• The greatest legacy

    Everyone leaves some sort of legacy. What will yours be?  In Ecclesiastes 2, the Teacher frets about this—a lot. He started to hate his job because his life’s work might be squandered by someone who came after him: “I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun,… Listen ⇢

    The greatest legacy
  • The antidote to drudgery

    There can be “seasons” to one’s faith. For example, it is often noted how new Christians have zeal. They are “on fire for the Lord”! That’s amazing. Sometimes it lasts. Sometimes it doesn’t. There are seasons. And that’s okay. Life includes ups and downs. One of the risks with this… Listen ⇢

    The antidote to drudgery
  • What they are really missing

    “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1 Timothy 6:10). Mother Teresa was known for her devotion to God and for serving the poorest of… Listen ⇢

    What they are really missing
  • The young woman who prayed through her day

    [Workshop notice below in footnotes…] ~ Every day we are surrounded with physical things that can remind us about spiritual realities.  For example, the sun can remind us about the light of Christ. An evening breeze can remind us to “be still” and know that only God is God (Psalm… Listen ⇢

    The young woman who prayed through her day
  • Keeping up with the Joneses or keeping the faith

    The author of Ecclesiastes did some first-hand research. He was looking for wisdom and knowledge but was getting frustrated. Nothing seemed to satisfy him.  “I built houses and planted vineyards for myself,” he said. “I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before… Listen ⇢

    Keeping up with the Joneses or keeping the faith
  • Habits are leading you somewhere

    Good habits, bad habits. We probably all have both.  At first you make your habits, and then your habits make you. That’s the part about habits that we often neglect—that they are shaping us and leading us in a certain direction. They are not “one offs.” They have a cumulative… Listen ⇢

    Habits are leading you somewhere
  • When feeling bad can be something good

    All of us sin, myself included. When this happens, we feel bad about it. And who likes to feel bad, right?  Well, today I’d like to explain how even feeling bad about sin can be a sign of God’s love for you. Let me explain—and you’ve got to stick with… Listen ⇢

    When feeling bad can be something good
  • They just look that way

    Note: New podcast episode link in the footnotes below – “Habits are Coordinates.” ~ In Ecclesiastes 1:8, the teacher says: “All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” In other words, nothing makes him… Listen ⇢

    They just look that way
  • Short-term thinking

    We’ve been spending some time with the book of Ecclesiastes. At first glance, chapter one seems pretty dreary. “All things are full of weariness,” the author says, “a man cannot utter it…” (Ecclesiastes 1:8). See what I mean! But the teacher is expressing frustrations, not making conclusions. He’s working out… Listen ⇢

    Short-term thinking

Meet Matthew.

Disciple, pastor, medieval modern, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.

The Up Devotional

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