When we hear Jesus tell the story of the Good Samaritan, we usually focus on the kindness of the Helper and the callousness of those who passed by. But Jesus' original audience would have heard something very different, something much more challenging and uncomfortable. Picture this. A Samaritan traveling through hostile territory sees a Jewish man beaten and left for dead. Now, Samaritans weren't foreigners to Judaism.

They considered themselves the true followers of Moses. They knew the Torah, including that passage that we just heard from Exodus about helping your enemy when you see them in trouble.

But here's what we miss. The Samaritan had lived his entire life being shunned by people exactly like the man lying in the road. Jews crossed the street to avoid him. They refused his hospitality, considered him religiously contaminated, treated him as less than human. And now, ironically, a Jewish priest and Levite, the very religious leaders who preached about following the Torah, had just walked past the victim, demonstrating the same contempt this Samaritan faced every day.

Imagine the conflict raging in the Samaritan's heart. He could have thought, now you know how it feels to be ignored and abandoned This is exactly how your people have always treated me, He had every human reason to keep walking But he stopped He chose mercy over justice, compassion over payback And Jesus' audience would have recognized that the Samaritan was actually following their shared Torah better than their own religious leaders were.

That wasn't a heartwarming story about cross-cultural kindness. That was a devastating critique that left Jesus' listeners with no excuses. If this despised outsider could show such grace to his enemies, what did that say about them? The parable forces us to ask, when have we been the priest or the Levite, too concerned with our own purity or comfort to help? When have we failed to show the very mercy we hope to receive?

And perhaps most challenging, are we willing to show grace even to those who have shown us none? The Good Samaritan teaches us that following God isn't about maintaining our boundaries. It's about crossing them, even when it costs us, even when we've been hurt, even when the person we're helping would not do the same thing for us.

Our prayer today, God of mercy, forgive us for the times that we've walked past others in need, protecting our own comfort while ignoring your call to compassion. Help us to see beyond our prejudices and past our hurts.

Give us the courage of the Good Samaritan to choose grace over grudges, mercy over revenge and love over the safety of staying separate may we follow your torah not just in letter but in spirit showing kindness especially to those who have shown us none. Amen.

This devotional was written and read 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...

Today’s scripture is found in the book of Psalms, Chapter 27:14. I referenced several translations as I meditated on this verse.

The New English Translation reads like this: “Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident. Rely on the Lord!”.

The New International Version uses the word “wait” instead; the New Living Translation says “Wait patiently for the Lord” and the common English says, “Hope in the Lord”. So, we have Rely; Wait; Wait patiently and Hope in the Lord. Perhaps one more version might help us even more. In this version, we hear “Stay with God! Take heart. Don’t quit. I’ll say it again, stay with God!”. All of these words are active and require or suggest our participation is required.

The state of our world, our country, the state where I live, and even our small county are facing a very difficult reality. Anger, hate, violence, greed and lack of concern for our world or others are reported everywhere. Every form of media blasts us with “bad news”, sometimes painful and almost unbearable news. Our hearts are heavy, sad and anxiety is waiting to overtake us. This is a time to focus on today’s scripture.

It appears this Psalm was written by King David, likely during a very difficult time, maybe even a time when he was truly afraid. Whatever was going on in David’s life, he wrote these words to convey his never-failing trust, his confidence in God. He has faith, real faith and believes God will protect him even in his worst days.

How do these words speak to us today? We are living in very concerning times. It feels as though there is an undercurrent bubbling up, ready to sweep us all away. Some of us have gone quiet seeking God’s wisdom and guidance silently with no one else in mind. Some of us share our concerns and fears with our families or very close friends seeking affirmation for our views. Another group speaks out freely and often with anger, frustration and fear in a much more public way to rally others to action. None of these approaches are wrong.

However, none of them seem to match the message of today’s scripture: Rely on the Lord!; Wait on the Lord!; Hope in the Lord!; Be strong and confident! And especially “Stay with God! Take heart. Don’t quit. I’ll say it again. Stay with God!”

When you reflect on how we are facing the issues, we aren’t fully relying on God, waiting on God or hoping in the Lord. We are expressing our anxiety, our fear, our failure to hope. We must stay with God, be focused on God, trust God and remember He is in control. We must remain strong and confident. Will we understand the path? NO. Will we struggle to remain strong and confident? It is likely. Reminder…. We are told NOT to quit. So, as God’s children, we will try again, over and over, to listen, to follow, to love and especially to take heart and not quit.

I plan to renew my focus, my trust, and my eXorts to love in a way that draws others to Christ, to His love and strength, to powerful hope that only He can provide. I invite you to join me. Stay with God!

Lord of all, we come to you with fears and anxiety, asking that you calm those fears and provide us with the confidence to trust you. In turning to you, we find hope and peace even in dark times. Thank you for loving us in every moment and providing us with the gift of hope. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Lisa 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...

A casual reading of these verses might lead us to believe that God wants us to be sure of the difference between the divine and humans. “My ways are higher than your ways” is a pretty strong delineation between God and us. However, I do not think God is making a show of his power. This whole passage is labeled “a hymn of joy and triumph.” Israel will be restored. We cannot purchase God’s grace, but he gives it freely. His covenant with Israel will be glorified. All good news here. The next few verses are a call to repentance: seek the Lord, let the wicked forsake their way, return to the Lord, and he abundantly pardons. Again, all good news.

The problem with us humans is we tend to be dissatisfied with all this good news, and we ask “why”? How can God do these things? Why would He want to after his children have been disobedient and abandoned Him?

There are no answers to our questions, and the next verses, 8 and 9, tell us we never will understand. My thoughts and ways are higher than your ways, He says.

Most human beings are naturally curious. We want to understand how things work. We want to understand why certain things occur. We want to understand what motivates certain individuals to behave a certain way. And we can, to a certain extent, using scientific methods. We have found explanations for things that puzzled human beings for hundreds of years. Knowledge can grow. We can learn new things.

Understanding, however, is different. There are things that are beyond human understanding. The miracles that Jesus performed are examples. How can Jesus walk on water, how can water become wine, how can the dead live again? Think Lazarus here. We simply cannot understand. So, we are left with faith: faith that God’s plan is better than our plan, faith that He loves and cares for us, faith that ultimately, we will come into His presence. His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.

I do not think I can stop being curious and wanting to learn new things, but I can accept the truth that I will never understand everything, and that, too, is part of God’s plan.

Heavenly Father, so many times our cry is a loud “WHY? Even in our pleading, we know that only You have the full picture for each of us. Let us be thankful for Your love and Your guidance, trusting that you will lead us where we should go.

Amen

This devotional was written and read by Pat Scruggs.

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/.