The Up Devotional

  • Irritable much?

    1 Corinthians 13:5 Love “is not irritable or resentful…” (ESV) Today’s Thought Remember Pavlov’s dog? As I remember it from a University psychology class, Ivan Pavlov rang a bell and then gave a dog some food. He kept repeating the experiment. And since the dog started to associate the sound… Listen ⇢

  • Not where you wish you were

    Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (NIV) Today’s Thought Last week as a part the “Up!” devotional I invited you to finish this sentence: “I never expected…” I received a lot of responses. Here are a few: I never… Listen ⇢

  • You’re in a win-win playoff

    1 Corinthians 15:26 “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” (NIV) Today’s Thought He was a 30 year-old truck driver. His future was ahead of him and it was all smooth sailing. Until. As Billy Graham tells it, one day while driving he started to get pains in his chest.… Listen ⇢

  • If not you, who?

    Revelation 21:4-5 “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (NIV) Today’s Thought It was a grade 11 philosophy class. We were reading challenging thinkers like Martin Buber and Friedrich Nietzsche.… Listen ⇢

  • Who’s in charge?

    Psalm 22:28 “For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.” (NRSV) Today’s Thought When I was little my dad and I would go back to the family hunt camp. When we pulled off the highway and onto the little private dirt road that curled back into… Listen ⇢

  • Plan B

    Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (NIV) Today’s Thought When I was in public school I had a “Plan A” for my life. Okay, maybe I didn’t call it “Plan A,” but that’s what it was: Playing in… Listen ⇢

  • What makes Christians different

    1 Corinthians 13:13 “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (ESV) Today’s Thought What makes Christians different? This is a tricky one that is definitely answered differently by different people. And there are a lot of things I could say. I… Listen ⇢

  • Doubt is a comma

    Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (NIV) Today’s Thought Have you ever talked to someone about a doubt you were struggling with but the response you got back was, “You just have to… Listen ⇢

  • Invisible chains

    1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (NIV) Today’s Thought There’s something you’ve done. It’s on your conscience like a concrete slab on a leaf. You want it off so you’ve asked… 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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