• The eternal God picked you

    Douglas Murray is a journalist. In his book, “The Strange Death of Europe,” he says that as he travelled around the world he noticed young people asking a question: “Is this all there is?”  They seemed to instinctively know that they are not ‘mere animals.’ But neither are they ‘mere… Listen ⇢

  • What does it mean to bless someone?

    In yesterday’s devotional I said that you were born to bless. In a world where many people aren’t sure if they’re here on this earth on purpose or by chance, followers of Jesus can be confident that God has put us here for a reason. So let’s flush out what… Listen ⇢

  • Born to bless

    Why was I born? Why were you born? Why were any of us born?  Are we here in this world by chance? Or is there a greater purpose to our lives? I once read about a philosophy professor who wrote to 250 people whom he felt were the great thinkers… Listen ⇢

  • The ‘unforgivable sin’

    I sometimes get asked about the ‘unforgivable sin.’  It’s found in Mark 3:28-30. Jesus said: “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal… Listen ⇢

  • The protection of our big brother

    We’ve been thinking about Jesus as our big brother. He is described in those terms in Romans 8:29, and he calls disciples “brothers and sisters” in Mark 3:35. One of the things an ideal big brother does is protect his younger siblings.  ‘But,’ you might be thinking, ‘Jesus doesn’t protect… Listen ⇢

  • He is interceding for you

    In the previous devotional I encouraged you to think about Jesus as your big brother. After all, he is described in those terms in Romans 8:29, and he calls disciples “brothers and sisters” in Mark 3:35. One of the things an ideal big brother does is intercede for his younger… Listen ⇢

  • Big Brother Jesus

    Jesus is my…  How would you finish that sentence? Lord? Saviour? Friend? What about big brother? We don’t tend to think of Jesus in this way. However, Romans 8:29 says that Jesus is “the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Then there are passages like Mark 3:35 where he says:… Listen ⇢

  • Don’t let today’s defeat steal tomorrow’s victory

    Philip Yancey tells a story about a professor in Spain’s golden age who worked to translate the Song of Songs (a biblical book) into the Spanish language. Sounds good, right? Well, at that time it wasn’t allowed. As a result, the professor was taken away and tortured—for four years! Eventually,… Listen ⇢

  • Humbly. Thankfully. Gladly.

    John Bunyan was a Christian who had his share of ups and downs, including time in prison for his beliefs. He was separated from loved ones, including his wife and children. Instead of beating him down, his hardships built him up. They refined and fortified his faith. In a biography… Listen ⇢

Meet the producer, Matthew Ruttan.

Matthew is a disciple, pastor, husband, and dad of three who lives in the psalms.

The Up Devotional

Your 1-minute shot of soul espresso

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