• When a relationship becomes TOO central to your soul

    “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another…” (Isaiah 42:8). I’ve been writing about your soul’s appetite. Fill it with the wrong thing and be eternally corroded; fill it with the right thing and be eternally contented. We’re spending a few days… Listen ⇢

  • When nice things become ultimate things

    Jesus said: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). Last week we spent time talking about your soul and about how your soul has an appetite. Fill… Listen ⇢

  • Gorging on the right things, or the wrong things?

    This week we’ve been talking about your soul and about spiritual appetites. A man goes to a fast food restaurant. He has twenty five dollars in his pocket and nowhere to be. He orders his favourite combo and supersizes it. He stuffs himself to the brim, refills his coke, and… Listen ⇢

  • Hearing a ‘still small voice’ over the roar of your appetites

    In his book, A Hunger for God, John Piper writes: “we are less sensitive to spiritual appetites when we are in bondage to physical ones.”* Fair enough. Here’s where I want to focus us. Some of your physical appetites can be good. But they’re not your boss. Previous generations were… Listen ⇢

  • Impact bias

    In yesterday’s devotional I talked about your soul’s appetite. Fill it with the wrong thing and be eternally corroded; fill it with the right thing and be eternally contented. In light of that, I suggested that you think proactively about how you are responding to your deepest longings since they… Listen ⇢

  • Your soul has an appetite

    Hello! I’m back after a week away, and so is The Up Daily Devotional to your email inbox, social media feeds or podcast subscriptions five mornings a week! Let’s get to today’s devotional. A lady who was hard up for cash tried to sell her soul on eBay for $2000.… Listen ⇢

  • God’s big-picture providence for you

    In his book Person of Interest, detective J. Warner Wallace highlights how many political, practical, and linguistic factors came together to maximize the impact and influence of Jesus on the world at that specific time in history.  At the pinnacle of Roman Rule, vast areas “were unified under the same… Listen ⇢

  • The best way to teach someone else to trust and follow Jesus

    Several years ago I led a workshop about faith formation in children and youth. ‘What can we do or say to help them trust and follow Jesus?’ Is there anything more important? No, there isn’t. Here’s where we landed. The best way to teach someone else to trust and follow… Listen ⇢

  • It is I; do not be afraid

    In the Old Testament, God is described as master over the waves. God “alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8). So even though it’s surprising, it’s no surprise that Jesus walks on water in John 6. After all, he is God come to… 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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