The Up Devotional

  • Dear You

    Recently I was reading Psalm 139:14 where it says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” I’ve read a lot about this verse. Different scholars say different things. But in and through it all are a few firm facts of modern life: That sometimes you need to… Listen ⇢

  • Make yourself UNcomfortable

    I’m sitting here in a comfortable chair. I’m drinking a flavoured coffee in comfortable clothes. I’m… comfortable! Then I open my Bible and read about the apostles being persecuted for their faith. In Acts 5 they get brought before a tribunal called the Sanhedrin and are ordered to stop teaching… Listen ⇢

  • Why it’s easy to be judgmental

    Being judgmental is about as attractive as a racist proudly gallivanting around your living room on a high horse. But what does it mean, anyway? If someone says you’re being judgmental, what they usually mean is that you’re acting morally superior—as if you’re always right, others are always wrong, and… Listen ⇢

  • Imperfect people

    What I’m about to tell you is terrible. But I’m going to tell you anyway! I heard about some people who started a Bible study group. They called it “Owl.” At first, people thought the name was based on the bird. Since owls are symbols of wisdom, it made sense.… Listen ⇢

  • Say it before it’s too late

    One of the profound privileges of being a pastor is being with people who are in their last stages of life on earth. I’ve only been a pastor for 9 years and I’ve held many people’s hands as they’ve passed from this world to the next. What does it teach me?… Listen ⇢

  • Boundedness

    The word “religion” isn’t very popular. People (including myself!) prefer to use substitutes like “spirituality” or “faith” as a way of bypassing this un-trendy word that can call to mind firm-fisted sermons, strict morality or chanting monks. But let’s pause on it for a minute. It comes from an old… Listen ⇢

  • Already healed

    Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” (NIV) Today’s Thought When Tom Long was in training to be a pastor, his supervisor sent him to visit some families in the Carolinas. One of them was a mother with a bunch of children. But one of the children—whom… Listen ⇢

  • Pour yourself into what’s in front of you

    In World War Two, Viktor Frankl found himself in a Nazi concentration camp. His book Man’s Search for Meaning recounts many of the terrible things he endured. But he also talks about how you can find meaning even in horrible situations. Here’s an example. Some of Frankl’s fellow prisoners had figured… Listen ⇢

  • What do you pray for in a situation like that?

    Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine…” (NIV) Today’s Thought Zeb Mengistu is a pastor in Ethiopia who tells about one of their church’s documented healings. During one of his church’s healing services a boy came forward with no… 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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