The Up Devo

Helium for a practical faith today.

Skip to content
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • The Book
  • On Radio
  • Social
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Pics
Search

Social

In addition to signing up through this page or the daily 5am email, the “Up!” devotional is also available on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter…

up devo web banners (7)

Follow on Instagram here.

Follow on Facebook here.

Or follow on Twitter here.

Share with others:

  • Facebook
  • Email
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tumblr
  • Reddit

Like this:

Like Loading...

Enter your email address to get this devo 5 mornings a week!

Instagram

What my dog teaches me about following Jesus The “Up!” Devo for June 20 My family has a new dog. He’s a tiny, ten-week-old Cockapoo named Buddy. And yup, we are instantly in love! He’s a social little guy. As soon as he sees me in the morning he runs over with his mini paws to say hello. If I sit at the table for breakfast, he comes and rests on my feet. If I go to the sink to get a glass of water, he saunters over and sits beside me. When I go back to the table to sit back down, he follows me and resumes his position on my feet. Of course, I’m charmed. But it teaches us something about discipleship. (You’re right; I see illustrations for biblical principles everywhere!) Buddy follows his master like we should follow our Master: Consistently, gladly and faithfully. Where he goes, we go. What he does, we do. As he says in John 13:15: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” Jesus seeks the lost, helps the poor, speaks the truth, acts in love, and honours God. Therefore we seek the lost, help the poor, speak the truth, act in love, and honour God. Whenever Buddy trots around the house to find me, one thing is for sure: Whenever he arrives I’m already there. And so it is with Christ. Buddy follows his master like we should follow our Master: Consistently, gladly and faithfully. By Matthew Ruttan #dailydevotional #faith #inspiration #followingJesus #JesusChrist #dogs #discipleship #newdog #obedience
The power of perseverance The “Up!” Devo for June 19 King David was able to persevere through many challenges in his life. I think he was able to do this—even through such pain and difficulty—because he was CALLED by God to a godly purpose. 1 Samuel 16 tells the story of his anointing as the future king of Israel. He knew that God has summoned him to leadership. Therefore, he was able to persevere. Well, you are also CALLED to a godly purpose. A “calling” isn’t just something for King David—or for other well-known people a long time ago—but for every one who follows Jesus. In Matthew 4:17 Jesus says, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” In other words, ‘Turn away from your old life and self-centredness and make me your number one priority. God’s heavenly rule of truth and love is breaking into our lives and world!’ Then in Matthew 28:19-20 he gave this final commission to his disciples: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” You are CALLED to a godly purpose: To be a disciple-making disciple who gets in on the ways Jesus is renovating the world with his truth, forgiveness and love. This gives God glory and you joy! And that’s true no matter how old you are, what you do, or how much you’ve messed up. -Every relationship needs truth, forgiveness and love. -Every vocation needs truth, forgiveness and love. -Every plan for today or tomorrow needs truth, forgiveness and love. King David was able to persevere through many challenges in his life because he had a calling from God. Well, so can you. Because you do too. The power of perseverance isn’t about taking a beating, but having a calling and being a blessing. By Matthew Ruttan #faith #inspiration #dailydevotional #perseverance #persevere #God #JesusChrist #calling #purpose #meaning #strong
What you’re doing impacts how you’re doing The “Up!” Devo for June 18 Yesterday I highlighted Psalm 37. David was feeling frustrated by his lot in life. He felt persecuted and under threat. He had a concern that bad people seem to prosper more than good people. He was angry, and was somehow hurting. Despite all this, he stressed that God’s people should do good regardless of their circumstances. After rhyming off a grocery list of increasing problems, he still summons the wisdom to say, “Hope in the Lord and keep his way” (Psalm 37:34). To me it’s a reminder that WHAT you’re doing impacts HOW you’re doing. Here’s what I mean. Quite often, just like David, we feel frustrated, angry or hurting. But we can’t let that define us. We need to keep moving forward with God’s “way”—his path and agenda. When we do that, it has a positive impact on our perspective. It doesn’t mean our hurts will vanish, but it does mean our perspective will improve because we’re still focused on doing God’s work. I visited a woman in a nursing home who was frustrated that she couldn’t “do as much in the church as she used to.” I asked her if she believed in the power of prayer. “Of course,” she replied. So I asked her to pray morning and night for the church’s programs, it’s people, and our community. She agreed. A few months later she told me she was doing it. Did it make all her problems go away? No. But she felt better about having a more specific godly purpose. Friends, hurt is a part of life—but it doesn’t need to be the defining part. “Hope in the Lord and keep his way.” WHAT you’re doing impacts HOW you’re doing. By Matthew Ruttan #faith #inspiration #purpose #meaning #dailydevotional #hardship #difficulty #choices #inspiration #God #perspective #serving
A purpose that offsets your pain The “Up!” Devo for June 17 In Psalm 37 David is feeling frustrated by his lot in life. He feels persecuted and under threat. He has a concern that bad people seem to prosper more than good people. He’s angry, and has somehow been hurt or is hurting. But this is what he says: “Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong… Trust in the Lord and do good…" (verses 1, 3). Throughout Psalm 37 he stresses that God’s people should do good regardless of their circumstances. We all have hurts and difficulties to deal with. But Psalm 37 is a strong reminder that a godly purpose in your life can help offset the pain in your life. David had a strong sense of being called by God for a special purpose. That helped him move forward regardless of his circumstances. In a similar way, each of us is called by God for a special purpose. And that helps us move forward regardless of our circumstances. If you already know what your godly purpose is, that’s great. But for those who are unsure, ask yourself this: “What can I do in this chapter of my life that honours God, and which serves or helps other people?” Write that question down. Or save this devotional. Pray about it. Think about it. If you need some time, set some time aside to think it through some more. All of us have either been hurt, are hurting, or could hurt at some point in the future. And even though having a godly purpose won’t make all your problems go away, it can help focus you on something bigger than your pain; it can renew your perspective. You need a godly purpose in your life to offset the pain in your life. By Matthew Ruttan #faith #inspiration #purpose #meaning #dailydevotional #hardship #difficulty #choices #inspiration #God #perspective

Past Devos

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Enter your email address to follow Up and receive notifications of new posts 5 days a week.

Up’s Facebook Page

Up’s Facebook Page
WordPress.com.
Cancel
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
%d bloggers like this: