As I mentioned in yesterday’s devotional, I’ve been thinking a lot about what Jesus’ life would have been like while here on earth. He spoke Aramaic, a language closely related to Hebrew. His family would have called him Yeshua. He was raised in a small village named Nazareth, perhaps with between 100-400 people. His home … Continue reading Jesus knows what it’s like
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The reason he endured it all
“But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman…” (Galatians 4:4) Lately I’ve been thinking about what Jesus’ life was like while on earth. [Full link below.] Life was difficult and dangerous. Consider a few of the details: He was born under Roman oppression under the tyrannical rule … Continue reading The reason he endured it all
Whether we’ve been praying for five minutes or fifty years
Paul’s wisdom and instruction in Philippians 4:6 endures: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Note his logic. He first says to not be anxious about anything. That’s something to shoot for, and it is certainly a work-in-progress for many of … Continue reading Whether we’ve been praying for five minutes or fifty years
Being compassionately different
“We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Lyman Stone is an advisor for Demographic Intelligence. He highlights something which made Christians stand out from the crowd in centuries past: “Probably a disease related to Ebola, the Plague of Cyrpian helped set off the Crisis of the Third Century in the Roman world. … Continue reading Being compassionately different
Talking to your problems about God
Do you have problems? I’m sure you do. If so, you’ve probably been talking to God about them. I recently came across this statement by Mark Batterson: “It’s okay to talk to God about your problems, but at some point you need to talk to your problems about God.”* At first it didn’t sit well … Continue reading Talking to your problems about God
Entangling media
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” (Hebrews 12:1-2). In these verses, the writer of Hebrews is drawing imagery … Continue reading Entangling media
Be a tree
Hello everyone! The Up Devotional is back after a week’s vacation. I slept in, played multiple games of Uno, read my Bible, and set up a swing in the backyard. But now the devotional is back to your email inboxes, social media feeds, radios, and podcasting apps. A clarifying psalm for the start of a … Continue reading Be a tree
The God of personal contact
In Waiting for God, Simone Weil describes when God became personal to her. She writes: “In 1938… I was suffering from splitting headaches; each sound hurt me like a blow… I discovered the poem… called “Love” [by George Herbert] which I learnt by heart. Often, at the culminating point of a violent headache, I made … Continue reading The God of personal contact
The Word became flesh—here
As we draw closer to December 25th I want to share a reminder that we are remembering and celebrating actual historical events. These aren’t just old stories; they are eternal stories. The Gospels are historical records which have been carefully preserved. Luke’s Gospel tells us about the census, the shepherds, the Inn and the manger. … Continue reading The Word became flesh—here
Does Jesus give us a blank cheque in prayer?
There’s a cartoon about prayer. The illustrator’s name is blurry so unfortunately I can’t provide proper credit. But it depicts a man who has just seen someone—someone he was supposed to pray for. His thoughts are described in a bubble above his head: ‘Oh great! Here comes Bob. I told him I’d pray for him! … Continue reading Does Jesus give us a blank cheque in prayer?
