Kerusso Daily Devotional

What is true love? The question has been asked forever. Not everyone agrees. There's a startling answer found in the Bible. The prophet Hosea marries a prostitute named Gomer. She's predictably unfaithful to him, but God tells him something that's strange to us. He told Hosea to take his wife back and restore her.   1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, "Love is patient, love is kind. It...

Kyle hurt Jenny emotionally many times, and then he left her because he said he wanted to have fun in life. His young wife could barely function at first, but as she got her bearings, she decided to wait before making a final decision about her marriage.   Then the day came. A series of circumstances left Kyle broken in spirit, and in body. He had burned so many bridges, no one was coming to help...

Have you ever congratulated someone for a huge win in life, and then silently envied them? We all do it. But the problem is that kind of thing can grow into a monster if we're not careful. All of a sudden, we're so focused on what the other person has we lose sight of the wins in our own life.   1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, "Love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, doesn'...

We’ve all known kindness. It might have been a Sunday school teacher, or maybe it was Mom listening to our bad day.   But how often do you actually think about the importance of kindness? Is it an active part of your day? If not, you’re missing the point.   1 Corinthians 13:4–5 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others,...

Having the “patience of Job” is a common saying, even if people don’t really know its origins. Job of course was the biblical character that suffered greatly before God restored him.   But if you read the book of Job, it’s not at all clear that he really had much patience!   Because being patient is really, really hard.   1 Corinthians 13:4–5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it d...

Welcome to prayer 101, the big question for today is: How do you develop a prayer life?     The answer to how we develop a healthy prayer life is really not that complicated. It's all about choice. We can learn to pray first by reading scripture and taking notice of the hundreds of prayers offered by believers just like us. We can also talk with veterans of prayer in our own life, those who 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 those old slip-ons for so long that she wore a hole right through the soles of bot...

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...

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, patien...

Have you ever felt like you’ve just plain run out of juice? The book you’ve been reading seems pointless halfway through. That new sofa or lawnmower or set of wheels was pretty exciting last month, but now you’re not sure what the big deal was. Even your relationships feel lackluster.   Human beings aren’t like cell phones or toy robots. We can’t rev up with a fresh set of batteries...we need othe...

Many modern phrases have their origins in the Bible. A couple that come to mind are, “She’s worth her salt,” or, “He is the salt of the earth.” They remind us of what Scripture says when using salt as an analogy.   Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and tr...

If a product or idea is worth promoting, it must be seen by the “end-user,” to borrow a marketing term. There is so much competition in business today…it is pointless to have a store unless people know you’re open for business.   Thousands of businesses open and close every year. It’s a shame, but too often practical planning isn’t a big enough part of the picture. The Lord understands the importa...

During the Civil War, Southern states relied on salt perhaps even more than their Northern counterparts. The commodity preserved various foods—such as fish—and allowed more people to eat and even keep food supplied for a rainy day.   As the Union troops began capturing Confederate saltworks, the food supplies there literally began drying up. It was one of the things that led to the end of the war,...

The Dead Sea, bordering the countries of Israel and Jordan, is also located at the lowest point on Earth. The landscape is so barren, it looks like a moonscape. Not exactly a place for a vacation or rest stop.   And yet…did you know that one of the valuable things from that area is the vast amount of salt that rings this body of water? Besides the salt content, the minerals in the Dead Sea are val...

Table salt today is so common, it becomes another thing we take for granted. You go to the store, pick a cylinder or jar of salt off the shelf, then go home. You don’t even think about it.   Now, consider that 1,000 and more years ago, if a person wanted to use salt on his dinner, this required some prior work. A lot of work! The Romans boiled seawater in huge, lead-lined pans. So valuable was sal...

How many different colors can you name?    There are seven colors in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. As it turns out, the human eye is capable of discerning color to an incredible degree. According to laboratory tests, humans are capable of detecting a total of 10 million colors. That's a pretty big box of crayons.    Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are Go...

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 gets 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,...

In every generation, it falls to believers to spend some time in defending our worldview as Christians. Honestly, it’s not the nicest part of the gig, but it’s necessary.   Usually, it involves simply explaining what your faith is all about. Followers of other religions do the same thing, but for us, we are sharing the person of Christ with those who don’t know Him. That makes it a big deal.   Jud...

It's been said that in the Fruit of the Spirit list, all of them collectively practically define the nature of Christ. Even David the shepherd knew his Messiah was coming. Remember what he said about his loving God? He said, "Surely, goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life."   We instinctively know what goodness is. It's a kind touch, a gentle word, a gift tha...

Have you ever wondered what your place in this world is?   Of course, you have. That’s the human experience. Alone with our thoughts, we wonder who we even are, and what we are meant to do. It’s a mysterious journey, but the fog lifts and the way becomes clear when we get to know King Jesus.   Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God...

At an address in Columbus Ohio in 1900, former slave Booker T. Washington kept the room spellbound. This man, who had built Tuskegee Institute to lift blacks out of economic bondage, was revered around the world.   But he said something that surprised more than a few in the audience. He said that one of his main priorities for the Institute was hiring more Bible teachers!   Washington, who had bee...

If you’re like most people, the more chaotic life gets, the more you need a solution broken down in easy-to-understand concepts.   We’ve been discussing what happens when people move away from God, and the consequences that impact us.   Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and...

Sandy was facing some really tough choices. Her daughter needed a life-saving treatment. The girl's father was out of the picture, and she faced this moment without support. Even the doctors didn't seem overly optimistic. So this embattled mom did what moms do. She prayed. She told God she didn't have the strength to see this thing through.    No bright light appeared, and things di...

Have you ever been in such a dark place that you wondered if God cares about you, or even exists? Maybe it’s all some cosmic joke, right?   We’ve all been there. Humans doubt. We doubt ourselves, we doubt product labels, we doubt our kids. We question everything.   But the worst one is trying to figure out where God is in the middle of great difficulties. Sometimes the world is just flat-out mean,...

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 with Apple didn't end well — in 1985, he was forced out. His next effort wasn't a home run either, yet Job puts his head down like a fullback and plowed ahead. Next up for him was founding Pixar and finally, more tha...