The Up Devotional

In John 5:32 Jesus said: “There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.” In yesterday’s devotional I said that the key to weathering a storm is who you’re weathering it with. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a healthy support system—and that […]

“…the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it… But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid’” (Matthew 14:24, 27). A farmer was looking for a farmhand. There was only one applicant. There was only one sentence on his […]

Eugene Nida was a famous Bible translator. He tells a story about a missionary and a man from West Africa. The Bible was being translated into the local Bambara language. The translator wanted to know how to translate the word “redeemed” so that the locals would understand what God has done for us in Jesus. […]

“Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens” (Psalm 119:89). When I was attending university, I was headed to class on the subway. I was reading my mini New Testament. A stranger walked over and asked what I was doing. He started to criticize me in front of everyone else (quite loudly, […]

In one of his letters, the well-known English statesman Thomas More said: “A soul must be without peace which is ever fluctuating between elation and disappointment from the opinions of [people].”* In other words, we will never have peace if we are disproportionately tethered to the opinions of other people. The end result is an […]

People balk at having an ultimate Judge. But that doesn’t change the fact that we do. His name is Jesus. Yes, he is our teacher, Lord, Saviour, and friend. But he is also our Judge. As we are reminded by Jesus himself in John 5:22: “the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment […]

A stop sign is a visual reminder to stop your vehicle. A stove is a visual reminder that dinner needs to be made. A bed is a reminder that we need sleep. Our world is filled with visual reminders. So why not use them as visual reminders of great and wonderful spiritual realities? Here’s what […]

In John 5 Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the day of rest. Verse 16 tells us that “because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders began to persecute him.” Observing the day of rest has long been important to God’s people. Even today “there are special ‘religious police’ with […]

Jesus healed not only bodies, but hearts. In John 5 we learn of a man who had been unwell for thirty-eight years. That’s a long time, especially in the first century. According to Dr. Craig Evans, an archaeologist and professor, “Life expectancy was short in the time of Jesus—more than half died before reaching 30.”* […]

For years a certain group of scholars said that John’s Gospel was a philosophical and theological work, but not a historical one, meaning that it couldn’t be trusted at face value. One of the reasons for that (faulty) conclusion was that details in the text seemed wrong from a historical perspective. For example, in John […]

In John 5 Jesus healed a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. But since he did so on the day of rest, he was criticized for it. Talk about missing for the forest for the trees!  In his own defense Jesus said: “My Father is always at his work to this very day, […]

Jesus said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Mark 13:31). A study out of Beijing was titled “Neural Consequences of Religious Belief on Self-Referential Processing.” I know, fun title, right? Anyway, the idea was this. Non-religious people used one of part of their brain to evaluate themselves and […]

Never in my life have I talked to more people about the uncertainty of the future. If I were alive during World War Two or the upstart of the Cold War, perhaps I would not be able to say that. But fears and anxieties about the future are now common. Is it even possible to […]

For those of you with children or grandchildren, or for those of you who lead or teach children and youth in some other way, I’m about to share something that might be a bit jarring. But there are times when some soul-rattling is in order. Let me share it with you, and then explain my […]

John 4:47 describes a desperate scene: “When this [royal official] heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death.” This was a world of honour and of strict social convention. The royal official humbled himself before Jesus—something […]

Do you remember the Tom Hanks movie called Cast Away? He played a FedEx employee named Chuck.  His plane crashed into the sea. Chuck was the only survivor and washed up onto a deserted island. Several packages also washed ashore. He opened them hoping that the contents would help him survive.  One package contained hockey […]

Hello! The Up Devotional is glad to be back after two weeks of vacation. My family spent some time at the ocean. And yes, it was warm enough to swim. We even saw dolphins! One day my daughters and I were jumping in the waves. They would crash into us. We tried to keep our […]

In A Tale of Two Cities two characters named Sydney and Charles love the same woman. The two men look a bit alike, but she ends up marrying Charles. They have two children together. Much later, Charles is put in prison and sentenced to death. In a powerful act of self-sacrifice, Sydney breaks into the […]

Today is Maundy Thursday. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin translation of Jesus’ words in John 13:34. “Mandatum novum” means “new commandment.” This new commandment is to “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” We could spend a lifetime pondering and applying those words. And we do. […]

William Lane Craig is a well-known defender of the faith. He writes books, speaks at conferences, and debates atheists in front of thousands upon thousands of people. This makes him a frequent target. He is yelled at, ridiculed, and criticized—over and over and over. Someone asked him how he responded to all of this. He […]

Crowds can be fickle. One day they’re yelling “Hosanna!” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (John 12:13) and later in the week they’re crying, “Crucify him!” (John 19:15) If they weren’t yelling, they had already abandoned him. Where are we in the mix? Are we fickle or faithful? The people […]

In 1 Peter 3:15, the apostle says: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Always? Yes. But the fact of the matter is that many of us lack confidence or clarity when we try to explain (or defend) our faith. […]

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). I […]

Today is a new day. Honestly. It is.  Yesterday was its own thing. Sure, each new day is influenced by what happened the day before. But there’s nothing you can do about that now, is there? The same goes for last week, last year, or even the last decade. That was then. This is now. […]

I’ve previously defined hope like this: Hope is knowing that better is coming. But there’s more. Not only is hope knowing that better is coming, but hope is showing that better is coming. When we know something to be true, that truth gets reflected in our words and actions. In 1 Peter 1:3 the apostle […]