Proverbs 19:21 is quite well-known: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” Ultimately, God’s purpose will prevail. It cannot be thwarted or undone. His victory is past tense and present tense and future tense. It is both glorious and inescapable. When something is that certain, and … Continue reading September’s Fresh Start
daily devotional
Internal civil war?
Edward the Confessor was the last Anglo-Saxon king of England. According to some monks who knew him, he was a gentle man. But after he died, there was chaos and violence. The reason for this was because his throne was contested. Since there was no clear successor, bloodshed flooded the land. Let’s notice that all … Continue reading Internal civil war?
We do what he does, but slower
Hello! After some vacation time, The Up Devotional is back. Before I begin, let me first say welcome to our new subscribers on email, social media and on the podcast! Let’s start. My family is quite particular about the movies we watch. As you probably already know, there’s a lot of junk out there. But … Continue reading We do what he does, but slower
Sacrifice is giving up good things for great things
Jesus calls us to live sacrificially. “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). But what is sacrifice? Here’s one way to think about it. Sacrifice is giving up something good for something great. For example, if you are fasting, you sacrifice a good … Continue reading Sacrifice is giving up good things for great things
Imitating the one who put others first
Gary and Mary Jane Chauncey were devoted to their 11-year old daughter, Andrea. She had cerebral palsy and was confined to a wheelchair. The Chauncey’s were on a train which was travelling over a bridge in Louisiana. A barge hit the bridge. Their train was derailed. Some of the train cars ended up on the … Continue reading Imitating the one who put others first
Is the purpose of life to arrive safely at death?
One of Jesus’ most frequently quoted sayings about discipleship is from Mark 8:34-35: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.” Let’s … Continue reading Is the purpose of life to arrive safely at death?
All this, and Jesus too!
Darryl Dash tells a story about a Puritan who was given a meagre meal of bread and water. You’d think he would be less than excited. After all, a simple meal of bread and water isn’t really anything to write home about. Not very tasty either. But no. His attitude was much different. “All this, … Continue reading All this, and Jesus too!
PRay the long game
The past few devotionals have been focused on perseverance and playing the long game. With that in mind, let me introduce what I think is a helpful play on words: Pray the long game. Playing the long game (without the ‘r’), is about saying and doing things in the here and now which will help … Continue reading PRay the long game
By perseverance the snail reached the ark
Charles Spurgeon said: “By perseverance the snail reached the ark.” Think about how small a snail is. I’m sure it was hard to get to the ark, not only because of his size but because he risked being stepped on! But alas, victory. Perseverance is all the more possible when you know you are headed … Continue reading By perseverance the snail reached the ark
The Jesus of Scripture, or of the mirror?
From what I’ve seen, many people have a “Bible within a Bible,” meaning that they selectively prioritize certain passages over others. It’s a temptation for all of us, myself included. What I’ve discovered is that you can learn a lot about where you need to grow by being honest about what passages you tend to … Continue reading The Jesus of Scripture, or of the mirror?
