The Up Devotional

John 12 tells us about some Greek people who wanted to see Jesus. Verse 25 records a part of Jesus’ response:  “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” In view of these seekers, Jesus cuts to the heart of […]

“make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue…” (2 Peter 1:5, ESV) Salvation. It’s a big word. When a lot of people hear that word, they think about heaven. And they should; it’s one of God’s promises. When you believe in who Jesus is and what he has done for you on the cross, […]

Jesus said: “Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you” (John 12:35). One of the stories I have read my kids is “The Dark” by Robert Munsch. A shadow comes to life and starts eating other shadows. As a result, he keeps getting bigger and eventually lives on top of the house casting […]

After explaining the significance of the resurrection, Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 15:57: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It’s a source of inspiration. But also of confusion. If Jesus has given us victory, why is there still so much pain and hardship? Professor Oscar […]

I recently read the biography of an ancient monk named St. Anthony. It was written by the church father and great defender of the faith, Athanasius.  I was struck by Anthony’s humility and power. Usually we don’t think of humility and power going together, but they do. When someone is truly humble, God works powerfully […]

In April 1943 bomb-raid sirens rang throughout the air above London, England. People dropped their things and searched the skies. Buses stopped, people flooded into the streets. Gunfire started to be heard. A nearby antiaircraft artillery launched some rockets. People started going into a frenzy. Some shouted, “They are starting to drop them!” although no […]

[Note: After today The Up Devotional will go on pause for a week. It returns on November 21, 2022.] Some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. “Anyone who loves their life will lose it,” he said, “while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). Talk about heavy! […]

Mark Sayers describes a problem that many people encounter: “We want the freedom and autonomy of radical individualism while being dependent on the opinions and emotional climate of the crowd.”* Do you see the tension? We love to think of ourselves as rugged individualists who don’t need anybody else, thank you very much.  Yet at […]

God needs to be first in our lives. Agreed. When we appreciate who God is and what he has done for us, we want to show that appreciation in meaningful and often sacrificial ways. When someone is a follower of Christ and realizes they’re not doing that, they tend to prayerfully think things through and […]

In 2021 Megan Hill gave a talk titled, “Teach your kids to love the local church.” [You can link to it below.] At her church, volunteers sign up to take turns cleaning the church every Saturday. Each family signs up for two slots each year. When they showed up for their first turn, they brought […]

Recently I was feeling a bit low about some things. As I folded my hands to pray, I felt as if God shoved into my mind a long list of blessings he had poured into my life—things, experiences, opportunities and people from my childhood, to my early adulthood, and to now. It was as if […]

Don Miller tells a story about when he started to take God more seriously in his life.  A key moment came at Christmas: “For my mother that year I had purchased a shabby Christmas gift—a book, the contents of which she would never be interested in. I had had a sum of money with which […]

Mary the sister of Lazarus “took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair” (John 12:3). That pure nard was equivalent in value to about $30,000! That’s how grateful she was to Jesus. She was trying to show her devotion with […]

Jesus brought Mary’s brother Lazarus back to life. Not only did he restore a heartbeat, but he restored hope, joy and the certainty of eternal life. At a dinner in Jesus’ honour, Mary wanted to show her gratitude. She “took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet […]

If you follow Jesus these days that makes you… different. In 1961, 96% of people in this country identified as Christian. Less than 1% said they had “no religion.” That number is now 25% of the population. “No religion” is now the second highest ‘religious’ category in Canada.* Although 67% of people identified as Christian […]

Words have power. We all know it’s true. You can’t see them, but that doesn’t matter. They can still carry more force than a tonne of bricks. Sometimes that force is for good. A wise word, a message of encouragement, and even simply hearing the voice of someone you care about can lift your spirits. […]

Constructive criticism is good. After all, it’s constructive. But what is the opposite of constructive criticism? It’s destructive criticism! It’s when you want to tear someone down instead of build them up. Every once in a while a situation emerges when we are invited to provide input, make suggestions, or offer a critique. Since as […]

The great Reformer Martin Luther, wrote: “each person ought to become to the other a kind of Christ, so that we may be Christs to one another…“* One of our goals in life is sanctification. I know, I know, big word. But all it means is to become holy, or to become more like Christ. […]

I was recently asked this question: “What Jesus says in Matthew 7:21 unsettles me because it indicates that you can only get into heaven if you do God’s will. I thought we couldn’t earn heaven so this seems a bit confusing to me. I’m also very aware of my many faults and sins! Can you […]

W.W.J.D.  That acronym has become very well known. It was started in the 1990’s by a youth pastor in Michigan. She made bracelets with those letters on them to encourage the youth in her group to think proactively about how they lived. It stands for “What Would Jesus Do?” Well, what WOULD Jesus do? He […]

I’ve been reflecting on Jesus’ tears. John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the Bible: “Jesus wept.” But that’s not all he did. After his friend Lazarus had died, and after seeing Mary and Martha crying, Jesus “was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled” (verse 33). The phrase “deeply moved” could also be […]

When Vernon Davis was just starting at a new church he went to visit a matriarch in the congregation. She was a lovely woman in her 90’s. She knew so much about the church. She had been there through all the peaks and valleys. They had a great visit and Vernon learned a lot. When […]

In yesterday’s devotional I told you about an interview I was privileged to have with Thom Rainer. It was about the rise of consumerism in the church. In light of that conversation I asked you to think about whether you are in passive mode or active mode when it comes to the local congregation. During […]

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past three years, you know about how hard things have been. It has been—and will continue to be—a time of great change. As I’ve highlighted elsewhere, we are entering a period which will probably be marked by increased uncertainty, anxiety and complexity. In the midst of […]

We want to be “like Jesus.” Definitely.  Should we be loving, humble and sacrificial for the benefit of others? Yes. That’s being like Jesus. What about crying like Jesus? That’s not usually something we put in the same category. But consider this. After his friend Lazarus had died, and after seeing Mary and Martha crying, […]