The Up Devotional

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you” (1 Peter 4:12). Whenever we go through hardship or adversity, it's good to remain tethered to sources of help. Unfortunately, one of the things some people do is isolate themselves—from […]

What are some of the things that all people have in common?  We're all born and we all die. As pundits often say, we all pay taxes!  Further, we all need food, oxygen and water. We probably all like to be happy and don't like to be sad. Generally speaking, we want our lives to […]

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Today's devotional is an invitation to see things from a new perspective. We sometimes need that, don't we? Perhaps you've heard the story of the young boy who thought he was the world's greatest baseball hitter.  He threw the ball […]

These days, humans have access to a mind-boggling amount of information. In many ways, this is great. We have an increasing amount of data and knowledge about the medical sciences, the human mind, the environment, and so many other areas. However, this can sometimes make us over-confident. This over-confidence can cause us to think that […]

Why do we like stories?  I'm sure there are many answers to that question. But I have a suspicion that they inspire us to think about how we might apply big, important ideas to our own lives. I'm about to share a story with you. It's very inspiring. It's also troubling. Let that be a […]

Some people are scared to death of death. Is that you? Perhaps it describes you perfectly. As a result, you are living in fear.  Perhaps it's not you. Perhaps you're not scared to death of it, but are still really worried.  Either way, it can be helpful to ask ourselves why.  Why am I scared […]

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand” (Proverbs 19:21). Over the years, I have had many conversations with people who want to know about God's plan for their life.  Does he want me to do this, or that? What should I […]

Many of us worry. And then we worry about how much we're worrying!  We worry about a relationship or money. We worry about global conflict or next week's visit to the doctor. We worry about saying the right thing at the right time. We worry about our children, our grandchildren, our employment prospects, what other […]

“Greatness.” When we think of people who fall into this category we tend to think about people who have done great things for God. We also tend to think about people who have done great things for others, often in a way that is self-sacrificial. I think it's safe to say that King David was […]

Let me share a quote from Richard Sibbes. At first, it might seem abrasive. But after we think about it for a moment, I think it helps us to re-frame our thinking towards the battle we face with greater clarity. “There are two grand sides in the world, to which all belong: there is God's […]

When you're spiritually dry, revisit the psalms The Up Devotional for June 10, 2026 “I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil” (Psalm 119:162). I sometimes get asked for ideas about what to do when your devotional life feels flat. It happens. There are times when you just feel spiritually dry. During […]

Quoting Psalm 34, the apostle Peter says that “the face of the Lord is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). That's clearly a category we do not want to be in!  If your teacher is “against” you, it may reflect poorly on your grades. If your soccer coach is “against” you, it may […]

“…we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5). One of the spin-offs from the Star Wars […]

“According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3) When it comes to our faith, it can be very helpful think deliberately about what we mean by certain words or ideas. If we don't think […]

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). William Gurnall lived in the seventeenth century. He said something very helpful about one of the differences between faith and hope. He said: “Faith tells the soul what Christ has done and hope revives the soul with the news of what He will […]

In the previous devotional I highlighted 1 Peter 3:15: “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…” In it, we talked about taking some time […]

If someone were to ask you about the reason for your faith, what would you say? A critical verse that provides us with some guidance is 1 Peter 3:15: “in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the […]

“Actions speak louder than words.” I appreciate where that statement is coming from. If someone says certain things but doesn't back them up with their actions, we learn to mistrust and devalue what they have to say from then on. But that doesn't mean words don't make a difference. We all know they do.  Elie […]

There are different kinds of prayers. There are prayers of gratitude. This is when we thank God for something. There are prayers of confession. This is when we confess our sin and ask for his forgiveness.  There are also prayers of “intercession.” This is when we ask God to help someone. We are “intercessing” for […]

When it comes to understanding the will of God, whether that be in relation to something you read in the Bible, or as you seek his direction for your life, let me make a very simple but important suggestion. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Before his crucifixion, Jesus said this to his disciples: […]

In 1 Peter 2:17, the apostle says: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.” First, the word “honour” means “ascribing worth to someone—honour, revere, respect.”* Second, “the brotherhood” refers to the church, including both men and women. Third, “fearing God” is a posture of “reverential awe” (to use the phrase coined by […]

Recently I was driving on a four-lane highway. Everyone in front of me started to break. Some started to veer off at the next exit. Since I wasn't very far from my destination, I did the same. “Problems ahead, better go around.”  This is often how we treat difficult parts of the Bible. Perhaps we […]

“…as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Our faith is good news. Part of the reason it is good news is because it addresses so much of the bad news around us, including the bad news from within our own souls. Today's […]

In the previous devotional, I talked about holiness. These days, we don't tend to talk about holiness too much. Perhaps we think it will make us sound snooty.  Or weird. However, the fact remains that God's people are called to live in a way that is distinct from the world around us. With God's help, […]

A few years ago, I came across this prayer from Thomas Watson: “Perfume us with holiness and make our hearts a map of heaven.”* To be holy is to be set apart (i.e. distinct) for God's special purposes. He calls us to reflect his character in the world. In this sense, holiness is heaven's map […]

Something we all have in common is that we're surrounded by people, and that our lives are embedded in relationships.  If we're being honest, some people drive us crazy.  These are people at school or work, at church, out there in the community at large, or even in our own families or friend circles. So […]

When you're young, certain ideas seem big, bad or burdensome. One of them is “responsibility.” It probably made you think about cutting grandma's lawn or doing chores when you didn't want to. Over time, however, you realize there's more to it than that. It's “response-ability.” God has given us certain abilities, and when we respond […]

Faith is more than feelings. And that's actually very good news. Let me explain. Our feelings are important. They tell us things about what we are experiencing. The risk is when we falsely equate certain feelings with the presence of God, or with a “spiritual” idea that we think is God-given.  For example, if I'm […]

Affliction can be an accelerant which refines you to bless others in your future with greater integrity, wisdom or power. Let's unpack that sentence a few ideas at a time.  First, affliction. It's one of those things that isn't nice, but can serve a greater purpose over the long haul. Consider what God's people were […]

In 1 Peter 1, the apostle is encouraging his readers to persevere and to have hope, even when they are experiencing hardship and affliction.  In verses 8-9, he says: “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of […]

When we open the Bible, it's not just about what we're learning, but who we're learning it from.  Take, for example, the letter of 1 Peter. It was written by Peter the apostle (of course), who walked and talked with Jesus.  But let's notice six details about his life. He was passionate, imperfect, rebellious, reconciled, […]

Diamonds.  People love them. They're valuable, obviously. But did you know that diamonds don't start as diamonds. They start as simple carbon. So, how are they transformed? Through pressure. The same principle sometimes applies to humans. Difficulty and affliction—“pressure”—can often refine us into someone who is more faithful, humble, wise and strong. The apostle Peter […]

There is a lot of battle and warfare language in the New Testament.  For example, we are to “take up the whole armour of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13). In Romans 13:12 we are told to put on the […]

“…make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness…” (2 Peter 1:5-8). In the past few devotionals, we've been talking about spiritual disciplines, and what to do when you feel as if you're in a bit of a rut. […]

In the previous devotional, we talked about spiritual disciplines. These are deliberate, repetitive, biblical practices the Holy Spirit uses to make us more like Christ. Even still, there are times when we can feel stuck.  When that happens, one suggestion is to shake things up. Here are some examples. I know people who have moved […]

I recently presented a workshop on spiritual disciplines. These are deliberate, repetitive, biblical practices the Holy Spirit uses to make us more like Christ. Some of the most well-known practices that fit into this category are prayer, Bible-reading, fasting, worship, serving others, etc. There are others, but those are some of the most popular. Over […]

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). When I was in university one of my professors told our class that during our discussions, we weren't allowed to use the word “interesting.” Why not? Since it was a word that people over-used, it had lost it's meaning. […]

Jesus said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…” (Matthew 5:44) Do you have enemies? Perhaps you do, perhaps you don't.  If you don't, perhaps you still have people who you feel are somehow “against” you. They always seem to say the wrong thing at the right time. They foil your plans, […]

Victor Frankl recalls an experience he had in a concentration camp. He was serving as a kind of medical assistant, caring for fellow prisoners who were sick or elderly. He would use whatever supplies he could get his hands on to help them. One day, he was approached by some fellow prisoners. They had made […]

“Life is tough. Heaven is great. I guess we just need to wait it out.” Unfortunately, we can often get caught in this mode of thinking. Having said that, it's true that life is often difficult. And yes, heaven is also going to be amazing. I appreciate that life includes a lot of waiting—including waiting […]

Over the past several months we have been spending some time with Daniel.  When he was captured, he was most likely around 15-years-old. At the end of the book, he was in his late 80's or early 90's. After the Babylonian captivity had formally ended, many of his people were allowed to return to their […]

1 Corinthians 10:31 is well-known. That's where Paul writes: “whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Several years ago, I was discussing this verse with a group of high school students. One of the students asked: ‘Why does God want us to focus on him so much? Isn't that kind of […]

The phrase “born again” gets thrown around a lot. But what does it actually mean?  The original context was John 3 when Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).* Nicodemus struggled to understand. How can a person […]

In 1 John 3:23 the apostle writes: “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another…” Catherine of Siena was a well-known Christian from the 1300's. She lived in Italy. She became known for her extreme devotion to God and her unyielding love for […]

[Request in footnotes] ~ In these devotionals not only have we been spending time with Daniel, but we have been spending time thinking about the big picture hope we have as the people of God. The Bible tells us the large-scale narrative arc of human history. Although there are many problems in the world, and […]

[Request in footnotes] ~ Hope is the underrated weapon of our faith. Even if it's not underrated, it's certainly underappreciated.  Since the Bible is the very word of God, we know how human history is going to unfold and turn out since various biblical passages speak about it. For example, we know that Jesus will […]

When you know the end of the story it can change your experience as you live through the middle of the story. Let me provide a small analogy from the world of baseball.  I cheer for the Toronto Blue Jays, but I don't watch all the games. They play most days, and a lot of […]

Recently, my wife Laura heard something on the radio. She shared it with me, and now I'd like to share it with you.  It was about Chris Tomlin, the well-known singer of songs like How Great is our God, Glorious Day, and Whom Shall I Fear?  When he was young, he got mononucleosis. As a […]

This week we have been thinking about Daniel 11:32. In the second century B.C., Antiochus IV was working mayhem. He was a cunning man of violence. He desecrated the Jerusalem temple and persecuted the people of God. Some people gave in. Others didn't. There were resisters. Verse 32 provides this detail: “the people who know […]

This week we're looking at Daniel 11:32.  In the second century B.C. the murderous Antiochus IV was wreaking havoc. He was persecuting God's people and even set up pagan sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple.  In response, a group of people resisted and remained true: “the people who know their God shall stand firm and take […]

In yesterday's devotional we looked at Daniel 11:32.  In the second century B.C. a vile leader named Antiochus IV was wreaking havoc and destruction. He was persecuting God's people and even set up pagan sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple.  In response, a group of people remained true: “the people who know their God shall stand […]