Kerusso Daily Devotional

In all the world, there are almost countless ways people try to find God. Some are drawn to the mystical, while others chase after the practical.  Does it work? God knew we would all look to fill the void in our spirits—the one put there when man first sinned. He also already knew what our escape route would be, the path back to Him. Romans 10:9–10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is...

Beryl Markham could have given up on her aviation dreams after crash-landing in Nova Scotia. But she didn’t. Instead, this determined woman became the first person to fly from England to North America. She later said that in order to move forward, we can’t stay in the past. In fact, she said, “Leave it the fastest way you can!” This pioneer knew that staying stuck was not inevitable—that we must c...

There’s a wonderful scene in the classic film to kill a Mockingbird, when the attorney Atticus Finch is confronted by the father of a girl who has accused a black man of rape. The father, enraged, walks up to Finch—played perfectly by Gregory Peck. He spits in Finch’s face as the attorney’s children watch.  You can see the anger in Finch’s face, but he slowly and calmly maintains his composure. He...

Paul was a stubborn man. He was completely committed to his job. The very definition of a zealot. More than anything, he hated religious people. In fact, he worked every day to make their lives miserable. You’re probably aware of who we’re talking about. Yes, this is the famous Apostle Paul, whose pen dominates much of the New Testament. Paul, or Saul as he was known when he was persecuting Christ...

Have you ever been hurt in a relationship? If you’ve been alive very long at all, the answer is probably, “Yes!” Reality has shown us that love can be the most wonderful feeling ever…or it can be ugly and brutal. It can feel like your heart has been run over by a truck. We’re talking about loving like Jesus, and as usual, His Word unlocks the secrets of our hearts, and it shows us the way to heali...

I’m not sure where you’re at today. You might be angry at God. Something happened, maybe, in your life—that has damaged your faith. If we live in the world long enough, it can happen to any of us. How you respond is really important. If you’ve listened previously, you know that this week we are talking about how to live by faith. Having perseverance when we’re miserable is really, really hard. Don...

Standing in the door of the plane, with a fierce wind whipping his whole body, Curtis wondered why he’d volunteered for the paratroopers.  It was glamorous, they said. It’ll make a man out of you, they said. Shutting his eyes, Curtis prayed the most honest prayer of his life. He stretched out his hands and took a step... Lamentations 3:25–26 says, “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, t...

When you’re having a bad day, a run-in with an immensely cheerful person doesn’t always turn that frown upside down. Does it? Commiserating with someone else though—a word literally defined by two or more people wallowing in misery together—that can be a balm to an anxious and worried mind. Sometimes. The relief though, is temporary.  Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, f...

Since prayer is, by nature, personal, we often want to know how things are going to turn out, even before we start praying. We wonder if God will actually answer our prayer. Maybe not as dramatic as some stories, but still if we’re honest, we would like an answer to our prayer. Why else ask?  Luke 18:1 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not...

Most people at one time or another wonder who they should address when starting a prayer. The Christian concept of the Trinity has caused people to hesitate to pray. It’s like, “Who do I pray to?” Luke 6:12 says, “One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Interestingly, when Jesus prayed, as recorded in the Bible, He prayed to His Father. Thi...

Have you ever felt without hope? It’s a pretty desperate place to be. It’s been said that hope is the one thing a human being can’t be without. Beth was once accused of some pretty terrible things. She wasn’t guilty of any of them, but it took two years and serious legal hurdles to clear her name. Her future was uncertain. In the end, she told reporters that her best ally was the Lord. Her story w...

In the dark days of mid-20th century Europe, a lone German decided to make political waves. His choices put his own life in grave danger.  Oskar Schindler was a businessman with factories in countries occupied by the Nazis. Jews everywhere were being shipped like cattle to extermination camps. Some of Schindler’s employees were in danger. What did he do? He saved over a thousand of them by keeping...

As a believer, have you noticed that it’s often easier to stay in God’s will when you’re at home? At work, it can get a little dicey. It’s at work that people see us, and our decisions can have such impact. Not being in God’s will in that setting can be catastrophic. Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Terry Looper is the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company. Once, he...

It’s no accident that Jesus chose as some of His apostles a group of fishermen from Galilee. These were men who could understand Him when Jesus told them He would make them “fishers of men.” He meant, of course, that they would share the Good News about Him with everyone they came in contact with. And that’s exactly what each of them did, for the rest of their lives! John 7:38 says, “Whoever belie...

Have you ever visited a construction site, or maybe lived near one? A construction site is a unique kind of mess. Dirt and mud mingle with piles of wood, shingles, and other building materials. Utility flags poke up from the ground like man-made weeds. Trampled grass and dirty sidewalks give further evidence of the work at hand. Eventually, what began as an empty field will grow into something mor...

Scores of people today, even in many of our churches, walk around aimless. They work their jobs and take care of their families, but they struggle to understand what it is that God wants them to do. He’s told us! As with every other situation, His Word speaks directly to our circumstances. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act just...

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’s really a story of Jesus and us. Matthew 7:7 says, “A...

Who likes to wait for what we need or want? Basically, nobody. Of those nine elements that make up the Fruit of the Spirit, patience may be the hardest. Romans 8:25 says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” And patience is learned, which makes it one of the sweetest fruits the Spirit gives us. Waiting for a “payoff” of some kind makes the end result that much mor...

Usually, when we’re looking for some kind of emotional lifeline to get us through the day, we only want to know what God can do for us. How do we get that peace of mind we desperately need? One component is obedience. At first, this sounds like a test that’s too hard. We need relief right now! Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you...

Have you ever been downright stuck in a difficult situation? Maybe you’ve held a job with a colleague or supervisor you didn’t see eye to eye with, and other career opportunities were scarce. Maybe you’ve been halfway through the semester and realized you’re headed for a poor grade, but it’s too late to drop the class. Maybe you’ve struggled in a relationship with a spouse or close family member,...

Carissa was having one of those days. Instead of hitting the snooze button on her alarm clock, she had turned it off. Now the kids were late for school, she was late for work, and the tone for the day was one mad rush—emphasis on the mad.  As the day wore on, she thought about her impatience and frustration with her children as everyone got dressed and grabbed a granola bar on the way out the door...

We all screw up. We all fail in some way. We fall short of goals, or get embarrassed in some kind of career implosion or other event. It’s easy then to feel like we’ll never win again. And that is not how God sees you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Hope and a future....

Picture what it would look 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 wea...

Have you ever thought much about grace? We hear the word, but the concept itself might be a little elusive. That might be because it’s hard for humans to understand and embrace. Grace means simply that someone gives you something with no strings attached. Just for your good. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift o...

As humans, we tend to have a problem asking for help. We can probably chalk that up to our proud hearts. Often, when we’re really up against it, that’s when we resist seeking help. The God of the universe does away with all of that. Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Ask yourself: is my pride keeping me from asking for...