Kerusso Daily Devotional

Have you ever hunted and hunted for something—maybe your car keys, and you finally find them? The old saying goes (and it’s very unhelpful!) that you find them in the last place you look. There’s a lot of truth to that. It also is very relevant to our walk with Jesus. Often, we work really hard to solve our own problems, then we give in and ask Jesus for help. Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be give...

The Bible tells us that King Solomon was a very wise man. He ruled over his kingdom from Jerusalem, and built the famous Temple there. He was also very human. This son of King David eventually let his wealth and power go to his head, and he began to follow other religions and almost seemed to enjoy sinning.  And yet God loved him.  In his later years, Solomon realized how wrong he had been to rely...

Do you feel like you’re falling apart today? It’s okay to say yes. Life is life, and we all have obstacles to overcome. Maybe your issue is ongoing, or maybe it’s a sudden thing. But please think of it this way: Jesus is alive and He knows who you are—and He cares about you and your problems. Colossians 1:17 says, “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Jesus is not caught...

Do you find it hard to trust some people? Do you find it hard to trust anyone? Our society is full to the brim of people who have been hurt, wounded, and devastated. It puts up a wall and we live behind it in silence and fear. After the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the people of that captive country were free for the first time to tell their stories. One woman said that she had been driven near...

There is a common metaphor of life being like a road, and with good reason. We are in essence walking a path in life, from beginning to end. For each person, the journey is at different times joyous, grueling, and full of wonder. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.” This week we’re talking about walking by faith, something us as humans find difficult to do—especially when...

Noah was far from perfect, but he was a humble man, and protective of his family. He stands out among fathers in the Bible as a man who remained loyal to God, in spite of the wickedness of the world around him. Doesn’t that sound a lot like life today? Fathers who choose to follow a life of faith are surrounded by temptation and downright evil in this world, but God is pleased by our devotion, and...

Moses was the father of two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, and he also served as a father figure to the entire Hebrew people as they escaped from slavery in Egypt. He loved his people, and helped discipline and provide for them on their 40-year journey to the Promised Land. Imagine leading a frustrated, tired, hungry group of travelers through the desert—without air conditioning or handheld electronic...

Picture what it would be like to lose everything in one fell swoop. Your house burns to the ground. The stock market plummets, and all your money is gone. Worst of all, your children fall ill and die. Suddenly, you’ve lost not only your material possessions but your family, too. When people refer to someone as having “the patience of Job,” they say that for a reason. Job was a man of immense wealt...

Adam, a first-time father, looked down at his newborn son with love. Adam and his wife had made mistakes in the past and suffered greatly for it, but this child, their firstborn, was a chance to start fresh. The new family didn’t have the support of friends or relatives, but they did their best, and figured it out as they went along. When the family was blessed with another son a few years later,...

The story of the Prodigal Son is one we can all relate to. The Bible tells the story of a brash young man who leaves his home after asking for his inheritance. His loving father complies, and let’s just say the son learns some valuable lessons on his travels. Eventually, he humbles himself and comes home; he needs his father and his family. It is really a story of Jesus and us. Matthew 7:7, “Ask a...

A lot of us like action movies. And if they have a faith theme or element, even better. The iconic film “Raiders of the Lost Ark” comes to mind. In fact, the wild ride taken by Indiana Jones really typifies what we’re talking about this week: finding the grit to move beyond failure. As he pursues the famous Ark of the Covenant, Jones chases and fights Nazis, and his own doubts. Along the way, his...

Have you ever recorded minutes for a meeting? Whether you were taking notes at work or for a volunteer organization, such as the PTA at your child’s school, taking minutes and reporting on them at a follow-up meeting is an important responsibility. What ideas were discussed? How were those ideas followed up on? Who, including yourself, agreed to complete certain tasks before the next meeting? And...

Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ means that we don’t just sit in our houses and shut away the world. Scripture is an action item. Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.” If the Bible is true—if God’s story intersects with our story—then a hurting world is in need of a Savior. The pain many are enduring will have no end until they me...

We “love” all sorts of things. We love a friend’s new hairdo. We love pistachio ice cream and travel to exotic places. Many times, the word itself loses all real meaning. It’s like homemade chicken soup without the chicken…and without the soup.  1 John 3:16–18 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If an...

As humans, we compartmentalize things. It’s in our nature to make lists, and rank priorities, and really box certain things in. We’ve got our work-life over here, and our family life over there, and our faith...somewhere else. And this can often lead us to confusion about which direction we’re supposed to go. This confusion even extends to our faith. We wonder: when am I supposed to pray, and when...

Humans tend to see the world from a me-me-me perspective: What can I get out of this situation? How can I benefit from this? It’s the same with being thankful. Not that we shouldn’t focus on all that God does for us. That’s important—even critical. But when you think about it, who should benefit most from our gratitude? The answer is: others. When we thank others and recognize the effort they took...

Today’s message is really about taking the long view.  The human attention span is short, like really, really short. Between the world wars, Winston Churchill warned Europe that Hitler was a threat to the continent at least, but people ignored him. And then when the Nazis turned violent, the people turned to Churchill as their prime minister.  Having led the country through another costly war to p...

There is a famous story in the book of John and it involves an act of amazing grace by Jesus. It changed one man’s life forever. As we discuss walking by faith this week, make sure these stories find their way deep into your memory. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, and not by sight.” In our story, Jesus meets a man blind from birth. He tells His disciples that, incredibly, the man wi...

You’ve probably heard of the Ingalls family, or even met some of the clan through the Little House on the Prairie TV series, or beloved children’s books about pioneer life in the 1860s by author Laura Ingalls Wilder. The story of the Ingalls family is inspiring, whether you watch it or read it. The fun and camaraderie shared by Charles, Caroline, Mary, Laura, and little Carrie is heartwarming, and...

Most of us feel a deep respect in our hearts for those who have sacrificed so that we can remain free. Loving those who have paid the ultimate price is just something we do as people. We pause to remember each year. Isaiah 56:5 says, “To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure foreve...

When we think of bravery and self-sacrifice, we usually think of heroic acts during war. We focus on famous battles and epic outcomes. As we consider what it means to sacrifice for others, it’s fitting that we spotlight a woman who gave up much to save many. John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Florence Nightingale was born into a rich fam...

Most countries relish their histories…famous eras and the glory of battle and all that. Americans love this beautiful land, as well. But the Bible tells us the true source of our blessings. It points us to the One who made all things possible. Psalm 115:1 tells us, “Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” We are incredibly blessed in Ameri...

During the Civil War, Southern states relied on salt perhaps even more than their Northern counterparts. The commodity preserved various foods—such as fish—and allowed more people to eat and even keep food supplied for a rainy day. As the Union troops began capturing Confederate saltworks, the food supplies there literally began drying up. It was one of the things that led to the end of the war, a...

Matt Axelson was a smiling, sandy-haired native of California. In 2000, he entered the Army and became a Navy SEAL. Then 9/11 happened. In the sweltering summer heat of Afghanistan in 2005, Axelson’s team was told to capture a senior member of the Taliban. Unfortunately, the team was betrayed by locals sympathetic to the Taliban, and the SEALs found themselves surrounded by upwards of 100 enemy fi...

America has always acknowledged God. Sometimes, though, our devotion to faith comes and goes. Sometimes we get too comfortable, and forget who keeps us upright every day. Psalm 115:1 tells us, “Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” Whenever a person questions God’s goodness, or the path He has set for us, it’s good to go to the Bible. Th...