The Up Devotional

In yesterday’s devotional I highlighted a Chinese proverb: “A millimeter discrepancy leads to a thousand mile loss.” To explain it, Christopher Yuan tells the tragic story of Korean Airlines flight 007 which veered off course. A problem had occurred with the autopilot. At first, a few degrees wasn’t such a big deal. But after a […]

Christopher Yuan’s mother taught him a Chinese proverb: “A millimeter discrepancy leads to a thousand mile loss.” To explain its meaning he tells the story of Korean Airlines flight 007. It departed from New York City for South Korea in 1983. After refueling in Alaska, something went wrong with the autopilot. It was off by […]

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26). Tim Peeters wrote a book about the Carthusian order. The Carthusians were founded in the 11th century. They are monks who live a life of solitude, prayer and contemplation. Many consider their way of life to be austere. Reflecting […]

When facing a new or difficult challenge what do people ask for? Among other things, courage. Let’s look at the word itself. “Corage” is an old word which means “heart.” To have courage is to have an enlarged heart (metaphorically speaking, of course). It is to do good even when facing adversity or uncertainty. Here’s […]

Christian calendars call January 6th “Epiphany.” It’s coming up on Saturday. It’s a date which is associated with the visit of the wise men to see Jesus: “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him” […]

Hello!  After a short break, The Up Devotional is back to your email inboxes, social media feeds, and podcast platforms five mornings a week. Here we are in 2024. Wow, that sounds futuristic. But it’s the new now. The start of another twelve-month cycle gets you thinking about priorities. If you have them (and you […]

Merry Christmas!  After today, The Up Devotional is going on pause until January 3rd, but I just wanted to send you one last message on Christmas morning.  Christ is born! Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah—God’s chosen king and representative on the earth. But something his followers came to learn was that Jesus was more than […]

Have you ever noticed how much angels tell people to not be afraid? When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said: “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God…” (Luke 1:30) When the angel appeared to the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks, he said: “Do not be afraid. I bring you good […]

Caroling. It’s one of those things that just might be fading away. I hope not. But it may be. I wonder why. Perhaps as towns turn into cities fewer people know their neighbours and therefore feel uncomfortable singing to them. Perhaps it’s because as a society we tend to do less singing in general. Perhaps […]

I’ve been reflecting a lot about Mary. A messenger from God named Gabriel came to her. “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:28, ESV). He went on to tell her that she would miraculously give birth to the Messiah.  Here is her response: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; […]

What does Mary teach us about having faith today, especially when the future is uncertain.  In short, a lot. Just imagine her situation. She was a young Jewish woman. She may have been as young as 14, 15 or 16 when she gave birth to Jesus. She would have grown up learning the Scriptures, reciting […]

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”  It’s a popular song by Andy Williams. I’ve already heard it on the radio, on TV, and in the mall about a zillion times. But let’s be honest. For a lot of people it is anything but. December brings about as much stress as it does candy […]

When most people think about Christmas they also think about Santa Claus, the jolly red-suited man who magically brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve.  But where did he come from? Has he always been associated with Christmas? And is it true that he is based on a man named Saint Nicholas? In regards to […]

In his autobiography, Arthur Miller reflects on his relationship with Marilyn Monroe. He talks about their loss of faith and descent into despair. “How I wish I still had my religion and she hers.”* As followers of Christ, we have many reasons to hope. But if we don’t consciously and consistently reflect on those reasons, […]

In 2 Thessalonians 3:13 (ESV) Paul wrote: “do not grow weary in doing good.” Some of the people in that church were lazy. “Idleness” was a problem. But others were doing good things. They were serving, evangelizing, and being useful. Those were the people Paul was talking to. Note the word ‘weary.’ He affirmed them […]

The apostle John wrote: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 John 4:20). As we can see, loving other people in the church is clearly important. […]

Recently someone sent me an email with some “Christian one-liners” (Thanks Eileen!) Perhaps you’ve seen some of them. They usually highlight comical aspects of the faith or funny things that kids say.  One of them in particular grabbed my attention. It was funny, but also provided a reason to pause and reflect on how we […]

When it comes to prayer, I sometimes hit a dry spell. I’m a pastor. So perhaps that surprises you. In case it isn’t obvious, we’re human too! Very human. Most of the pastors I know love Jesus, want to serve him, care for his people, and struggle with many of the same things that you […]

I’ve been thinking a lot about how Jesus said he was coming back. The reason it’s been on my mind is because I’ve been teaching through 1st and 2nd Thessalonians, and that’s a topic that comes up a lot. The congregation to which Paul was writing was confused. So Paul needed to clarify a few […]

It’s getting more difficult to know what’s real. “Deep fakes” are a growing genre of videos. They make it look like someone is saying or doing something, but it’s all fabricated. A tech wizard has digitally recreated someone’s voice or body movements.  When it comes to the news, we often wonder what parts of the […]

“Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done…” (1 Chronicles 16:11-12) With December comes traditions.  People start to sing carols, light candles, put up Christmas trees, buy gifts, and send cards. Traditions can be good. But not if they obscure the meaning of what we’re supposed […]

The season of Advent has begun. Some of you will know what that means. Others won’t. That’s because some Christian traditions have emphasized it and others have not. It is the four-week season that leads up to Christmas. The word “advent” itself means “coming,” referring to the coming of Christ. On one level is about […]

Reinhold Niebuhr was an American theologian, pastor and professor. In 1928 he wrote: “It is almost impossible to be sane and Christian at the same time, and on the whole I have been more sane than Christian.”* What honesty. Implied in his comment is, I think, the idea that genuinely following Christ will often make […]

William Gurnall wrote extensively about spiritual warfare. He said that “a man’s heart is a house that will not stand empty.”* He wrote in the 1600’s. So he’s using “man” in a general sense; what he says applies to women as well. The idea is that our heart (metaphorically speaking) is a residence which is […]

There’s a saying of an old wise man that traces back many centuries: “Thou shalt stand immovable in joy and sorrow like the bones of the dead.” A few things stand out about it.  First, it uses the word immovable. Of course, people aren’t literally immovable when they’re alive. They move and walk around. “Immovable” […]