The Up Devotional

In the previous devotional I said that the battle is waged from a place of stillness. I was speaking about the personal and spiritual battles we face.  Whenever we have to face hardships, we want to do so from a place that is calm, focused, rested and ready. In Psalm 131, David says: “I have […]

“I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother…” (Psalm 131:2) If an army is in chaos, it’s not going to respond very well when the enemy strikes. If a soldier is always fatigued and confused about what to do, he’s not going to face the enemy with power. […]

Proverbs 16:18 says: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” When you start to look for it, you start to notice how many times pride and humility are at work in the Bible. Pride causes people to make massive blunders, mistakes, and to engage in outright sin. Humility is continually lifted up […]

The biblical book of Proverbs has a lot to say about friendship. Here’s another: “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity” (Proverbs 17:17). Let’s flush out the meaning. True friends are there for you at all times, including the ups and downs. This is a warning […]

Twitter (aka “X”) didn’t exist in biblical times. If it did, the proverbs would be posted frequently. They are short and to-the-point. They communicate eternal truths in memorable, bite-sized chunks. Proverbs 27:6 says: “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” What does it mean? It starts by speaking about wounds. […]

Proverbs 22:1 contains one of the many proverbs of Solomon. He says: “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” What does it mean? First, we need to see that having “a good name” is about having a good reputation. But it’s not about being […]

Proverbs are short, memorable statements in the Bible meant to help us live wisely daily. One of them is Proverbs 26:11: “As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.” Wow, talk about memorable! What principle is it trying to teach us? We should learn from our mistakes. We should not foolishly […]

Hello! After some vacation time The Up Devotional is back to your email inboxes, social media feeds and podcast platforms five mornings a week! Today let’s look at Proverbs 3:11-12: “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father […]

Before I share today’s devotional let me offer a quick reminder that The Up Devotional is going on pause after today for four weeks. I’m having some vacation time! It returns on August 29th. You can listen to past devotionals as a podcast wherever you subscribe, or you can read text versions at TheUpDevo.com.  Here […]

If you’re looking for a good Bible verse to memorize consider Proverbs 4:23: “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” We need to guard our heart. Ray Ortlund explains that “The heart, in biblical terms, is not part of who we are but the centre of who we are.”* […]

Proverbs 9:10 is quite well known. It appears in different places and in slightly different forms in the Bible: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” First, what does it mean to “fear” the Lord? As Billy Graham once wrote, fearing the Lord […]

We’re spending some time looking at the most famous proverbs. Here’s Proverbs 13:20: “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.” ‘Walking with the wise’ refers to spending time with people who are wise. In contrast, being ‘a companion of fools’ means spending time with foolish people. The first […]

There are a lot of famous proverbs in the Bible. Proverbs 3:5-6 is probably at the top of that list. Here is what it says: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him and he will make straight your paths.” But […]

In the Bible, Proverbs are short statements to help you live wisely daily. Our society likes things that are short and to-the-point. The proverbs are certainly that! Proverbs 6:6 says: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” See what I mean? Short and to the point! To understand this proverb […]

Psalm 139 is one of the most famous psalms. In it we learn about God’s care for us. He enters into relationship with us from the womb. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (verse 14). But the tone changes at verse 19: “Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!” For four verses, the […]

This week I’ve been encouraging you to think about how you are valuable. This is no power of positive thinking. This is rooted in Scripture. You are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), and you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). When we read our Bibles, or speak to a Christian friend, or read […]

One of Arthur Miller’s books is called Incident at Vichy. A man appears before a Nazi guard. The Nazis have just invaded their town. The man is well-educated and well-respected. He shows his credentials to the guards. These include his university degrees and his letters of reference from well-known people.  The guard asks him: “Is […]

Our society values achievement. That’s one of the reasons we have things like trophies, ribbons, A-pluses, and year-end bonuses.  If we’re not careful we can start to think that our value is connected to our achievements. “I’m only truly valuable if others recognize me, or if I have a lot of money, or if I […]

In one of his speeches John F. Kennedy said that America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. “In a very real sense,” he said, “it will not be one man going to the moon—it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him […]

“Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). In the 17th century, George Swinnock said that a Christian should regard “his shop as well as his chapel as holy ground.”* Here is what he meant. We often think of church buildings as “holy ground.” We might also think of a special location as “holy […]

Psalm 121:3-4 says this about God’s guardianship over his people: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.” I think that the psalm is alluding to a story from 1 Kings 18. There the prophet Elijah is in […]

Christians believe in certain things. One of those things isn’t luck. Luck is the idea that everything unfolds according to chance. According to that line of thinking, God is neither almighty nor active. Granted, someone might say “What luck!” when it’s sunny on the same day they decide to go for a picnic. But any […]

One of the most popular movies of all time is The Sound of Music. Toward the end there is a dramatic scene where the von Trapp family is trying to flee from danger. They are being pursued by the sinister authorities. Maria von Trapp is played by Julie Andrews. She speaks briefly with the Reverend […]

One of the most famous verses in Psalm 103 is number 19: “The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” God’s throne is in heaven. And his kingdom rules over all. Note the word “all.” About this Matthew Henry writes: “there is no exempt jurisdiction.”* Therefore, his throne rules […]

Before I was ordained as a pastor, I served for a summer as a student at a church called St. David’s. We held a Vacation Bible Camp. On one of the days we taught about Noah and the flood. We often think about it as a children’s story. After all it has a bunch of […]