Kerusso Daily Devotional

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 n...

Truett burst through the front door with exciting news one afternoon, anxious to share his latest find. “Mom! I found a praying mantis. Can you believe it! They’re pretty rare around here.”   It was certainly one of the biggest bugs they’d seen in the fields around their home. The beautiful emerald green insect crawled from hand to hand, curious about its new environment.   Considered a symbol of...

Communism kept half of Europe locked up for much of the 20th century. For 75 years, the oppressive system took most freedoms away from its ordinary citizens. The political system, responsible for tens of millions of deaths, seemed almost indestructible.    Then, almost suddenly, the system built on restricting freedom just collapsed. The end came so quickly that all the most experienced analysts a...

Jenna stopped in her tracks, sighing in frustration as she bent down to pick yet another rock out of her shoe. “Why on earth am I suddenly picking up rocks every time I walk the dog,” she wondered.    They finished their usual route, and at home, Jenna slipped off her shoes and discovered the problem: she’d worn down those old slip-ons for so long that she wore a hole right through the soles of bo...

Humans were built for language and communication.    It’s one of the bits of creative genius God used when He formed His highest creation. And apart from regular communication, whether it’s the written word or verbal, we have a great gift from a loving God: prayer.   Prayer is an intensely personal way to communicate with our Creator, the One who knows everything about us.   Jeremiah 29:12 says, “...

In the book of Romans, Paul tells us the evidence for the existence of God is so numerous in nature that anyone can believe in God. Surely one of the most compelling examples is in our night sky. When we look up at the heavens, it takes our breath away. The twinkling lights are like our own personal message from God.   All those stars…   Philippians 2:15 says, “Shine...like the stars in the sky.”...

When we look at the amazing diversity all around us in nature, we see that no detail escaped God’s attention. He created all things to live in harmony.   That includes our individual physical bodies. He intends for us to be healthy and whole—mind, body, and soul.   Joshua 22:5 says, “Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your he...

Have you ever spent time out in the country? If you’re used to the noise of city life—neighbors coming and going, traffic, dogs barking...then spending a few nights in the country can feel almost too quiet.   A brilliant sunrise without buildings to block the view, the most stars you’ve ever seen shining across the night sky, and a unique feeling of peace can all be found in the country, if you ge...

We live in an amazing world of rich diversity. In nature, we see almost countless stunning animal species. We linger on pictures of beautiful landscapes. And different cultures give us amazing experiences.   There are also many different religions. Some of them offer a measure of peace. Some have reflections that can help us be better people. Today we’re talking about salvation, and that is one th...

Have you ever talked to someone who doubted the existence of God? Someone who says God couldn’t have created everything in our world?    Watch that same someone stare in wonder at a mountain range like the Rockies, the delicate bloom of a flower, or a sunset on a beach in Greece. It’s pretty hard to deny God in such a moment.    In fact, all throughout scripture, we’re told that God’s majesty is s...

Spring is the season of new life. As we finish up our series on the Psalms, we come to the most famous one of all.   Psalm 23:1–2 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.”   This psalm contains some of the most famous words ever written. It has everything: beautiful language, a man’s raw honest he...

One of the things that sets God apart from all others is His ability to tell us what is going to happen. We read about this in Isaiah 46, where He says only He knows the end from the beginning.   An amazing example of this is found in Psalm 22, and it’s almost surprising how many people are not aware of it.   Psalm 22:11 says, “Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help...

From the time he was a young shepherd in the wilderness, David had deep relationship with God. He escaped enough dangerous situations to know that God was always with Him, and was his deliverer.   Psalm 91:1–2 says, “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”   This psa...

Nothing is more basic to life than creation itself. The Bible tells us that God alone has the power to truly create, and the beauty of language in Psalm 139 explains this fully. Some believe the psalmist was writing in part about the creation of Adam.   Psalm 139:1–3 says, “You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You dis...

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is the collection of songs and poetic works known as “Psalms,” originally written as music for worship— especially in the Temple in Jerusalem.   Today, we celebrate them as prayers for the most part, and they give us a beautiful picture of who God is.   Psalm 1:6 says, “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to...

God chose Jesus, His Son, to make the greatest sacrifice mankind has ever known. The Son of God became a son of man, experiencing humanity in full as He was born, nurtured by Mary and Joseph, and ministered to and healed people He encountered.   The miraculous birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our Christian faith. It is powerful to consider that our Lord and Savior...

Gideon was hiding from the Midianites in a winepress when an angel of the Lord came to him, saying, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” And Gideon… just wasn’t buying it.    He questioned how the Lord could be with him when his community was under the thumb of the Midianites, and they had never experienced the wonders and miracles their ancestors spoke of in the past. He felt abandoned by God.  ...

Isn’t it awesome to wake up on a Saturday morning with the whole day before you? Whether you decide to chip away at a big project, get your grocery shopping done, or enjoy a restful day around the house, your time is your own.    When the Lord chooses us for His purposes, the timing of His plans may surprise us, big time. But following Jesus means prayerfully obeying His call, even if it’s not par...

When God chooses someone to be part of His work, sometimes it requires incredible courage to step up to what He is asking.    God had heartbreaking news in store for Israel: the nation would face military conquest, and the people would be exiled from their homeland for many years, because of their sins. The entire nation would become a wasteland. Imagine delivering life-altering news like that to...

Throughout the Bible, God chose men and women to serve as part of His plan. Some answered eagerly, with hearts and minds prepared for the Lord’s work. Some were reluctant—hiding from God, or even disobeying Him. They came from all different backgrounds and classes, showing us that God can choose anyone, even you and me, to serve.    Matthew worked as a publican, collecting taxes from his fellow Je...

A really cool thing about God is that He has a solution for literally every situation. And that includes mental health.    We see this especially in the ministry of Jesus, who walked the land healing people of all sorts of terrible things. One day He encountered a man driven insane by demons.   Mark 5:15 says, “They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clot...

For some reason, people sometimes tell big lies when it comes to fishing. You know—what was really a small fry becomes a man-eating shark in the retelling of the story.   But that is nothing compared to a really incredible story in the Old Testament book of Jonah.   It seems the prophet didn’t want to preach in the pagan city of Nineveh, so he sailed away on a ship. He forgot that God controls the...

One of the extraordinary stories in the Bible involves a young woman named Rahab. This story beautifully expresses God’s love for all people.   Rahab lived in the Canaanite town of Jericho, which was near the border of the Promised Land God had promised to His people, who had been wandering for years in search of a home after slavery in Egypt.   Because the Canaanites were so powerful, Joshua sent...

The Bible is full of stories of God doing amazing things for those He calls. One of the most famous seems too good to be true—but it is!   Daniel, God’s man in exile in Babylon, insisted on worshiping the Lord, and not a human king. This was against the law. When those who were jealous of him urged the king to punish Daniel, the prophet was thrown into a lion’s den overnight.   And that was that…o...

Have you ever gotten so tired of life that you wished you could disappear and start over somewhere else? Ever wish that fantasy would just pull you out of your circumstances? They make movies about things like that, but it’s not real.   John 14:2–3 says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepar...