Colossians 4:2: “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Different families have different temptations. Matthew Henry wrote: "Busy families are in temptation to wordliness, and neglect of religious duties; mixed families are in temptation to discord, and mutual jealousies; decaying families are in temptation to distrust, discontent, and indirect courses to help themselves.”* If … Continue reading Praying as a unit
spiritual disciplines
Fasting in a world of self-indulgence
A lot of people “give up” things for Lent. The biblical—and therefore, accurate—word for this is fasting. If you’re going to fast it’s important to know the reason. Going through the motions is of limited value if you don’t know why you’re doing it. One example of fasting is found in Ezra 8:21: “I proclaimed … Continue reading Fasting in a world of self-indulgence
Habits are priorities with a watch
Hello! After a short break, The Up Devotional is back to your email inboxes, social media feeds, and podcast platforms five mornings a week. Here we are in 2024. Wow, that sounds futuristic. But it’s the new now. The start of another twelve-month cycle gets you thinking about priorities. If you have them (and you … Continue reading Habits are priorities with a watch
When your prayer life hits a dry spell
When it comes to prayer, I sometimes hit a dry spell. I’m a pastor. So perhaps that surprises you. In case it isn’t obvious, we’re human too! Very human. Most of the pastors I know love Jesus, want to serve him, care for his people, and struggle with many of the same things that you … Continue reading When your prayer life hits a dry spell
Soul gription
What are your stability structures for the coming storm? I don’t mean to be alarming. However, Jesus said that before his return there would be wars, rumours of wars, increased Christian persecution, false Messiahs, more lawlessness, and less love. That’s no walk in the park. So when I ask about your ‘stability structures’ I’m referring … Continue reading Soul gription
The prayer life of Jesus
Have you ever wondered what Jesus’ prayer life was like? We know what he taught about prayer because those teachings are preserved in the New Testament. But what was his actual personal practice? Theologian Joachim Jeremias explains the daily habits of devout Jews in the first century. First, he would have said the Shema in … Continue reading The prayer life of Jesus
Giving the Spirit the scope to do his work
Jesus said: “’Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive” (John 7:38-39). What are the “means of grace”? Historically, these are practices which God puts into our lives and which … Continue reading Giving the Spirit the scope to do his work
Followers of the Way, not of the moment
In the previous few devotionals I said that honouring God in a big situation is 99% preparation. We know this to be true in other aspects of our lives. Let’s say that someone wants give their child some good advice for a problem they’re dealing with. Over the course of a week, that conversation probably … Continue reading Followers of the Way, not of the moment
Bread won’t help you if you don’t eat it
Someone was telling me about a survival show on T.V. A guy was dropped way out in the forest. He had to make his own shelter and catch his own food. But he had to remain healthy. Otherwise he would be medically evacuated and taken to safety. He made a shelter. He even caught a … Continue reading Bread won’t help you if you don’t eat it
Things you keep doing to keep growing
When someone says the word "habits," what do you think about? Perhaps it's a bad habit like chewing your nails. Or perhaps it's a good habit like eating fruit with your breakfast. I'm a word nerd so I looked up some background on the word "habit." It has a variety of uses. But I find … Continue reading Things you keep doing to keep growing
