• October 9th 2011

New GUWG App

Want to get up with God on your iPhone or iPod Touch? Now you can with the all-new 100% FREE Get Up With God App, available on the App Store.

Here’s what you get:

  • GUWG daily devos delivered to your device each day;
  • oodles of articles and other resources arranged by topic;
  • the complete Bible, with reading plans and a handy feature that allows you to listen to your favorite passages while you work out, drive around, etc.; and
  • an easy way to share content you like with friends via Twitter, Facebook or email.
Note: While the app isn’t technically an iPad app, you can use it on your iPad and make it fill the screen by hitting the “2X” size button. Enjoy!
  • June 2nd 2011

Happy Ascension Day!

After his suffering,
he showed himself to these men
and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.
He appeared to them over a period of forty days
and spoke about the kingdom of God.
(Acts 1:3)

Today is Ascension Thursday, a day celebrated by Christians all over the world. Why all the fuss?

Here’s why . . .

After his resurrection, Jesus spent the next forty days convincing the disciples that he was alive and telling ‘em about God’s kingdom. Here were his last recorded words on this planet:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the ends of the earth.
(Acts 1:8)

Here’s what happened next:

After he said this,
he was taken up before their very eyes,
and a cloud hid him from their sight.
(Acts 1:9)

The disciples did what you and I would probably have done. They stood there gawking up at the sky. Here’s what the Bible says:

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going,
when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
“Men of Galilee,” they said,
“why do you stand here looking into the sky?
This same Jesus,
who has been taken from you into heaven,
will come back in the same way
you have seen him go into heaven.”
(Acts 1:11)

Jesus concluded his earthly ministry by departing in a cloud of glory to be with our Heavenly Father. But he didn’t leave the disciples — or us — alone. As he promised in his final words, the Holy Spirit is now available 24/7/365 to empower us to continue his work here on earth until the day he returns.

Want to get deeper? Here’s one of my all-time favorite Bible passages that helps explain what this all means (and what we should do about it):

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things.
For you died,
and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears,
then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore,
whatever belongs to your earthly nature:
sexual immorality, impurity, lust,
evil desires and greed,
which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways,
in the life you once lived.
But now you must also rid yourselves
of all such things as these:
anger, rage, malice, slander,
and filthy language from your lips.
Do not lie to each other,
since you have taken off your old self with its practices
and have put on the new self,
which is being renewed in knowledge
in the image of its Creator.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people,
holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness and patience.
Bear with each other and forgive one another
if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
And over all these virtues put on love,
which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful.
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly
as you teach and admonish one another
with all wisdom through psalms, hymns,
and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed,
do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.
(Colossians 3:1-10, 12-17)

AMEN!

  • May 20th 2011

Will the World End Tomorrow?

You may have heard that the world is supposed to end tomorrow. Guess I can skip that 5K I was supposed to run with my wife.

According to TIME Magazine, a man named Harold Camping says that mathematical calculations based on “hidden Bible prophecies” indicate that everything will come to a screeching halt tomorrow.

What should you do? Freak out? Cancel your golf plans? Buy lots of canned goods and maybe even some guns and hunker down in the basement?

Nope.

Lots of people have predicted the end of the world going back practically to the beginning of time. Guess what? They were all wrong.

Jesus made it 100% clear that absolutely no one but our Heavenly Father knows the exact date the world will end. Here’s what he said:

No one knows about that day or hour,
not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son,
but only the Father.
(Matthew 24:36, Mark 13:32)

So, anyone who makes specific doomsday predictions should be ignored.

But what, if anything, should we do to prepare for Jesus’ eventual return? Here’s what Peter said:

Since everything will be destroyed in this way,
what kind of people ought you to be?
You ought to live holy and godly lives
as you look forward to the day of God
and speed its coming.
(2 Peter 3:11-12)

Or, put another way, we should:

wait for the blessed hope –
the glorious appearing
of our great God and Savior,
Jesus Christ.
(Titus 2:13)

So, basically, we should wait expectantly in hope and love. The world needs both right now.

(For the record, Mr. Camping previously used his mathematical system to predict that Judgment Day would be September 6, 1994. I’m pretty sure he was wrong.)

  • October 13th 2010

Thank You Lord!

Moments ago, the 33rd (and last) miner was rescued from the collapsed Chilean mine after 69 grueling days.

The miners emerged one by one wearing shirts that proclaimed “THANK YOU LORD.” On the back was a reference to Psalm 95:4, which contains these stirring words:

In his hand
are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks
belong to him.

The shirts were donated by the brother of miner Jose Henriquez, a Christian who has been described as the “spiritual guide” for the group. Henriquez insisted on remaining in the mine until all the others had been lifted to safety.

Mario Sepúlveda, was the second miner rescued and the first to speak to the media. “God and the devil were fighting over me and God won”, he said. ” I always knew they would get me out. I always had faith in the professionals here in Chile and in the Great Creator.”

“Faith has moved mountains,” said Chile’s President, Sebastián Piñera. “Because it has been the faith of the miners, the strength, the courage, the will of these 33 miners, and of their family members, of the rescuers, of the Chilean government and of all Chileans that have made possible this miracle.”

THANK YOU LORD!