Kerusso Daily Devotional

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...

Few of us enjoy chaos. It’s just too...chaotic, right?   The human mind needs order and peace, yet we live in this messy world. Stuff is flying by all the time, and we duck. Our relationships are a mess, and we have to schedule that root canal...while simultaneously making dinner and cleaning the house.   Is there a way out?   Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the ear...

Jill felt like she couldn’t keep up anymore. Four years out of college, she was doing well in her chosen career. But it had not only taken her far from home, it took her away from the values she had known her whole life. This new place she lived in pressed in on her mind and heart.   1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.”   Burdened by her stresses, Jil...

In the spring of 2014, Daniel and Colleen Jaquith, American missionaries to the Philippines, were awakened suddenly by the sounds of gunfire and shouts. Before they could react, a gunman appeared in their bedroom doorway, and he was holding a gun to the head of a pastor.    Demanding money, the intruder was distracted when that pastor suggested he look in another part of the room for money. This g...

When Richard Winters stood in the doorway of a huge glider in the pre-dawn over Normandy, France, he thought about a lot of things. The young army captain was preparing for the invasion of Europe, to free the continent from the Nazis.   He knew one thing first: he could not survive on his own skill.   Proverbs 3:5–6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understandi...

Do you get tired of being alone or afraid? Have you had enough of feeling like you can’t take any more stress? If you’re honest with yourself, there are times when you think you’re just going to lose it.   The cares of this world can be like that. You stress about not having enough money each month just to pay your bills. You can’t sleep at night because your mind is racing, striving to create a w...

Sharing our faith should be exciting to us. It is exciting. When we consider the free grace God gave us through His Son, telling others about Jesus should be on our priority list every day. For whatever reason, many find it very awkward to talk to others about Jesus. We can talk about just about anything else, though. That’s why it’s crucial that we look at sharing the Gospel as an intentional thi...

Do you ever feel that you aren’t suited for sharing your faith in Christ? Maybe you’re not comfortable around people. Maybe you’ve encountered some who are hostile to faith.   If so, then we are speaking to you about sharing your light in a dark world.   Philippians 2:15 says, “Shine...like the stars in the sky.”   Have you seen the movie, “The Ten Commandments?” It’s doubtful the real Moses looke...

Some of the greatest stories of believers down through time have involved those who really studied God’s Word. These people have gone before us to show us the way. From Charles Spurgeon to a missionary mother in China, daily study of the Word, and prayer, prepared them to mentor entire generations.   Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another.”   We also read in Romans 10 t...

The Bible’s book of Daniel tells us that one day knowledge and innovation will increase exponentially in our world. And it could be surmised that the prophet was looking ahead to our day, but maybe he was looking even further. The technological advances of the 21st century are no secret. In the ancient world, an ocean voyage could take months. Now, a person can have breakfast in New York City and...

Kerusso exists to tell people about the Good News of Jesus Christ, but somehow in our information-jacked world, culture has moved further away from understanding who the most famous person in history really is. Millions of books and articles have been written about a carpenter who lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago, and Jesus has been identified as anything from a desert mystic to God Himself...

Let’s think about something deep today: What is the end game?   In this context, we’re talking about what comes after this life we are living now. Believers of course look forward to an eternity with the Living God. And even unbelievers wonder about what comes next after you draw your last breath. As it says in Ecclesiastes, He has set eternity in our hearts.    It’s the most important element in...

A huge benefit of being a believer is the knowledge that we can help others after going through the valley ourselves.   It’s one thing to endure and overcome and find our joy, but it’s maybe even better when you see a friend emerge into the light because you were there for them.   Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”   When you’re in the middle of some...

When you think of ships, whether you’re thinking of the Titanic, pirate ships of yore, or trading vessels crossing the vast ocean to bring goods and services from one country to another, you probably picture them with an anchor—a heavy metal hook designed to catch on the ocean floor and keep a boat or ship in place.   Wikipedia says this about anchors: There are two main types of anchors: temporar...

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 events. It’s easy then to feel like we’ll never win again.   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 f...

Our world needs many things. We have political concerns, environmental concerns, broken relationships, and disease that still stalks too many countries.   It’s also true that God doesn’t leave us in despair. He doesn’t allow our problems to overcome us, if we trust Him.   Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope...

In Christ, we experience peace that is so remarkable, it isn’t naturally part of this world. As we think about the power forgiveness has for us and others, let’s think about how forgiving someone lifts a huge burden off our minds.    Matthew 5:23–24 says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in...

How much can one person take, and still choose to offer kindness?   In Genesis Chapter 37, verses 12–36, 17-year-old Joseph is sent by his father to visit his brothers, who were tending the family’s flock of sheep in the countryside.   Rather than the friendly check-in he expected, Joseph’s brothers initially plotted to kill him out of jealousy, but instead sold him into slavery to a group of Ishm...