Skip to content

Facebook
Instagram
YouTube
Twitter
The “Up!” Devotional

Because a pulse doesn't mean you're alive

The “Up!” Daily Devotional
About Me
The Book!
Sermons
Videos
Blogs
My Music
Resources

Tag: incarnation

New Song – “From Heaven to Earth”

December 6, 2016 MatthewRuttan

Here’s my latest song, “From Heaven to Earth.” Recorded live at Westminster on December 4th. To me, music can inspire dreams because it puts wings on words.

Continue reading

Stay in Touch

Instagram
YouTube
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn

Search

Search for:

Follow via email

Enter your email to follow and receive notifications of new content by email.

Instagram

Does the Spirit make you “feel” different? The “Up!” Devo for July 22 This week I’m addressing some of the questions people have about the Holy Spirit. I think it will help clarify our thinking, and encourage us for living. The Holy Spirit is the third Person in the Trinity. He is the Person, power and presence of God active and alive in the world today. In Acts 2:38 the apostle Peter tells a crowd of eager listeners that after being baptized they “will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” So here’s today’s question: Does the Holy Spirit make you feel different? The short answer is 'not necessarily.' Sure, there are times when you feel the closeness of God in a powerful way. Maybe it’s while singing a worship song, or at a rally, or during your Baptism or while receiving Communion. But as a Christian there are also times when the Holy Spirit is active in your life but you don’t necessarily “feel” differently. When you teach a young person at a Bible camp, or when you pray for someone in need, or when you share ideas at your small group, or give sacrificially to God’s work, or spend hours caring for the family God entrusted to you… you may not “feel” differently, but the Holy Spirit is still at work. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t always have those mountaintop moments. Enjoy them when they happen. But don’t think God has abandoned you when they don't. We humans are temperamental and erratic and inconsistent. But thankfully, God is not. By Matthew Ruttan #dailydevotional #faith #holyspirit #theholyspirit #JesusChrist #inspiration #strength #hope #future

Your future in the Spirit The “Up!” Devo for July 22 A lot of people have questions about the Holy Spirit. And I’m going to address some of them for you over the next few days. I think it will help clarify our thinking, and encourage us for living. First, is the Holy Spirit an “it” or a “who”? The Holy Spirit is not some random impersonal force. In fact, the opposite is true. The Holy Spirit is a “who,” not an it. He is the third person of the Trinity. The Bible speaks of the oneness of God, but also that God reveals himself in three ways, in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And get this. If you believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit is in you! That’s right. The Person, power and presence of God is living within you. In John 14:17 Jesus tells his followers, “But you know [the Holy Spirit], for he lives with you and will be in you.” And as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:19, “do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” Tim Chester and Christopher de la Hoyde write, “However small or weak you may feel as a Christian, you have an exciting future ahead of you because God the Spirit himself lives in you in all his fullness.” If that’s not a game-changer, I don’t know what is! You are not alone. Your strength is not all there is. If you believe in Christ, God himself is working within you. As you stride through life perhaps you feel uncertain, down or weak. But in Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, your future has hope, purpose, power, and the friendship of God. By Matthew Ruttan #dailydevotional #faith #holyspirit #theholyspirit #JesusChrist #inspiration #strength #hope #future

The burden shifts to Christ The “Up!” Devo for July 19 Do you carry around a burden? Some invisible thing with difficulty or obligation? -Maybe it’s a draining responsibility that only falls to you. -Maybe it’s an internal and unhealthy drive to continually prove yourself to others. -Or maybe it’s a pile of problems you think only you can solve. Psalm 55:22 (ESV) says, “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” In the midst of his own problems, the psalm-writer encourages us to shift the burden to God. He then connects this to the fact that God will steady us. Alone with a burden = unsteady Casting a burden on God = steadier There are a few different things you can do to help make it happen: Acknowledge your burden, and also acknowledge that there are other good things in your life at the same time; pray that God take your burden onto himself; ask him to guide you through the process and to give you a wise perspective; and talk to a trusted friend for support and encouragement. Lastly, and most importantly, ensure you’ve made a decision that Christ be the Lord of your life. If you think he’s just a nice guy who once said some loving things, you won’t trust his power or in his ability to take your burdens or direct your path. If Jesus is truly your Lord, everything changes. His muscles replace your own. Burdens can be like rocks in your soul. But they don’t need to drown you. The burden shifts to Christ when he is the Lord of your life. By Matthew Ruttan --"Up!" is published 5 days a week and returns on July 22. #burdens #burden #dailydevotional #Christ #Lord #faith #inspiration #hardship #troubles

Don’t pretend to be perfect The “Up!” Devo for July 18 Okay, let’s be honest. Some people who believe in Christ can fall into a trap: Pretending to be perfect. You’re right: It’s not ALWAYS true! But it’s SOMETIMES true, isn’t it? Speaking to the believers in Corinth, Paul said, “we are ambassadors for Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:20). And who doesn’t want to be a good ambassador for Christ, right? I do! But here’s what happens. We can be so keen to shine the light that we never admit to any darkness. But pretending to be perfect misses the point. When people ask Pastor David Robertson what it means to be a Christian, here’s what he says: “I tell people that we are a group of messed-up people in a messed-up world, with a great Saviour.”* Ain’t that the truth! Let’s be faithful ambassadors for Christ. Let’s share his light, speak the truth, love one another, be humble, and get in on the ways he is healing and renovating our troubled world. But let’s not pretend to be perfect in the process. First, we’re not. Second, it’s misleading to the people around us. And third, it downplays the awesomeness of the One who it’s all about: Jesus. “I tell people that we are a group of messed-up people in a messed-up world, with a great Saviour.” By Matthew Ruttan #savior #saviour #JesusChrist #church #perfection #humility #dailydevotional #faith #inspiration

Follow Matthew Ruttan on WordPress.com

Twitter

Facebook

Facebook

WordPress.com.