The Up Devotional

We’ve been spending some time thinking about Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:44: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” With this in mind, I have a suggestion. Go the extra inch. Yes, our goal should be big. But let’s back up a minute. In October 2006, a gunman took hostages in a […]

Jesus said: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Actor Kelsey Grammer is best known for playing Dr. Frasier Crane on the hit shows Cheers and Frasier.  A few years ago he was interviewed about playing a pastor in the movie “Jesus Revolution.” When asked about faith, he said: “The […]

It’s one of Jesus’ most famous and inspirational statements. It’s also one of the most difficult: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Sounds good in theory, but what about in reality? What about the people who have wronged you personally or who have done something against someone you care […]

John Mark Comer says we should find our inner monk “to live with depth and serenity and focus right in the middle of the noise and traffic and hurry of the modern world.”* I like that.  Depth. Serenity. Focus. Right in the middle of the…Noise. Traffic. Hurry of the modern world. Can I get an Amen?! The challenge isn’t […]

“The time has come,” Jesus said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15) We live in a time when many Christian movies and T.V. shows are being produced. They are high quality and can be very inspiring. Some of you have seen The Chosen (about the life […]

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4). A chatbot is a computer-simulated feature of artificial intelligence. It mimics a human and is designed to interact with […]

One of the benefits of reading the whole Bible (instead of just small bits of it) is that you begin to gain a clearer understanding of certain concepts. Each time a biblical author mentions something about a specific word or idea it helps you understand more about it. Take, for example, the idea of coveting. […]

Genesis 1:27 famously states that we humans are made in the image of God. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Not only is this a statement of fact, but it’s something to aspire to. Yes, we are made in […]

After a week of vacation, The Up Daily Devotional is back five mornings a week. To the new subscribers who have joined us in the past week, welcome! Okay, on to today’s devotional… Your circumstances have a big impact on you. They can influence how you see the world.  If someone in your day-to-day life […]

[1-week pause alert. See notification at the end of today’s devotional.] ~ In 1 Corinthians 10:31 Paul writes: “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” It’s a famous verse. It reminds us to give God the glory no matter what. It’s not about us; it’s about him. When we feel overlooked […]

In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul writes: “We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” As the people of God this is what we want for all people, including our friends, family members, schoolmates, co-workers, everybody! But what’s the big deal about reconciliation? Think first about separation and hostility. There are two opposing sides. […]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) In the previous devotional we talked about how Jesus’ righteousness, faithfulness and perfection gets credited to us. When his people stand before their Maker, God he sees not their sin (because Jesus has […]

The Bible verse I’m about to share is not one people tend to memorize, but it stands at the heart of what we call the gospel, a word that simply means “good news.” It’s found in 2 Corinthians 5:21: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him […]

Donald McCullough has a book called “The Trivialization of God.”* You should never judge a book by its cover, of course, but the cover is particularly good. It shows a yellow pin-on button that says “God.” It’s the kind of button you might get at a political rally, or perhaps with the name or logo […]

If you go to Central American University in El Salvador you can see the room where six Jesuits and two women were killed. But the killers didn’t only shoot people. They shot their books. That’s right: their books were riddled with bullet holes. One of those books was a theological dictionary. It was open to […]

In yesterday’s devotional we talked about the importance of being honest with your words.  Makes sense, right? After all, God is a God of truth. Jesus comes to us “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). God’s “word is truth” (John 17:17). If we want to be his disciples, reflecting his truth needs to be […]

Honesty is important. But when push comes to shove it’s easy to let a lie slip when it will make things easier for us or when it covers up a mistake we’ve made. It was Mark Twain who said: “A lie can get halfway around the world before the truth can even get its boots […]

Have you ever questioned whether or not you are making a difference? Have you made sacrifices, tried to help others, stretched yourself to grow in faith… only to doubt whether or not there would ever be any fruit from your labours? If so, you’re not alone. But guess what? God can use your sacrifices, hard […]

Gregory was a church father from the sixth century. He said: “You can tell how much you love something by the degree of sorrow you experience when you lose it.”* I think that’s a helpful piece of perspective. If I buy a new expensive watch, and if I am so utterly devastated when I lose […]

I remember reading a book which provided a summary of the biblical descriptions of the church. It was (and is) the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, the people of the Spirit, the household of God, a community of disciples, etc. Another one was “a servant people.” Jesus’ people are a people who serve. […]

[Apologies! – Some of you may have received this on July 2 and July 3. The error has been corrected. This is the devotional for July 3, 2025] In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus says: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but […]

I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the Ten Commandments. Commandment number ten says “You shall not covet…” (Exodus 20:17). Coveting is desiring or taking deep pleasure in something that belongs to someone else. It’s a heart issue. It is internal. Coveting is closely related to envy.  Let’s focus on a few key […]

Roy Oswald says: “The truly happy person is the one who wants, more than anything else, what he already has.” His statement is meant to bring attention to the idea that accumulating more stuff or experiences doesn’t necessarily make a person happier. True happiness, he argues, is about wanting what you already have. It’s a […]

There are a lot of big things happening in the world. They can be scary or unsettling. We hear about missiles and rumours of war. We hear about destruction and pain. And that’s on top of the general malaise or anxiety that a lot of people are feeling. Last winter I was speaking with another […]

In yesterday’s devotional I shared a few words about the woman caught in adultery in John 8. It’s a powerful and beautiful example of how Jesus “came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Today let’s focus on a much-neglected detail. In verse 7 he said: “Let any one of you who […]