• Don’t lose your stability

    I recently spent a lot of time studying 2 Peter. At the end of the letter, he said: “…take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability” (2 Peter 3:17). This was a topic that was clearly important to him.… Listen ⇢

    Don’t lose your stability
  • Keep fighting

    Peter was a fisherman. Jesus called him into a life of discipleship and leadership: “Follow me,” he said, “and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17). Sure, Peter was imperfect. There was a time when he denied Jesus (Luke 22:58). He also had a habit of putting… Listen ⇢

    Keep fighting
  • “Still we will praise Him!!”

    “The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him…” (Exodus 15:2) Recently, I saw a video someone recorded while passing by a home. It had been devastated by a massive fire. The entire inside was burned… Listen ⇢

    “Still we will praise Him!!”
  • There will my servant be also

    As you probably know, Jerusalem has seen a lot of bombs.  Fairly recently, I learned about a group of people named the Zaka. After a bomb goes off, they put on their yellow visibility vests and rush to the scene. They often get there before the paramedics.  They gather the… Listen ⇢

    There will my servant be also
  • Screens are everywhere. Be discerning.

    I recently watched Disclosure Day. It’s the latest movie from producer Steven Spielberg.  I was interested because there had been a lot of talk about it, including from within the Christian community. The reason for this chatter had to do with the topic—Aliens!   But not just that. Spielberg went… Listen ⇢

    Screens are everywhere. Be discerning.
  • Scoffers gonna scoff

    In 2 Peter 3:3, the apostle gives a warning to his fellow Christians: “scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.”  He is about to teach them about the return of Jesus. There are “scoffers,” he says. Literally, the text says “scoffers in their… Listen ⇢

    Scoffers gonna scoff
  • Foreshadowing the future

    In the previous devotional, I talked about how the future is beautiful. Yes, there can be ugliness in our world, but it won’t always be this way. This is partly based on passages like 2 Peter 3:13 where the apostle says this: “But according to his promise we are waiting… Listen ⇢

    Foreshadowing the future
  • Ugliness and beauty

    There is a lot of beauty in our world. But let’s be honest. There is also a lot of ugliness. Let me provide a few examples:  The non-stop fighting—between nations, in politics, and sometimes even in homes.  Profanity and pornography which continually reinvents itself to shock and ensnare us more… Listen ⇢

    Ugliness and beauty
  • The God in whose hand is your breath

    The world can seem like a very big place. There are lots of people. There are lots of voices—some good, some bad. There is a lot of noise. There is a lot of arguing. There is a lot of information. The word “overload” comes to mind. In light of all… Listen ⇢

    The God in whose hand is your breath

Meet Matthew.

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

The Up Devotional

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