The Up Devotional

“Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice” (Psalm 55:17). Hudson Taylor was a British missionary. He was known to say this: “Don’t have your concert first, and then tune your instruments afterward.”* That makes sense. There’s no point of tuning your instrument after the concert is already over. […]

One of the earliest physical depictions of Jesus is found in some graffiti in Rome. You can see it the graphic that accompanies today’s devotional.  It dates from the late-first to early-third centuries, probably closer to the later. It shows a man on a cross, but the man has a donkey head. There is another […]

“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ” (Colossians 2:8). In the Odyssey, Ulysses is travelling by boat past the island of the sirens.  He knows that when he and his crewmates […]

An outdoor adventurer loved to get close to big whirlpools in lakes and other locations. He used a body camera and got up close under the water. He would then post the videos to YouTube. It was exhilarating, but dangerous. During one of his dives he died. He got too close and was sucked into […]

In Mark 9 we learn about the transfiguration of Jesus. “There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them” (verses 2-3). Then Moses and Elijah arrive. Then a voice from heaven proclaims: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” (verse 7) […]

A.W. Milne was a missionary. He and some others became known as the one-way missionaries. They bought one-way tickets because as they went to far flung regions and into uncertain circumstances they knew they might face danger, lose their lives, and never come back. So they did something strange. They packed all of their belongings […]

In the movie Becket, the archbishop of Canterbury needs to give away all his possessions. He invites in the poor. They start taking away his things. He looks to the cross and says, “You! You! You are the only one who knows how easy this is!” Pardon?  That’s not what we expect him to say. […]

Such-and-such is my “cross to bear.” It’s an expression people use. Someone dealing with chronic pain might say it is their “cross to bear.” Another person who takes care of a loved one in need might say it is their “cross to bear.” We’ve been spending some time thinking about carrying a cross in light […]

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” So said Jesus in Mark 8:34. We’re spending a few devotionals unpacking the meaning of this enigmatic statement. Denying yourself has to do with denying that sinful, selfish part of you. Our computers and phones have a default […]

A man was walking through a Tokyo department store in the Christmas season. He noticed something strange, even offensive. It was someone nailed to a cross. But the person wasn’t Jesus, it was Santa.* At first perhaps we might think that this is the ultimate sign of the horrid commercialization of Christmas. However, it might […]

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (James 4:6). Kevin Myers and John Maxwell coined a phrase: “win within.”*  It’s meant to help us think about what’s happening inside of us. When we live by faith at our very core, that will flow outward into our words, decisions and actions. If we […]

Max Lucado was teaching a group of people in Jerusalem. They were in an enclosed space. They were accompanied by a tour guide and some guards.  His text was John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have […]

In Matthew 16 Jesus asked his disciples about his identity. Peter answered correctly: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you […]

We’ve been talking about the power of words. These days we tend to devalue them. When someone says “actions speak louder than words” they are commenting on this very trend. While our actions should certainly back up our words, words can still have incredible power on their own. In Jesus’ day his words were thought […]

In elementary school there was a kid who did a lot of annoying things. He would slap people in the back of the head for no reason or pull a girl’s ponytail and run away. Other kids would inevitably chase him or call him names. In response he would shout out the well-known playground rebuttal: […]

I recently asked some young people what they thought of when they heard the word “discipline.” One of them said “hard work.” Another said: “when you get in trouble you get disciplined.” A third said “self-control.” They had good insights. I was impressed. Self-control is definitely closely related to discipline. Self-control is listed as a […]

We’ve been talking about religious hypocrisy—in ourselves. This isn’t about being ourselves up, but about honest self-evaluation as we strive to grow and become more like Jesus. But that’s just what can happen. We beat ourselves up. The more we examine ourselves to see our sin, the more sin we see! It can be discouraging. […]

“You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has become calloused…” (Matthew 13:14-15). Jesus often speaks against hypocrisy. It is giving lip service to faith. It is pretending, or simply going through the religious motions. So how do we guard against hypocrisy in […]

The opposite of religious hypocrisy is faithful sincerity. With God’s help we want to move from the first category to the second. Not only do we want to say we believe in Jesus, but to think and act like we believe in Jesus. An important ingredient is humility. In Mark 7 Jesus speaks with a […]

Hypocrite. It’s a heavy, negative word. It means “pretender”—someone who says and does things which aren’t harmonious with what they say they believe.  Richard Baxter says: “As fencers upon a stage differ from soldiers fighting for their lives, so hypocrites differ from serious Christians.”* In Mark 7:6 (ESV) Jesus took issue with some Pharisees who […]

The early Christians prayed. A lot. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Paul famously says to “pray continuously.” Does he mean that we should never stop uttering words to God? What about when we’re sleeping or eating? His point, of course, is that we should make a regular habit of prayer.  Some have argued that many of […]

C. Peter Wagner writes: “The chief end of humans is to glorify God and the chief end of Satan is to prevent God from being glorified.”* There’s a lot in that statement so let’s take a few moments to unpack it. When he says that the “chief end of humans is to glorify God” he’s […]

In Mark 6 Jesus taught and fed thousands upon thousands of people. Afterward he sought some alone time with his heavenly Father. That makes sense. He had a big day and was also preparing for the next task. “And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray” (Mark […]

Some things are so obvious we almost miss them. One of them is found in Mark 6. The disciples have been walking and talking with Jesus himself. What an amazing opportunity! They have seen him preach and teach, heal people, cast out demons, calm a storm, and raise a dead child back to life. As […]

Proximity. According to my online dictionary it means this: “nearness in place, time, order, occurrence, or relation; closeness.” Being in close proximity to the right things or people changes how you think and feel. Example 1: You’re alone in the forest at dusk and a shadowy figure approaches. You’re afraid. But what if you are […]