I know that feelings are powerful. And there are times when our feelings can teach us important things. We just need to “let it out” sometimes (in appropriate ways, of course). But there are times when we need to act above our feelings. Stuart Holden recalls a story about two soldiers. One was a Christian, … Continue reading Act above your feelings
love one another
Egging each other on
When I was in grade seven or eight, a few of us were egging a friend on. He liked a certain girl but was struggling to get the nerve up to go over and talk to her. ‘If you don’t go over there, she’ll never know you exist!’ we said. Hebrews 10:24 says: “And let … Continue reading Egging each other on
Genuine beliefs have hands and feet
In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were in prison. Instead of bemoaning their fate they were praying and singing to God! The jailer was captivated, not only by their words but by their behaviour (see verses 25 to 30). He wanted to know what to do to be saved. They told him about believing in … Continue reading Genuine beliefs have hands and feet
Falling out of love with fitting in
In John 15:19 Jesus said this to his disciples: “you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” To understand what he means, we need to know that in this context the phrase “the world” is a way of speaking about … Continue reading Falling out of love with fitting in
Who do you want me to love for you today?
In 1 John 3:14 we read: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.” In World War Two, Japan occupied Korea. There were religious shrines set up all over the place and people were expected to bow down to them. Esther Ahn Kim was a Christian who refused. … Continue reading Who do you want me to love for you today?
Inseparable
In the parable of the sower, Jesus talks about a farmer sowing seed. Some of the seed is snatched away, some lands on rocky soil and doesn’t take deep root, and some starts to grow but is choked out by thorns. In verse 15 he says: “But the seed on good soil stands for those … Continue reading Inseparable
Good kinds of hurt?
This might sound strange, but there are good kinds of hurt. Obviously, not all hurt is good, but some of it can be. Here’s what I mean. What I’ve just said is very counter-cultural. A case could be made that our society is highly hedonistic. That’s where the pursuit of pleasure and happiness is the … Continue reading Good kinds of hurt?
Guessing at people’s motives
This week we’re considering Luke 6:31: “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” It can be tempting to over-simply this idea. That’s what we do when we say it’s “just about being nice.” Well, being nice is good—but it steers us away from thinking more deeply and intentionally about how to … Continue reading Guessing at people’s motives
Doing unto others—together
There’s a story about two brothers. They farmed together, split the work, and split the profits. Each had their own granary. One of the brothers had a family—he was married with some children. The other brother was single. One day the brother who was single and lived by himself thought: ‘If is not fair that … Continue reading Doing unto others—together
The Up Devotional 