Kerusso Daily Devotional

It’s been said that grace is simply favor from God, and we didn’t do anything to earn it. Often, grace comes when we need it the most.    The word grace is used about 170 times in the Bible. Most of those occur in the New Testament as the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ unfolds. His sacrifice for all of us—dying on the cross for our sins—was the backdrop for a lot of other moments in grace He gav...

“Amazing Grace” is one of the most recognizable hymns in the English-speaking world. Written almost two and a half centuries ago in 1772, the words for “Amazing Grace” were borne from the heart, mind, and experiences of the Englishman, John Newton.   As a member of the Royal Navy, Newton faced many perils on the open sea. In the midst of a terrifying storm that almost sank the vessel he was on, he...

Have you ever paused and thought about how rarely people see you for who you are? Have you ever done something that you feel is almost unforgivable? You need to know that is not the way God wants you to feel.    Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a pure heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.”   Some of the most famous people in history were very unrighteous at times. King David, described...

John Kralik was in a bad place. The LA attorney was generally miserable…divorced again, broke, and living in a dingy apartment with no air conditioning. He was also struggling to pay his employees because clients wouldn’t pay him. Not exactly glamorous, but then John did an amazing thing. He decided he would concentrate on things to be grateful for, and follow that up with writing a thank you note...

With the tech boom has come concerns that we are constantly under surveillance, or being watched. And maybe that’s not all a conspiracy theory. But no one in the world knows everything about us. There is still some privacy, some places we can go away from prying eyes.   Except…   Psalm 69:5 says, “O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.”   We know that we serve th...

It’s almost universally believed that tech guru Steve Jobs floated into mega success with Apple, the company he co-founded with Steve Wozniak.   Job’s first go around at Apple didn’t end well in 1985, when he was forced out. His next effort wasn’t a home run either, yet Jobs put his head down like a fullback and plowed ahead. Next up for him was founding Pixar and finally, more than a decade after...

Honestly…sometimes as Christians, we think things are going to be easy. After all, when Jesus saves you, it doesn’t get any better than that! The joy we feel is genuine, and lasting.   But—that doesn’t mean we escape this world. Bad things can and do happen. This week we’re talking about having enough grit to get to the glory.   Romans 5:3–4 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings,...

Do you ever stop and think about the routine things you do every day? Buying detergent so you can wash your family’s clothes. Fixing a couple of boards on your deck. We even grind through staff meetings at work. All of this of course mixed with life, laughter, and love.   But do you think about why you can do these things in our country?   Primarily it’s because of the sacrifices of our fallen sol...

From earliest times, God commanded His people to see their national home through His holy eyes. In other words, countries around the world are to follow the Lord. Of course, many don’t.   Jeremiah 30:22 says, “So you will be my people, and I will be your God.”   Many great civilizations have risen, but few last beyond a couple hundred years. Although history is debated, the foundations of America...

We as Americans tend to relish our history—and most countries do. Famous eras and the glory of battle and all that. Americans love the beautiful land that we’ve been blessed with, as well.   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 lo...

Today in America, two million men and women serve in our armed forces. More than 200,000 of them are deployed to various points around the world.   Joshua 1:9 reminds us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”   The Lord has told us directly not to be afraid. We aren’t even to be discour...

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be one of the original settlers in America? As a person leaving the safety of England to come to the New World and start over?   Those people came here for religious freedom and risked it all. When they landed in New England, they literally put down roots as they built and planted the beginnings of an amazing experiment that is still ongoing....

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 b...

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...

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 c...

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 ne...

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 w...

We often hear that it’s harder to raise kids today than ever before. That isn’t true, of course. All eras down through history have been challenging. We live in a world scarred by sin, after all, and children grow up among all sorts of temptations.   That’s why the role of a parent is something to take seriously, as a sacred duty.   We’ve been discussing the best practical guide for living: the Bi...

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, a...

What is your relationship with your father like?   That’s kind of a personal question, right? And for some people, it may be a topic they really don’t enjoy discussing.   Sometimes people who don’t have a meaningful relationship with a father or father figure, struggle to grasp just how much God, our creator and provider, loves us. It can be challenging to develop a personal relationship with your...

Joseph was a hardworking tradesman who God hand-picked from all the men in the world to be the earthly father of His own Son, Jesus Christ. What an honor! And in some ways, what an incredibly challenging task.   Joseph wasn’t a king, a politician, or a recognized leader of any kind when he was betrothed to a young woman named Mary. A simple carpenter, he was also a man of compassion. When he learn...

One of the things that mark a healthy society is the consistency between generations. In other words, adults who care about the future of their children will invest the time to make sure tomorrow is bright.   God the Father is the ultimate parent, and we would do well to model His love for us.   Luke 18:1 says, “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and neve...

Are you struggling right now? Are you listening to this while gripping the steering wheel, wondering how you’re going to go on?    1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.”   He has a purpose for you; He really does. God want...

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci is widely looked upon as the most famous painting in the world.   By some historical estimates, the Mona Lisa took as many as 16 years to finish! Capturing Mona Lisa’s famous smile on a poplar plank was no hack job; Leonardo accepted a commission for the work in the year 1503, and completed his masterpiece supposedly around the time of his death in 1519. Clearly,...

Do you struggle to wonder what God’s will is for your life? Many of us do. Although it isn’t a quick answer, the best way to find God’s will for your life is to read His Word. The Bible will tell you the answer to that question.   Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”   Actually, finding God’s will isn’t the hardest part. Deciding to follow His will is where we get tripp...