The Up Devotional

Victor Frankl recalls an experience he had in a concentration camp. He was serving as a kind of medical assistant, caring for fellow prisoners who were sick or elderly. He would use whatever supplies he could get his hands on to help them. One day, he was approached by some fellow prisoners. They had made […]

“Life is tough. Heaven is great. I guess we just need to wait it out.” Unfortunately, we can often get caught in this mode of thinking. Having said that, it’s true that life is often difficult. And yes, heaven is also going to be amazing. I appreciate that life includes a lot of waiting—including waiting […]

Over the past several months we have been spending some time with Daniel.  When he was captured, he was most likely around 15-years-old. At the end of the book, he was in his late 80’s or early 90’s. After the Babylonian captivity had formally ended, many of his people were allowed to return to their […]

1 Corinthians 10:31 is well-known. That’s where Paul writes: “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Several years ago, I was discussing this verse with a group of high school students. One of the students asked: ‘Why does God want us to focus on him so much? Isn’t that kind of […]

The phrase “born again” gets thrown around a lot. But what does it actually mean?  The original context was John 3 when Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).* Nicodemus struggled to understand. How can a person […]

In 1 John 3:23 the apostle writes: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another…” Catherine of Siena was a well-known Christian from the 1300’s. She lived in Italy. She became known for her extreme devotion to God and her unyielding love for […]

[Request in footnotes] ~ In these devotionals not only have we been spending time with Daniel, but we have been spending time thinking about the big picture hope we have as the people of God. The Bible tells us the large-scale narrative arc of human history. Although there are many problems in the world, and […]

[Request in footnotes] ~ Hope is the underrated weapon of our faith. Even if it’s not underrated, it’s certainly underappreciated.  Since the Bible is the very word of God, we know how human history is going to unfold and turn out since various biblical passages speak about it. For example, we know that Jesus will […]

When you know the end of the story it can change your experience as you live through the middle of the story. Let me provide a small analogy from the world of baseball.  I cheer for the Toronto Blue Jays, but I don’t watch all the games. They play most days, and a lot of […]

Recently, my wife Laura heard something on the radio. She shared it with me, and now I’d like to share it with you.  It was about Chris Tomlin, the well-known singer of songs like How Great is our God, Glorious Day, and Whom Shall I Fear?  When he was young, he got mononucleosis. As a […]

This week we have been thinking about Daniel 11:32. In the second century B.C., Antiochus IV was working mayhem. He was a cunning man of violence. He desecrated the Jerusalem temple and persecuted the people of God. Some people gave in. Others didn’t. There were resisters. Verse 32 provides this detail: “the people who know […]

This week we’re looking at Daniel 11:32.  In the second century B.C. the murderous Antiochus IV was wreaking havoc. He was persecuting God’s people and even set up pagan sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple.  In response, a group of people resisted and remained true: “the people who know their God shall stand firm and take […]

In yesterday’s devotional we looked at Daniel 11:32.  In the second century B.C. a vile leader named Antiochus IV was wreaking havoc and destruction. He was persecuting God’s people and even set up pagan sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple.  In response, a group of people remained true: “the people who know their God shall stand […]

On the surface, Daniel 11 is not a happy piece of reading. In it, the archangel Gabriel tells Daniel what is about to happen in the coming centuries. There is a lot of war, bloodshed, political gamesmanship, and persecution.  Amongst other things, a vile leader named Antiochus IV, rises to power, desecrates the Jerusalem temple […]

In his wisdom, God has given us certain things to do. They are for our good. They are a conduit for his grace in our lives.  These are things like prayer, reading the Bible, and the Sacraments. There are more, but these are some of the most commonly referenced. Today I’d like to share something […]

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” […]

Ryan Skoog had a friend who went in a mission trip to Russia after the fall of communism.  They went to a former gulag, a forced labour camp. Horrible things had happened in that location. Their mission was to deconstruct the prison and repurpose the stones to build a church.  Their mission was to make […]

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55) “We are an Easter people.” I’m not sure when I first heard that expression, but it was probably when I was in high school.  Being “an Easter people” means that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus is the defining aspect […]

[Ministry Announcement in the Footnotes Below] ~ Jim Carey was in a movie called Bruce Almighty. Carey played Bruce, and God was played by Morgan Freeman.  In short, Bruce complained to God that he wasn’t doing his job very well. So, in a kind of cosmic experiment, God gave his powers to Bruce to see […]

Happy Easter!  Johnny Hunt once said: “In the end we win because the fight’s been fixed.”* I love it! But what does he mean?  He’s referring to the victory of Christ. On the cross and through the empty tomb, he defeated the powers of sin, death, despair, darkness and even the Devil himself. Colossians 2:15 […]

There’s a marine training facility called Parris Island. A young man signed up who was a bit out of step with the others. He was nice enough—but he just didn’t fit in. As a result, he got picked on—a lot. In his barracks, there were guys who were particularly mean. One of them came up […]

Tomorrow is Good Friday. Today is a lesser-known day called Maundy Thursday—not “Monday” but “Maundy.” The word “Maundy” comes from Jesus’ words in John 13:34. Although he spoke Aramaic, the oldest record of his words are in Greek. Those words have been translated into many languages, including Latin. “Mandatum novum” is the Latin wording for […]

I once heard John Ortberg make an analogy. He said that when people envision their future, they picture themselves standing before a series of doors.  Let’s say there are ten doors. Which one will we choose? If there’s only one correct door, that can make us stressed. After all, we have a 90% chance of […]

This is Holy Week. It’s the week where Christians all over the world remember and celebrate Jesus’ final days before his torture, trial, crucifixion and resurrection.  When Jesus arrived at Jerusalem he rode on a donkey. At first, this might seem like a random or unimportant detail. However, it was packed with meaning.  One of […]

There is a direct relationship between the physical realm and the unseen realm.  As I often say to the congregation where I pastor, details matter. Take, for example, Daniel 10. That’s where we learn how he was mourning and fasting for three weeks: “I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor […]