• When you feel in a spiritual rut

    In the previous devotional, we talked about spiritual disciplines. These are deliberate, repetitive, biblical practices the Holy Spirit uses to make us more like Christ. Even still, there are times when we can feel stuck.  When that happens, one suggestion is to shake things up. Here are some examples. I… Listen ⇢

    When you feel in a spiritual rut
  • Joy is what happens when

    I recently presented a workshop on spiritual disciplines. These are deliberate, repetitive, biblical practices the Holy Spirit uses to make us more like Christ. Some of the most well-known practices that fit into this category are prayer, Bible-reading, fasting, worship, serving others, etc. There are others, but those are some… Listen ⇢

    Joy is what happens when
  • The (real) signs of love

    “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). When I was in university one of my professors told our class that during our discussions, we weren’t allowed to use the word “interesting.” Why not? Since it was a word that people over-used,… Listen ⇢

    The (real) signs of love
  • The love that jams the Devil’s wheels

    Jesus said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matthew 5:44) Do you have enemies? Perhaps you do, perhaps you don’t.  If you don’t, perhaps you still have people who you feel are somehow “against” you. They always seem to say the wrong thing at the right… Listen ⇢

    The love that jams the Devil’s wheels
  • Well done, good and faithful servant

    Victor Frankl recalls an experience he had in a concentration camp. He was serving as a kind of medical assistant, caring for fellow prisoners who were sick or elderly. He would use whatever supplies he could get his hands on to help them. One day, he was approached by some… Listen ⇢

    Well done, good and faithful servant
  • More than just waiting around

    “Life is tough. Heaven is great. I guess we just need to wait it out.” Unfortunately, we can often get caught in this mode of thinking. Having said that, it’s true that life is often difficult. And yes, heaven is also going to be amazing. I appreciate that life includes… Listen ⇢

    More than just waiting around
  • Being a part of a plan even when life isn’t going as planned

    Over the past several months we have been spending some time with Daniel.  When he was captured, he was most likely around 15-years-old. At the end of the book, he was in his late 80’s or early 90’s. After the Babylonian captivity had formally ended, many of his people were… Listen ⇢

    Being a part of a plan even when life isn’t going as planned
  • Focus on what’s best

    1 Corinthians 10:31 is well-known. That’s where Paul writes: “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Several years ago, I was discussing this verse with a group of high school students. One of the students asked: ‘Why does God want us to focus on him so… Listen ⇢

    Focus on what’s best
  • Born again?

    The phrase “born again” gets thrown around a lot. But what does it actually mean?  The original context was John 3 when Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).* Nicodemus struggled to… Listen ⇢

    Born again?

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

Skip to content ↓