The Up Devotional

  • Less is more

    Welcome to the world of Bigger-Better-More! “You want it! You deserve it! Go for it!” (Even if you can’t afford it.) It’s easy to get sucked in, isn’t it? But unfortunately, drinking the Kool-Aid of instant gratification draws us into a lifestyle of living beyond our means… which actually COMPLICATES… Listen ⇢

  • I want to do something small…

    Albert Schweitzer had a more “impressive” life than I ever will. He was a writer and influential theologian; he was an amazing and accomplished organ player; and he became a medical missionary and doctor to French Equatorial Africa. He was also awarded a Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. A biography… Listen ⇢

  • Reactivity skews reality

    In high school science class we learned one of Newton’s laws: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” I think this can teach us something about relationships as well. Imagine a time when someone said something that really upset you. You probably had an emotional reaction. …it… Listen ⇢

  • A rest… from screens

    Writer Lettie Cowman tells about a traveler who visited Africa and used a group of guides and carriers to carry their supplies as they hiked and explored. On the first day she was impressed because they went a huge distance. But the next day the carriers refused to move. The… Listen ⇢

  • Things that renew you (not drain you)

    Learning how to rest. That’s something I’ve been teaching and talking about lately. Why? Because of what it says in Exodus 20:8: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.” But this can be hard. Many of us know rest is important, but we don’t do it as much as… Listen ⇢

  • Tirritated

    Every once in a while people feel compelled to invent a new word. One of them is “Hangry.” Have you heard of it? It’s a combination of “hungry” and “angry.” As you may very well know from personal experience, when you’re hungry you’re not at your best—and sometimes angry. Hence,… Listen ⇢

  • Why doing nothing is doing something

    Rest. It’s something many of us think is a good thing… but don’t do as much as we should. Even though it’s a command. Yup, God commands rest. In Exodus 20: 8-9 God says, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your… Listen ⇢

  • Smashed trophies

    I heard a story about a college student who REALLY wanted to be the school tennis champion. It was all he wanted. He focused exclusively on that goal to the detriment of his relationships, grades and everything else. And he did it. He won the championship! And the trophy was… Listen ⇢

  • Being a Christian would be easy if it weren’t for this

    I remember having a conversation with someone who said, “Being a Christian would be easy if you didn’t have to deal with actual people.” He was being funny, of course. But what he meant was that following Jesus and God’s commands are easy… until you have to put them into… 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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