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Tag: january

Beat Back the Blues of January with Joy (Here Comes “Blue Monday”)

January 14, 2015 MatthewRuttan

A British psychologist says this coming Monday will be the saddest day of the year. I’ve heard it called “Blue Monday”–The third Monday in January.

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Suffering From the January Blues? (You’re Not Alone)

January 23, 2014 MatthewRuttan

Have you heard about Blue Monday? Someone told me it’s supposed to be the most depressing day of the year and falls on the Monday

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Neil Armstrong… and Jesus The “Up!” Devo for November 12 I read a story about an elementary school class who was learning about the moon. They wondered, ‘What does zero-gravity feel like?’ and ‘What did it really look like out there?’ As a surprise, the teacher had arranged for none other than Neil Armstrong to make a special appearance! In the middle of their discussion, in he walked. All of a sudden, their text books didn’t matter. They could talk directly with an expert, the first man to walk on the moon. He was the ultimate authority on the subject! In a similar way, Jesus is our ultimate authority on the subject of finding peace with God, and furthering peace between people. Colossians 1:19 says, “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Jesus]…” Think of that for a minute. If God was pleased to have ALL his FULLNESS dwell in Jesus, there’s no greater expert than him! If we truly know Jesus, we’ll know true peace. I believe that so much of the pain in our world, the uncertainty in our world, and the fear in our world, would be helped if we could be confident about our source of peace—not only for our relationship with God, but for our relationship with one another. We can be. Jesus’ identity, love, truth, integrity and example make him our ultimate authority. If Neil Armstrong was supremely qualified to talk about what it was like on the moon, how much more qualified is Jesus to talk about peace with God, and peace between people. In a troubled world, be confident in Christ, the "Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). If we truly know Jesus, we’ll know true peace. By Matthew Ruttan #peace #worldpeace #peacewithGod #faith #JesusChrist #colossians #incarnation #faith #inspiration #confident

Our coordinate, route and destination for peace The “Up!” Devo for November 11 There are a lot of stories of about people over-relying on, or misusing, the GPS units in their vehicles. In England a big rainfall made the police close a road. The river went over the banks, making it impassable. But every day for two weeks at least one car drove past the warning sign and right into the river that was overflowing the road. Why? ‘Because my GPS said to go this way.’ Another is a woman from Belgium who set out to pick up a friend in Brussels. It was a 90-mile trip. But her GPS was set incorrectly. She missed the turn and kept going… for 900 miles! If the coordinates are wrong, the route is wrong, and we’ll never arrive at the right destination. I say this on November 11th because Jesus is our coordinate, route, and destination for world peace. If Jesus is not plugged in to the GPS of our hearts and minds, we will simply never arrive. I say this in a spirit of humility and with the pulse of Scripture. Colossians 1:19-20 says that through Jesus, God was reconciling "to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." ALL things, including peoples and nations. But he also works this peace between people through love. He is the one who says we should “Love your neighbour as yourself” (Mark 12:31) and “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Even while hanging on the cross he said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Don’t be shy about who Jesus is or what he has done. Following him, talking about him, and loving others in his name, brings more peace into a world which needs it desperately. If Jesus is not plugged in to the GPS of our hearts and minds, we will simply never arrive. By Matthew Ruttan #remembranceday #november11 #lestweforget #love #peace #thankful #thecross #gospel #faith #gps

When you cannot direct the winds The “Up!” Devo for November 8 When people go through a tough time in life, they sometimes lash out at the people they care about most. After a hard day, in a period of anxious uncertainty, or during a year of gut-wrenching decision-making, we can blame, shame or yell at the people in our own boat—after all, they’re the ones close enough to be in the line of fire at day’s end. But just because someone is beside you in the storms of life, that doesn’t mean they’re to blame. None of us are perfect. And sure, we all have things we need to work on. But consider what Paul says in Romans 12:10: “Honor one another above yourselves.” To honour someone is to respect them, to acknowledge their value and contribution. The same goes for those we love, even when we don’t feel like being loving. When people go through a tough time in life, they sometimes lash out at the people they care about most, people in their own ship, so to speak. But is it wise to do battle with members of your own crew? As Thomas More wisely said more than 500 years ago, “Don’t give up the ship in a storm because you cannot direct the winds.”* “Honor one another above yourselves.” By Matthew Ruttan --“Up!” is published 5 days a week (Monday-Friday) and returns on November 11. --Bible quotes are from the NIV. --*Thomas More, Utopia, ed. G.M. Logan, trans. R. M. Adams (W.W. Norton and Company, 1975), 36. #honor #faith #challenges #hardship #romans #thomasmore #utopia #love #family #friends #relationships

Worrying about what OTHERS are going to say or do The “Up!” Devo for November 7 I think a lot of the frustration we experience in life comes from worrying about things beyond our control. How much time and energy do we spend (waste) worrying about what someone else is going to say or do… when our time and energy is better spent focusing on what WE are going to say or do. In Romans 14:12 Paul writes that “each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.” We won’t give an account of what other people have said and done, but of what WE have said and done. Today you might be tempted to spend a disproportionate amount of time worrying about things beyond your control—namely, what other people are going to say and do in a particular situation. But if God wanted you to be responsible for other people’s words and actions, don’t you think he would have stitched your mouth and hands on their bodies? But he didn’t. He stitched them on yours. Today, remember that you are responsible for you. Speak the truth in love, and love truly. Your primary sphere of influence in this world… is you. By Matthew Ruttan #responsible #people #love #words #actions #faith #inspiration #worry #stressed

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