It seems that the troubles and woes of the whole world are piling up higher and higher, right outside our own front doors! The news is filled with wars and rumors of wars, death and destruction, cruelty and starvation! We are bombarded with bad news stories, rumors and speculation. I don’t know about you, but I sometimes worry for the whole world and I often feel helpless against the onslaught.

I think today’s scripture is particularly important, as we live under the heavy burdens of too much information and so much bad, sad news.

Most of us desperately want to help, to do something about the pain of the world, to help alleviate the suffering. And my fellow Christians, we can help! Each day we can wake up and put on the Armor of God!

First, strap on your Belt of Truth, and your Breastplate of Righteousness. Tie on your Sandals of Peace and put on your Helmet of Salvation. Now, holding your shield of Faith, strap on your Sword of the Spirit. Ready for your battle, you now Seal it all with Prayer, which activates your armor, and you are ready for whatever comes your way!

Step into your day alert and praying for others – all others – especially your enemies! Pray for LOVE to win and backup your prayer by moving through your day in the Fruit of the Spirit, with Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self; confident that God is in control.

Dear Loving God, help us to be your faithful servants, wearing Your Armor and sealing our hearts with trust in You. Help us to remember what you said in Ephesians 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

And Dear Lord, lead us in the way we should go. Help us to contribute to good in the world and to stand wearing your Armor as a beacon of Hope for the world. In Jesus Name we Pray. 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...

Jesus is making a specific point in this passage about our enemies, or those who oppose us or who seem to be the opposite of what we are. We should love those people and do so extravagantly. We have heard this many times.

I think there is another lesson in these verses that we may miss if we focus solely on enemies. During nearly forty years of my adult career, I was privileged to be a college teacher, and I loved the work that I did. I truly enjoyed delving into the topic that I was assigned to teach, and I always tried – sometimes more successfully than others – to generate some enthusiasm for those topics and to convey that enthusiasm to my students. It was sometimes hard work, and it often required many daytime, nighttime, and weekend hours. But I enjoyed it and felt like that’s what was required if I wanted to give my students a good experience in my classes.

Along the way, I learned something that all teachers know. It is a secret of the profession, but I will let you in on it. When you teach, you inevitably learn more than your students.

I was always trying to give my students something. But I always found that the rewards of knowledge and understanding were greater than what I could convey to them.

Yes, you should love your enemies – and your friends. You should love without expecting anything from them. You should give your whole self to other people without holding back. Then, according to Christ, your reward will be great and you will be the children of God.

Our Father, show us ways that we can give ourselves to others without expecting anything in return from them. Show us how to love extravagantly and generously. Amen.

This devotion was written 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/.

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 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/.