great Flood. God declares that never again will he destroy the Earth. As the Earth renews itself after the Flood, this will be God’s act of Creation, a process that he promises to perform again and again with his people, ultimately the children of Israel.But this is not the end of the story. Far from it. This passage from Hebrews reminds us of that Christ’s life, death, and resurrection have changed the fundamentals of the story. God’s love for humanity has always existed, but humans have always felt they had to strive for it. They had to do good works to be worthy. They had to, in the writer’s words, offer sacrifices.Because Jesus lived, died, and rose again, our sacrifices are no longer necessary. Our good works are no longer sufficient.Yes, we should indeed continue to make sacrifices and to do good works. We do these, not to achieve God’s love but in response to the understanding that we are God’s beloved. “There sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.” As humans, we are unable to fathom the depths and the power of this love, but our understanding can begin on that promise.Let us pray: Dear Lord, help us to respond to your love and grace but showing that love and grace to others in our every thought, word, and action. Amen.zzzGrace 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: [email protected]. 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/.

Philippians 4:7 (ESV)"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."I've read these words hundreds of times, but when you remember that Paul wrote them from a Roman prison cell, they have a bit more significance.Think about Paul's situation for a minute. He's chained to Roman guards, he’s dependent on friends for food, and he’s facing possible execution. The Philippian church, which was struggling itself, somehow managed to scrape together some money to send help through their friend Epaphroditus. Paul had every reason to be anxious, every reason to worry about tomorrow. Yet from that cold, uncertain place, he writes about peace.And not just any peace, but a peace that "surpasses all understanding." It is not what we usually think of as peace. It's not the relief you feel when the test results come back clear or when the bills are finally paid. It's not even the quiet you experience during a good vacation. This peace "surpasses understanding" because it doesn't make sense. When everything in your life is giving you reasons to worry, when your brain is making lists of all the things that could go wrong, this peace shows up anyway. Paul knew this firsthand because this peace is actually a gift—one of the fruits of the Spirit that God grows in us. It's something the Holy Spirit cultivates in our lives, often in the most unlikely circumstances.Paul says this peace will "guard" your heart and mind, like a security system for your soul. In our everyday lives, we're constantly under attack by worry that knocks on the door of our lives, demanding to be let in. God's peace doesn't necessarily make these problems disappear, but it stands guard at the entrance to our hearts. It protects what really matters: our ability to love well and our capacity to stay grounded in who God says we are.Here's what strikes me about this peace: it's deeply personal but not private. Paul talks about it guarding "your" heart, but it happens "in Christ Jesus." You can't think your way into this peace or meditate it into existence. It flows from a relationship with God and with others who follow Jesus Christ.Maybe you're in your own kind of prison right now. Maybe you're trapped by circumstances you can't control, confined by depression, or locked in a situation that feels hopeless. Paul's words from his cell remind us that God's peace isn't an escape plan. It doesn't promise to spring us from every difficult situation. Instead, it changes how we experience the difficulty. It guards our hearts from bitterness and our minds from despair.I think about Paul, sitting in that prison, writing about peace that makes no earthly sense. He discovered something profound: even in the worst circumstances, we're still loved, still held, still part of something bigger than our current struggle. That's the kind of peace that can only come from God.Prayer:Father, grant us the peace that passes understanding, especially when our circumstances would suggest anxiety is more appropriate. Guard our hearts and minds today, and remind us that our security rests not in perfect circumstances, but in your perfect love. Amen.This devotional was written and read by Cliff McCartney. 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: [email protected] 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/.

1 Peter 2:9 KJV "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."When I was in elementary school, it was a common practice to “choose” sides before playing softball, football, kickball, or whatever sport we were playing that day. Remember how that went? Everyone knew who the first player chosen would be – the star athlete, the one who could be depended upon to play well and help their team win. Everyone also knew who would be chosen last – the uncoordinated kid, the one most likely to strike out or drop the pass. There were definitely winners and losers.In this verse, however, God calls an entire holy nation, all of whom are individuals that stand out, not for their athletic skill but because of their choice to follow Jesus into his “marvelous light.” We are united not because of what we can do but because of what we believe. On God’s team, we bring our individual gifts to enable us to work together to build His kingdom on earth. We do this in praise of Him, and there are only winners on this team.The final part of the verse seems particularly relevant to our modern world. There is a great deal of darkness – wars, disease, poverty. . . man’s inhumanity to man shows itself in many different horrifying ways. Sometimes that darkness seems overwhelming; it is easy to feel we will never see full light. However, we are “called out of darkness into His marvelous light.” God’s word and our faith assure us that “His marvelous light” is there to guide us through whatever dark circumstances we are experiencing. The light is for all who believe. There are no losers in God’s Kingdom.Prayer:God, thank you for choosing us to be your people and for your promise of marvelous light. May we continue living in that light by not only growing and living out our own faith but also by sharing the Good News with others. We are your peculiar people, and we praise You! Amen.This devotion was written by Pat Scruggs and read by Grace Jonas.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: [email protected] 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/.