UP, UP AND AWAY!

Often in a Bible study someone mentions the many definitions of one word, LOVE. There are seven or eight different ways we use that word in our language.

There is another amazing word in the English language that can have five separate uses: as a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and preposition. It is a two-letter word that has more meanings than just about any other word in our language. That word is UP. 

It's easy to understand "regular" UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election? Why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?  Do people still drive UP town?

Listen UP everybody! We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP our shoes, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We also lock UP the house and fix UP the old car. We may might even tell someone to hush UP while we watch the movie called, "UP."

If we are confused, we're UP a creek (without a paddle). At various times, people stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special. And why must a drain be opened UP? Because it is stopped UP.

We seem all mixed UP about UP! We open UP a store in the morning then we close it UP at night. In order to know the many uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary. It probably takes UP a quarter of the page and can add UP to thirty or more definitions.

If you are UP to it, try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with dozens of uses. The sun comes UP in the morning, and the moon comes UP at night. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP and when the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it soaks UP the earth, and when it doesn't rain, the earth dries UP. 

One day God will take all His faithful people UP to heaven because Jesus rose UP from the dead. There in His presence we will lift UP our voices and sing praises to God who has raised us UP. I could play "One UP" with you on this, but I think I'll wrap it UP, because my time is UP!

"Lift UP your eyes and look to the heavens." (Isaiah 40:26)