The Up Devotional

In yesterday’s devotional we looked at David. Actually, we looked at how God looked at David: “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). This was true not only for David, but for you. The Lord […]

Other people are more successful than you, more popular than you are, more good looking than you are, make more money than you do, are more accomplished than you are, are smarter than you are, and stronger than you are. (Before you throw something at me, hold on for a moment.) David was a young […]

John F Kennedy served as the President of American in the early 1960’s. I recently heard that he had a copy of an old Breton prayer on his desk: “O God, thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small.” How true. It’s a commentary about those times when life seems overwhelming. It’s […]

The Apollo 13 spacecraft launched into orbit in 1970. Many of us know the general parameters of the story because we’ve seen the moving starring Tom Hanks. In short, things go sideways. Stuff starts breaking and the lives of the astronauts are in danger. At home, everyone watches their TV screens in suspense and send […]

In yesterday’s devotional we focused on a passage from Mark 12 where some hypocritical leaders were trying to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes to Caesar. Today let’s zero in on another element of Jesus’ response. As usual, there is more going on in the text than what first meets the eye. They […]

In Mark 12, some hypocritical leaders were trying to trap Jesus with a question about paying taxes to Caesar. It was a clever trap. Caesar (the Roman emperor) was a man named Tiberias. He was not very popular, could be very cruel, and levied heavy taxes on the people. The Jews felt like they weren’t […]

In yesterday’s devotional I highlighted something from Augustine: “The essence of sin is disordered love.” In short, we all love certain things and certain people. But if we get the order wrong, that’s a problem. For example, if I love my job to the neglect my family, that’s sin. In that scenario I’m living in […]

Church Father Augustine said: “The essence of sin is disordered love.”* What did he mean? We all love things. We love people, we love friends, we love music, we love certain ideas, we love our favourite snacks, we love our hobbies, and we love God (hopefully!)  But if we love things in the wrong order […]

A boy had a little dog named Remmy while he was growing up. Remmy was a Jack Russel. He was mostly white with one brown ear. And he was very loved. One day it snowed outside. Remmy went out into the garden. That’s when the boy noticed something about his beloved dog. He wasn’t white […]

In Mark 12:30 Jesus said: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” We could take a lifetime to fully grasp the implications. With each new year we gain new insights, and seek fresh strength, to put those words […]

We know that God answers prayer. We know that he is near to those who call on him in truth (Psalm 145:18). We know that he hears us when we ask things according to his will (1 John 5:14). We know that when we draw near to him he draws near to us as well […]

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7). A man was nearing death. A priest went to visit him in the hospital a few days before he died. The priest noticed that the man had pulled an empty […]

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children…” (Ephesians 5:1) If you think someone is inspiring and want to be more like them, you probably pay attention to what they do and how they do it. How do they live their life? What makes them different? What can I learn from them and incorporate into […]

The apostle Peter warned his readers with these words: “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability” (2 Peter 3:17, ESV). Earlier in the chapter he had been telling them about Jesus’ return. They should live expectantly and […]

[New podcast link below.] In Mark 11 Jesus says something pretty harsh to a fig tree with leaves but no figs: “May no one ever eat fruit from you again” (verse 14). From there he went into the temple in Jerusalem and overturned the tables of the money-changers. Can you imagine the scene! Perhaps we […]

In Mark 10, a blind beggar cried out to Jesus for help. Jesus heard his pleas and called him forward. A miracle followed. Jesus healed his sight! With a word, Jesus changed his life. In response, the man followed Jesus. He expressed his gratitude by dedicating himself to the Lord. But there’s a telling detail […]

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10). Rick Warren states: “The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.”* He’s onto something. For some people, death is most certainly a tragedy. For God’s people, however, […]

It’s no secret that God’s people are to be a people of prayer. Jesus taught us to pray with the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). In the book of Acts the early church devoted themselves to it (Acts 2:42).  Paul taught to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to be “faithful in prayer” (Romans 12:12). Another […]

You sometimes hear people say that they don’t read the Bible very much but they still follow Jesus. In saying this, they seem to suggest that the Bible is all about dusty doctrine and that following Jesus is where the real action is. But this perspective is flawed. Scripture is inspired by God. It is […]

Can you imagine meeting Jesus face-to-face? What would you say? What would you ask him? What do you think he would ask you? It’s amazing to think that one day we will actually get the opportunity to see and speak with our Lord.  Until then we learn about him and hear his voice in Scripture. […]

In Mark 10:29-31 Jesus said: “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and […]

In Mark 10:17-22 a wealthy young man asked Jesus this question: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied: “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, […]

Alternative lifestyles. When I use that phrase, what comes to mind? Perhaps someone who creates a belief system out of a mishmash of ideas? What about someone who embraces sexual promiscuity or rejects family life and the idea that marriage and children are a good thing? Or maybe you think about someone who organizes their […]

There are things in the world we would like to be different. We look around at the state of things and can become discouraged. However, this can be an opportunity.  First, we can remember that God is sovereign. The pages of Scripture bellow the wonderful almightiness of God. He is the same yesterday, today and […]

Pause Alert:  After today, The Up Daily Devotional will go on pause for a week, returning on March 17th. I’m taking some vacation time. Can you believe the devotional has been going for almost 10 years? You can access previous devotionals at TheUpDevo.com. You can also listen to back episodes on your favourite podcasting app. […]