The Up Devotional

  • Is something “off”?

    “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen…” (James 1:19) Something still seems “off.” I’ve sensed it. Have you? Maybe not for everyone, but for more people than you realize. I’m talking about life after the pandemic. Have you said (or felt) these… Listen ⇢

  • Praying as a unit

    Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Different families have different temptations. Matthew Henry wrote: “Busy families are in temptation to wordliness, and neglect of religious duties; mixed families are in temptation to discord, and mutual jealousies; decaying families are in temptation to distrust, discontent, and indirect… Listen ⇢

  • You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse

    There’s a saying from an old pastor: “You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse.”  I don’t know his name. But I’m sure it came from years of experience. We pastors see a lot of things. We follow hearses to cemeteries and lead prayers. We spend time at hospital beds.… Listen ⇢

  • Identity and purpose

    In yesterday’s devotional, I told you about a formula which is used by pastor Jay Strother: Jesus + ___________ = a false gospel.* If we add anything to what Jesus has accomplished for us, we are diminishing his achievement. That’s what Strother’s formula is meant to show. We are made… Listen ⇢

  • Jesus + ____________

    Jay Strother is a pastor in Tennessee. He says that Jesus plus anything equals a false gospel. The word “gospel” means good news. It is the good news of what God has done for us in Christ. He has come to us personally and victoriously to renovate and renew all… Listen ⇢

  • Time with God, in tune with God

    Mixed-up thinking results in mixed-up living. Really? Yes. Here’s why. Pretend Scenario #1: Let’s say you think that God is apathetic toward his world and his people. You think there’s a Bible verse somewhere which says: “God is apathetic.” As a result, you adopt a posture of apathy toward the… Listen ⇢

  • Covering our bases

    In a video, J. John described an experience he had when getting his hair cut. His hairdresser had a rabbit’s foot on her keychain. He asked her why she had it. “It brings me luck.” In response, he stated: “The rabbit wasn’t lucky. How can an unlucky rabbit bring you… Listen ⇢

  • Glory, then joy

    There’s a famous (and historic) teaching tool which presents deep biblical truths in question and answer format. It’s called the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The first entry is the most famous. Question: “What is the chief end of man?” These days, we might say it like this: What is the ultimate… Listen ⇢

  • Maturity is meant to be shared

    In yesterday’s devotional I spoke about spiritual maturity. There are times when someone who is new to the faith and has limited knowledge and experience needs to seek out some help from someone who is more spiritually mature than they are. There are also times when the person who is… 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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