The Up Devotional

One of my favourite words in the Bible is steadfastness.  Here is one of Paul’s prayers where he uses it. “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). Isn’t that awesome? I think it’s one of the most neglected prayer verses in the […]

Malam Ibrahim was a teacher of the Qu’ran in northern Nigeria. That’s the holy book for Muslims. Through his reading and study he became convinced that a unique function and role is given to the person of Isa Mahis—Jesus the Messiah—as the mediator “through whom the prayers of the faithful are offered up to” God. […]

Hello everyone, I’m back from three weeks of vacation—and so is The Up Daily Devotional! I caught some Z’s, a sunburn and a fish. Business and marketing expert Seth Godin has written: “We need to stop shopping for lightning bolts.”* When it comes to faith, many people seem to be seeking cheap thrills—flashy and electrifying, […]

Jesus said: “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). It’s a promise. If you follow him you will have the light of life. The light of life doesn’t necessarily equal happiness and freedom from care. Sometimes, yes; but not always. The light might not always […]

Thomas More was beheaded in 1535 at the order of King Henry the 8th. The last thing More wrote while imprisoned in the tower of London was a devotional work called The Sadness of Christ. In it he penned this moving phrase about God: “he that by the infinite brightness of his divine majesty maketh […]

Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever WATCHES me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Oh, wait a second. That’s a misquote. Of course he didn’t say that. Here’s what he actually said. “I am the light of the world. Whoever FOLLOWS me will never walk […]

Very famously Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). I love that verse. I quote in on Christmas Eve when we light the Christ Candle and pass out the light to the congregation while singing carols. […]

Jesus said: “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” (Mark 8:34-35). Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and professor who was […]

I heard about a judge who was hearing the case of a young repeat offender.  He was getting sick of seeing his face and was about to be harsh. But something came over him. He started to ask the young man why his life was so hard. What was making things so difficult?  Then, in […]

In the story of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus famously said this to the mob of scribes and Pharisees: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7). He turned the situation around and appealed to their own conscience. Verse 9 tells us […]

“Sing to the LORD, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world” (Isaiah 12:5). Bill Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States. Some of you will remember the Monika Lewinsky scandal. It’s kind of hard to forget. Sometime later at a conference, someone asked Clinton: “How can […]

She had been caught in the act of adultery. In the very act! She was dragged out in public for everyone to see. According to the law, they could have stoned her. They brought the case to Jesus to test him. He said: “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first […]

In a Jack Black movie called Nacho Libre, a character says: “I don’t believe in God, I believe in science.” It reveals an error in thought that some people have, as if you can’t believe in God if you “believe” in science. But the two are not opposites. This kind of statement usually comes from […]

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19) Over time some things become less common—like Sunday night dinners, board games, or home-made gifts. But that doesn’t mean they don’t still have value. Here’s another: Modesty. Some of […]

Lee Strobel was on a sailing adventure with some friends in the British Virgin Islands.* Since he was a novice he really enjoyed learning how things were done, and the importance of things being done right.  One example is when they would drop the anchor. They would go into a calm cove and let it […]

In the previous devotional, I shared Mark Sayers’ idea that we are at the start of a new era of human history.* We aren’t there yet. In fact, we have one foot in the previous era, and one foot stepping into the emerging era. He calls this present moment a “gray zone.” There is increased […]

Mark Sayers makes the case that we are at the start of a new era.* When you look back on human history you can see how one era gives way to another. The early 1500’s was the start of a new era; so was the industrial revolution. At the time, people wouldn’t have been able […]

A Christian in China was about to be baptized. The pastor asked her a question to ensure that she understood the meaning of the cross: “Did Jesus have any sin?” The answer, of course, was “No.” Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.” Since […]

If a child is in the other side of the house, and if you say something that interests them—something perhaps about getting ice cream—they can hear you. They have great hearing when it is to their benefit. But if that child is sitting in the other side of the house, and if you say something […]

Relationships can be hard. They can be hard on a good day, let alone a bad one. I doubt there’s a person on earth who hasn’t put their foot in their mouth, said something they regret, or did something they wish they could undo. Yup, relationships are hard. So let’s not make them harder than […]

Maybe you’ve never thought of it like this before, but one of the ways you can contribute to a more thoughtful and respectful world is to learn how to lovingly disagree with someone. That’s right. Disagree with someone. Lovingly. Pastor and writer Rick Warren has expressed how we, as a society, seem to have lost […]

Jesus said “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24, ESV). We know we’re not supposed to judge by appearances. We might struggle with it sometimes, but we know it makes sense. Never judge a book by its cover, right? Well, the same goes for people. Jesus’ statement comes on the […]

Elie Wiesel tells a story (a made-up story, but an insightful story nevertheless), about a man who came before God on his heavenly throne. The man said, “Which do you think is harder, to be man or to be God?” “Being God is much harder,” God answered. “I have a whole universe to worry about, […]

In the Seinfeld television show, a character named Frank Costanza had the habit of doing a certain thing whenever he felt himself on the verge of freaking out. He exclaimed “Serenity Now!” He felt that if he called out for serenity he would get it. Unfortunately Mr. Costanza didn’t ever seem to truly deal with […]

In 1991 Scott Norwood played for the Buffalo Bills football team. It was the Super Bowl.  There was time for one last play. The Bills were down by one point. That’s when Norwood came onto the field. He was their leading scorer. If he scored, they would win.  The world watched as he got ready […]