The Up Devotional

  • 4 ways to draw closer to God

    James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.” When we cultivate a closer relationship with God, we experience his power and presence more and more. Consider the example of Mary. In her famous song of praise in Luke 1:46-55, she shows how she is… Listen ⇢

  • The courage equation

    Merry Christmas! On December 25th we praise and thank God for coming to us in Jesus. In Luke 2:10 the angel said to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” For ALL the people—including you. Notice how… Listen ⇢

  • The privilege to worship the newborn King

    Last week I visited someone who’s had a lot of challenges in the past year. Let’s call him Jake. Jake was sad because for the first time ever he won’t be able to go to a Christmas Eve service. Physically, he just can’t do it. How many of us can… Listen ⇢

  • The math behind Jesus as Messiah

    Christmas is coming. It’s practically here! Amidst the clatter of Christmas it’s easy to forget why the arrival of Jesus caused such a stir over 2000 years ago. A part of the reason why it was such big news was because he was the long-awaited Jewish “Messiah.” It’s a Hebrew… Listen ⇢

  • You complete the broken statue

    In 2007 The Denver Post reported a story about a 22-foot statue of Jesus. During a storm, lighting struck and cut off Jesus’ hands and feet! The nuns who took care of it were asked if or when they could replace the hands and feet. They weren’t really sure since… Listen ⇢

  • Saviour?

    An air force pilot told Max Lucado about the time he forgot to put on his own seat belt. He went through all the other checklists, but he forgot to do up his belt. His jet was designed in such a way that after it took off he couldn’t buckle… Listen ⇢

  • Complaining—in a healthier way

    What happens in December? Singing? Praying? Helping the poor? Yup. And there’s probably some shopping and scurrying in there too! But here’s something else: Complaining. As a pastor, I wish I could say that I never complain about anything. But that’s just not true. One of the reasons this concerns… Listen ⇢

  • Going out of your way for compassion

    Before I tell you about Evan, let me share Colossians 3:12: “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion…” Okay, back to Evan. He was a boy from St. George, Ontario in Canada. He had an inoperable brain tumor. He was so ill that they… Listen ⇢

  • #Blessed?

    #Blessed is a really popular hashtag, especially at this time of year. When posting pics many people—including myself—will say we’re somehow #blessed and that God has been good to us. To be honest, I love seeing it. It’s an awareness of God as a loving provider. But get this. In… 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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