The Up Devotional

In the previous devotional I shared some words about the Parable of the Sower in Luke 8. A sower sows some seed—which, Jesus indicates, is a metaphor for the word of God. Ideally, the seed lands on receptive soil.  But there are a few situations which don’t work out. One is where the seed “fell […]

The Parable of the Sower is one of Jesus’ most famous parables.  A sower sows some seed—which, Jesus indicates, is a metaphor for the word of God. Ideally, the seed lands on receptive soil. That’s what you and I should want for everyone.  But there are a few situations which don’t work out. One is […]

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Let […]

In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul encouraged his readers like this: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him…” One of the reasons he wrote these words to them was because they were straying off course. They were devaluing Jesus. As a […]

We’ve been talking about Colossians 3:15. That’s where Paul told his readers to “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” One of the ways we welcome and cooperate with that rule is to imitate Jesus. Paul gave some great wisdom about how to do that in verses 12-17. Not only did he tell […]

In yesterday’s devotional we talked about Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…” I encouraged us to think through what this means.  First, in the Bible your “heart” often refers to your place of deepest convictions and commitments; this includes not just feelings but thoughts. Second, the “peace of Christ” is […]

We use a lot of metaphorical language in our faith. As a result, some things can be confusing.  “Inviting Jesus into your heart.”“Washed in the blood of the Lamb.” These are all good, biblical ideas, but they can also be confusing if you don’t know the theological backstory. Here’s another example: “Let the peace of […]

When a picture has been “photo shopped” that means it has been manipulated. Some sort of program has been used to change the image. Are there times when we are tempted to photo shop Jesus?  I’m not referring to physical pictures. I’m referring to the parts of Jesus we like, and the parts we would […]

There are times when we struggle with our faith. Perhaps we have an unanswered question. Perhaps we’ve experienced something that makes us doubt. Whatever it is, it can make us feel…  Stuck. When that happens you should definitely pray, learn and talk to others.  But there’s something else, and it’s today’s focus: don’t stop moving. […]

This is what Jesus says in Mark 8:34-35: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Following Jesus means denying yourself, taking […]

Kyle Idleman came up with the term “Mesus.”*  It’s when we project the things we like about ourselves onto Jesus—and only those things. If we like acts of mercy and adventure, we focus on those things in Jesus (while neglecting everything else). We think we’re honouring Jesus, but we’re really just honouring what we like […]

“Don’t be afraid.”  That’s easier to say than it is to live.  Generally speaking, people need a reason to be unafraid. For example, if I’m an 8-year old and I see a bully on the playground, I might be afraid. But if I then see my big brother come onto the playground—who just so happens […]

In Colossians 1:25 Paul says that God has given him a specific mission: “to present to you the word of God in its fullness…”  This important theme comes up elsewhere too. When speaking to the elders of Ephesus he said: “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God” (Acts […]

In yesterday’s devotional I shared an anonymous saying: “God meets you where you’re at, not where you should be at.” It’s a reminder that God doesn’t require you to be in tip-top moral shape or a top-notch theologian to come to you and intervene in your life. But when that happens, what happens next? Cooperate […]

Johnny Cash is known as the “man in black.” Early in his music career he got into some pretty bad things. His life was not going well. At all. “I never wanted to see another dawn. I had wasted my life. I had drifted so far from God and every stabilizing force in my life […]

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen…” (James 1:19) Something still seems “off.” I’ve sensed it. Have you? Maybe not for everyone, but for more people than you realize. I’m talking about life after the pandemic. Have you said (or felt) these things? Or has someone you […]

Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Different families have different temptations. Matthew Henry wrote: “Busy families are in temptation to wordliness, and neglect of religious duties; mixed families are in temptation to discord, and mutual jealousies; decaying families are in temptation to distrust, discontent, and indirect courses to help themselves....

There’s a saying from an old pastor: “You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.”  I don’t know his name. But I’m sure it came from years of experience. We pastors see a lot of things. We follow hearses to cemeteries and lead prayers. We spend time at hospital beds. We see tears and family […]

In yesterday’s devotional, I told you about a formula which is used by pastor Jay Strother: Jesus + ___________ = a false gospel.* If we add anything to what Jesus has accomplished for us, we are diminishing his achievement. That’s what Strother’s formula is meant to show. We are made right with God based on […]

Jay Strother is a pastor in Tennessee. He says that Jesus plus anything equals a false gospel. The word “gospel” means good news. It is the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. He has come to us personally and victoriously to renovate and renew all things; he has come to […]

Mixed-up thinking results in mixed-up living. Really? Yes. Here’s why. Pretend Scenario #1: Let’s say you think that God is apathetic toward his world and his people. You think there’s a Bible verse somewhere which says: “God is apathetic.” As a result, you adopt a posture of apathy toward the world and other people. Since […]

In a video, J. John described an experience he had when getting his hair cut. His hairdresser had a rabbit’s foot on her keychain. He asked her why she had it. “It brings me luck.” In response, he stated: “The rabbit wasn’t lucky. How can an unlucky rabbit bring you any luck?”  He later asked […]

There’s a famous (and historic) teaching tool which presents deep biblical truths in question and answer format. It’s called the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The first entry is the most famous. Question: “What is the chief end of man?” These days, we might say it like this: What is the ultimate goal of a person’s life? […]

In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about spiritual maturity. There are times when someone who is new to the faith and has limited knowledge and experience needs to seek out some help from someone who is more spiritually mature than they are. There are also times when the person who is more spiritually mature needs to […]

The Bible is teaching us more than we think.  Sometimes we learn things because they are told to us directly. “Love your neighbour” is just one of many examples.  We also learn things that are less obvious. We have to look a bit more closely to find them. Paul’s letters are an example. Let’s take […]