Kerusso Daily Devotional

No matter who you are, there has probably been some time in your life that loneliness closed you in like dark curtains in a cold house. Being alone can be healing, and it can be depressing. If you are experiencing the latter right now, we have good news for you. Your ‘alone’ feeling is an illusion. Psalm 139:7–8 says, “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I a...

No one is immune from burnout. It comes in our jobs, friendships, and even our church life. Sometimes our hobbies become dry and tedious! But in Scripture, God gives us hope for the future.  John 7:38 says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Jesus is telling us that in Him alone is true life. He is always pointing us to the future, t...

Jesus has great compassion for everyone. Especially for those society considers unlovable or worth nothing. One day, He stopped by a well and had a conversation with a woman who had been married five times. When He spoke to her, He knew she was now living with another man. Yet Jesus spoke to her in a way that let her know He valued her as a person. He told her that people could drink the water fro...

Researchers have long known that even when exploring new worlds, water is the key to life. Without it, nothing can live. Water is an image used often in Scripture. When Jesus emerged from the River Jordan having been baptized by his cousin, John, He used the imagery to help people understand that by trusting in Him, they would live forever. John 7:38 says, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has...

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. That’s exactly what each of them did, for the rest of their lives! John 7:38 says, "Whoever beli...

Have you ever pondered what it means to be ‘born again’ as a Christian believer? When we give our hearts to the Lord, asking Him to forgive our sins and guide our lives, we are making God a promise: we no longer claim the right to follow our own paths, or to focus on our own agendas. We are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, shed on the cross on our behalf, so that we can be forgiven and live...

Are you the enviable sort of person who was born with an innate sense of direction? Some of us know instinctively whether we are traveling North, South, East, or West. And some of us...would be lucky to find our way out of a paper bag, even with a map in hand. If you’ve ever been lost on a country road at dusk, no road signs, no one to ask for help, and no idea which way to turn — you know how ver...

A political science major at a major university was having coffee with a campus pastor. The pastor knew that the student was wrestling with doubt about the existence of God and said to him, “John, you know all of us wonder at some point if it's all real, or not. For example, there are quite a few stories in the Bible that are just hard to believe — Jonah and the whale and all that.”  John smi...

God does things on a big scale, but He’s also in the details. He knows our thoughts, hopes, dreams, and every detail of our lives.  John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” In Ecclesiastes, God spends considerable time speaking to our innermost needs. Through the stories of Paul and the apos...

The Bible is full of stories of God doing amazing things for those He calls. One of the most famous seems to be good to be true, but it is! Daniel, God’s man in exile in Babylon, insisted on worshipping 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....

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 looked and...

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 that fa...

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...

Do you especially need the gift of peace right now? Is your life so busy that you can’t find time to take a breath? There is Good News for you: Jesus already knows. Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” When Jesus ascended to heaven, He told the apostles, “My peace I leave with you.” Because He lives, we know for sure that this peace is available...

Does your life feel out of control? Are you experiencing that common feeling of weaving down a busy highway, about to crash? It’s a metaphor for life that most internalize at some point. All of a sudden, what you were sure of isn’t there anymore. You might as well be behind the wheel of a fast car that’s heading into oncoming traffic. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for...

Life can be overwhelming sometimes, right? A huge wave of despair can come out of nowhere and push us toward disaster. Anita’s life was like that, growing up in Hong Kong, where revolutionary movements brought violence and loss of hope. She couldn’t see how the pieces of her life could be put together. She would ask herself, “How do you make peace with a potential that is frustrated? Philippians 4...

First Peter 5:6–7 says, “Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.” These two short verses tell us several things: One, if we submit to God’s power by acknowledging we can’t solve our problems, He is strong enough to intervene and bring about the outcome we really want. Second, He d...

The prophet, Isaiah, lived during a difficult period for the ancient Israelites. Turning away from faith in God and under the control of corrupt kings, the nation entered a period of darkness. They needed hope more than anything. In our discussion this week, we will talk about this human condition. Today, we are really no different from people in ancient times: We all need a relationship with our...

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 f...

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 Ishmaeli...

Is there someone in your life whose forgiveness you need?  Legendary cowboy actor Roy Rogers said something profound. He said that sometimes it hurts to do the right thing, but afterwards, you’ll feel better.  When it comes to forgiveness, this certainly applies to choosing to forgive someone who has wronged you. But have you considered that it can be even tougher to ask for someone’s forgiveness?...

One of the most corrosive elements in the human character is unforgiveness. Bitterness and fighting in relationships is really a drain. Physically and emotionally, we’re simply not wired to survive long-term problems in this area.  According to Dr. Michael Berry, 61% of cancer patients have forgiveness issues. And Dr. Karen Schwartz of the Johns Hopkins Hospital confirms that the hurt and disappoi...

Even though most U.S. homes have at least one copy of the Bible, few know what’s in it. There are all sorts of things: wisdom for living, history, spiritual food. It’s the Bible’s practical value that hooks most people who read it. The Bible says a lot about money, how to raise kids, and even how to strengthen your marriage. It also tells us a lot about forgiveness. Forgiveness is mentioned dozens...