The Up Devotional

  • Live securely (in the midst of battle)

    In yesterday’s devotional I encouraged you to acknowledge that the battle of spiritual warfare is real. God is on the warpath against evil, sin, and darkness—and many of his foot soldiers are often taking a nap. Neil Anderson and Timothy Warner observe: “The difference between military warfare and spiritual warfare… Listen ⇢

  • The battle is real

    “In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an impure spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”   “Be… Listen ⇢

  • Only strong and smart people?

    “Only strong people are close to God. Only smart people know anything about God.” In case it’s not obvious, those two sentences are incorrect! But we still tend to let those kinds of thoughts creep into our heads, don’t we? And yet. God shows grace to the humble (James 4:6).… Listen ⇢

  • Where fear flourishes

    Many people are afraid right now. Maybe you’re one of them. It’s not something we like to admit. So there it hides, deep within; but there it remains. Afraid of lockdowns, loneliness, sickness or sadness.Afraid of political turmoil, tomorrow, job security or uncertainty. But did you know that fear flourishes… Listen ⇢

  • Just to be is a blessing

    We’re used to earning things. If we study hard we earn good grades.If we have a job we earn money.If we keep our word we earn respect. Since this mentality-of-earning is so deeply engrained in our brains we can also start to think that we can only experience God’s blessings… Listen ⇢

  • Surround me with songs of deliverance

    In Psalm 32:7 a struggling David prays these words to God: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” He needs relief. He needs protection. And so he asks that God surround him “with songs of deliverance.” He knows that… Listen ⇢

  • Our Father’s business

    Mary, Joseph and Jesus went with a caravan of other people to Jerusalem for the annual Passover festival.  On the way back, Mary and Joseph discovered that Jesus wasn’t with them. They broke from the group and headed back to Jerusalem to find him. “After three days they found him… Listen ⇢

  • Is someone on earth Lord, or Jesus?

    Lord. It’s who Jesus is. The angel announced to the shepherds that “a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Philippians 2:11 describes how every tongue will acknowledge that “Jesus Christ is Lord.” 1 Corinthians 12:3 explains how “no one can say, ‘Jesus… Listen ⇢

  • Discouragement is a comma, not a period

    There’s a movie that some people watch every year: It’s A Wonderful Life. There’s a scene right at the start of the movie where we overhear what is supposed to be a conversation between God and a guardian angel named Clarence. “A man down on earth needs our help,” God… 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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