The Up Devotional

  • Dead ends into doorways

    Stephen is often called the first Christian martyr. Behold these final moments of his life. “they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city… While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not… Listen ⇢

  • If you don’t know them personally

    There are a lot of speeches in the book of Acts. Stephen’s is the longest. He begins at chapter 7, verse 2: “Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham…” He continues for 52 verses. After testifying to the un-thwartability of God’s plans… Listen ⇢

  • Sundaes, waitresses, and Jesus

    A young boy went into a diner. The waitress asked for his order. “How much for a sundae?”, he asked. “Four dollars.” The boy searched through his change and started putting coins on the counter, tallying up his total as he went along. The waitress was very busy. She rolled… Listen ⇢

  • With reverence and awe

    Many of us are worshipping God at home these days while sitting on a couch or a chair. Some churches have resumed limited in-person gatherings, but not all. [For those of you in America, you’re a bit further along than we are north of the border.] Either way, our external… Listen ⇢

  • Twinkies or broccoli

    John Ortberg wrote a book titled Everybody’s Normal Until You Get To Know Them. Wow, what a great title! Anyway, it refers to a study on relationships that tracked the lives of seven thousand people over nine years: “People who had bad health habits (such as smoking, poor eating habits,… Listen ⇢

  • Being true to who?

    In his book The Closing of the American Mind, Allan Bloom describes an outlook on the world which has become very popular. Montreal philosophy professor Charles Taylor summarizes: “relativism was itself an offshoot of a form of individualism, whose principle is something like this: everyone has a right to develop… Listen ⇢

  • Stand firm on your knees

    There are times when you need to stand firm in your faith. No doubt about it. You can get pushed (or body checked) off-centre by a variety of forces or false teachings—unless you are standing firm. One of my favourite verses from 1 Corinthians 15 is verse 58. Paul had… Listen ⇢

  • Writing benefits in sand, injuries in marble

    If someone gave you a compliment, and then someone else gave you a criticism, which would you spend more time thinking about? What if you got an A in geography and a D in science? Thomas More said: “We write in the sand the benefits we receive, but injuries upon… Listen ⇢

  • I’m lost—but I’m making record time

    I recall a story about a pilot in World War Two. He was zooming over the Pacific Ocean when he said: “I’m lost! I have absolutely no idea where I’m going. But I’m making record time.” It sounds like a commentary on modern living. Many people seem to be lost.… Listen ⇢

Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.

Matthew is a disciple, pastor, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.

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The Up Devotional

Your 1-minute shot of soul espresso

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