The Up Devotional

During a Ted Talk, Al Sekel showed an audience of adults a picture of a cartoonish black and white sketch. He asked them to describe what it depicted. They said it looked like a man and a woman in a provocative embrace.  Sekel then explained that when he shows the same sketch to young children […]

A father was teaching his son how to plow a field in straight lines. His advice was this. “Pick an object on the other side of the field, and then walk towards it with the plow.” So that’s what the boy did. But when he got to the other side and looked back on his […]

The church in Thessalonica was having a tough time.  They were getting assaulted on the outside (persecution) as well as on the inside (false teaching). Despite these hardships, they were doing well. Paul praised them with these words: “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith […]

Just because something doesn’t have a bow, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a gift. Let me explain. Gifts often come in packages with bows. When someone gives us a gift it is pretty obvious what is happening, especially if we’re at a birthday party, at a graduation, or on Christmas morning. But we need to […]

There are problems everywhere. But there aren’t ONLY problems. There are blessings too. They are gifts from God. To notice you may need to give yourself permission to smile and to enjoy life a little more often. Life can be hard. There are serious issues in the world. Because of this, we can focus (almost […]

In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about the ‘art of noticing.’ It was about the art of noticing God’s goodness all around us. This doesn’t mean that everything in your life is good. But everything that is good is from God. James 1:17 reminds us of this very fact: “Every good and perfect gift is from […]

God showers the people of his world with blessing. That’s not to say that every situation is good. But everything that happens which is good comes from God. In fact, you experience many godly blessings each and every day that you probably don’t even realize. Blessing is happening all around you. All of them are […]

The people in the TV commercials are always so happy. I know, I know—they’re actors. But it makes me think of the phrase “shallow positivity.” Shallow positivity is the idea that we’re supposed to be happy all the time. Although not many of us would agree that we’re supposed to be happy all the time, […]

What are your stability structures for the coming storm? I don’t mean to be alarming. However, Jesus said that before his return there would be wars, rumours of wars, increased Christian persecution, false Messiahs, more lawlessness, and less love. That’s no walk in the park. So when I ask about your ‘stability structures’ I’m referring […]

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). People who volunteer to teach Sunday School are special. Some churches called it “Youth Zone” or “Kids’ Club” or something else. No matter what you call it, it is a valuable ministry to our young […]

Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ prayer life was like? We know what he taught about prayer because those teachings are preserved in the New Testament. But what was his actual personal practice? Theologian Joachim Jeremias explains the daily habits of devout Jews in the first century. First, he would have said the Shema in […]

Jesus is coming back. He said so. But before that happens he said there will be wars and rumours of war, increased Christian persecution, false Messiahs, more lawlessness, and less love. Wow. The church in Thessalonica wanted to know how to live in light of these realities. They knew Jesus would be coming back, and […]

I like to be healthy. I’m sure you like to be healthy as well.  When we hear the word ‘health,’ the first thing many of us think about is physical health. A cold or a broken bone disrupts our physical health.  There is also mental health. Fortunately, more people are talking about mental well-being, and […]

Bob Goff really wanted to be a lawyer. He applied to law school, but got rejected. Undeterred, he went to the dean’s office. Goff said that the dean had the power to let him into the school. If he said four words–“Go buy your books”–he would change his life forever for the better.  But the […]

In the 14th century Henry Suso wrote: “Where is virtue preserved except in adversity?”* That’s intense. Let’s take a closer look.  First, what is virtue? It’s not a word we use very much anymore. But it’s a good one. It comes up in 2 Peter 1. It means ‘moral excellence.’ Second, where is it used […]

Hope often requires waiting, but waiting is made possible by hope. Let me explain. Hope often requires waiting. Makes sense. There is a future dimension to hope. If I hope that my best friend comes to visit, it requires some waiting.  But waiting is made possible by hope. In other words, when we are confident […]

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15). John Chrysostom was an early church father who had a considerable influence on the faith of others.  He said that there were four things Christians can’t help doing: praying, praising, being generous, and reading Scripture and studying […]

Chris Colquitt is a campus minister for the Reformed University Fellowship at Northwestern University.  In a recent talk he was speaking about faith and Gen Z. That’s the generation born roughly between 1996 and 2010.  One of the things he talked about was how kids were (and are) raised, and the influence this has on […]

Wallace Alston wrote: “To be a member of a church… is to be an active participant in God’s unparalleled renovation of the world.”* That’s a big statement. Perhaps you don’t think about your church in that way. Perhaps you only think about your church as a place to sing songs or chat with nice people. […]

Some of you will notice that your calendars say “All Saints Day” on November 1st. But what is it? It’s also called All Hallows Day, which is why Halloween is called Halloween; it is the eve of All Hallows Day. But yes, we’re all still confused!  Something or someone who is “hallowed” is something or […]

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” (Romans 5:1-2). When most people look at October 31st on their calendar, they think of Halloween. However, it is also Reformation […]

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Have you ever been talking to a young child when they use a word that you know they didn’t come up with […]

Our yard has a beautiful hydrangea tree.  Actually, our yard used to have a beautiful hydrangea tree. It got knocked down by the wind. I took a close look. The blooms were gorgeous, especially in autumn. But the root structure was basically non-existent. I’m not sure why. For some reason, the roots weren’t spread out, […]

To some people, the Ten Commandments seem like a list of rules. In fact, when you read through the Bible, you start to notice that there are a whole bunch of rules and instructions about how to live. If you just think they are arbitrary rules then you are going to start resenting them. That’s […]

A man was in a nursing home. He wasn’t having a good day. He was feeling low and disheveled.  One of the nurses noticed. So she brought him a comb so that he would feel better. It did. Yes, he was able to brush his hair. But even more than that, he knew that someone […]