The Up Devotional

  • Doing unto others—together

    There’s a story about two brothers. They farmed together, split the work, and split the profits. Each had their own granary. One of the brothers had a family—he was married with some children. The other brother was single. One day the brother who was single and lived by himself thought:… Listen ⇢

  • Divisive times

    The other day I was thinking about how political a certain issue has become. Why does everything have to be so politicized? Why can’t people respectfully and graciously disagree about something without painting the other person as an enemy? But you and I don’t have to get sucked in to that… Listen ⇢

  • Hope is a… pillow?

    I realize that equating hope to a pillow sounds a bit too cutesy, so just hear me out. William Gurnall lived in the 1600’s and wrote about the relationship between hope and patience. If we have reasons to hope we are more likely to be patient: “patience is the back… Listen ⇢

  • Aiming ammo at allies?

    Neil Anderson fought in the Second World War. His unit was facing what was known as the Siegfried line, a set of defence fortifications facing German’s border with France. Looking out over the landscape it seemed harmless. But a keen eye determined that what looked like a normal barn was… Listen ⇢

  • You don’t have to be Jesus

    Jesus summoned Peter to follow him even though he was imperfect. One of the reasons we relate to Peter so well is because he messes up—just like us! Peter is a reminder that we follow Jesus faithfully, not perfectly. In Luke 5 Jesus told Peter to throw out his nets… Listen ⇢

  • Because you say so

    “When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets’” (Luke 5:4-5). I find great… Listen ⇢

  • Comfortis

    “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4). As… Listen ⇢

  • It exploded, but praise continued

    A monk shared an experience with theologian Karl Barth:  “One evening, being choirmaster of his monastery, he was chanting the Magnificat with his confrères, when suddenly a French shell crashed through the roof and exploded in the nave of the church. But the smoke thinned away and the Magnifcat continued.”*… Listen ⇢

  • You don’t have it all together; but he does

    You’re not at your best. None of us are. Living through a pandemic—especially through lockdowns—is no walk in the park. Nor is continued political turmoil, fear of illness, or uncertainty about the future. Today I offer a word of comfort. In Luke 4:40 we read: “At sunset, the people brought… 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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