In John 5:32 Jesus said: “There is another who testifies in my favor, and I know that his testimony about me is true.” In yesterday’s devotional I said that the key to weathering a storm is who you’re weathering it with. Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a healthy support system—and that … Continue reading Walking with Jesus
spiritual disciplines
A practical suggestion: Making those words your words
I’d like to give you a practical suggestion that may be helpful for your own devotional life. In Romans 6:17 Paul tells his readers this: “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed … Continue reading A practical suggestion: Making those words your words
Read the Bible… out loud
I once heard a story about a man who entered a room to discover another man looking at some words on a page. But he wasn’t saying anything. “What are you doing?” he asked. “I’m reading,” he replied. I don’t know how old the story is, but apparently at that time in history (perhaps the … Continue reading Read the Bible… out loud
The secret recipe to progress
When it comes to following Jesus we want to make progress. We want to pray more wholeheartedly, serve more freely, love more quickly, and believe more robustly. We want to see spiritual growth. So let me share a thought that has been helpful for me: Consistency is the secret recipe to progress. When we are … Continue reading The secret recipe to progress
Avoiding spiritual collapse
In 2019 a house collapsed in Salt Lake City. It seems that during some renovations, load-bearing walls were removed. Load-bearing walls carry a lot of weight and support the floors and roofs of entire houses. Some walls you can remove; some you can’t. Fortunately, no one was injured. Let’s imagine that you and I are … Continue reading Avoiding spiritual collapse
Make a plan
At first you establish your habits, and then your habits establish you. Let me explain what I mean by that and why it matters. If you do something consistently over a long period of time it becomes a habit. Some habits are good and others are bad. Smoking is a bad habit. Eating well is … Continue reading Make a plan
Is fasting the black sheep?
Fasting is like the black sheep of the spiritual disciplines. Prayer, Bible-reading, worship, simplicity, and servanthood are much more on display. But fasting is often tucked away, kind of awkward, and a bit neglected. And yet there it is. Fasting was practiced by Moses, David, Elijah, Esther, Daniel, Anna, Paul and, of course, Jesus. After … Continue reading Is fasting the black sheep?
The primacy it requires
In the previous devotional we talked about the parable of the sower. In it, Jesus describes a farmer sowing seed. Some of it is snatched away, some lands on rocky soil, and some is choked out by thorns. But then in verse 8 we learn how “other seed fell on good soil. It came up … Continue reading The primacy it requires
Being alert with God
When a pilot gets into the cockpit I think it’s important that he or she isn’t drunk, dizzy or dozy. There are times when alertness is very important! Imagine writing a final exam, suiting up for a playoff game, or making a big presentation at work and being asleep at the switch. Another time that … Continue reading Being alert with God
Praying out loud
“Praying is just so hard.”“I always lose my focus.”“I don’t know what to say.” As a child of God there are times when praying is easy. There are also times, perhaps, when it’s not. In The Up Devotional I often provide you with ideas that I think are practical and down-to-earth. They are intended to … Continue reading Praying out loud
