Kerusso Daily Devotional

Have you ever visited a construction site, or lived near one?   A construction site is a unique kind of mess. Dirt and mud mingle with piles of wood, shingles, and other building materials. Utility flags poke up from the ground like man-made weeds. Trampled grass and dirty sidewalks give further evidence of the work at hand.   Eventually, what began as an empty field will grow into something more:...

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 around the time of his death in 1519. Clearly, this level...

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...

Are you eager to share Christ? If so, good for you! Your boldness is seen by God our Father, and it pleases him.   Often though, we get a little frustrated, if we’re honest. It seems like not enough people are getting it. We want to see everyone find new life in Jesus!   When we think about sharing the Good News, it’s important to remember that God is responsible for the harvest. We just have to b...

Think of what Jesus was asking of His followers.   He had just risen from the dead. That doesn’t happen every day.   His ministry had been destroyed, so they thought. He wasn’t coming back. But then He did. Only days after being killed on a brutal Roman cross, Jesus was standing in front of his friends, looking very much alive. And He was telling them their futures were dicey.   Mark 16:15 says, “...

The Office’s Michael Scott once famously said that there’s such a thing as good grief, and it’s a funny line. But could there be some truth behind it?   Christians today celebrate “Good Friday” every year, but what does it really mean?   The date marks the day 2,000 years ago that Jesus Christ willingly died on a gruesome Roman cross for our sins.   Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own l...

It’s not pretty watching the whole world lose its collective mind.   A crisis is like that.   As believers though, we have a duty to be different. We are supposed to stand out for Christ.   John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”   This is one of the most beautiful verses in a...

The most influential ruler of all time, the greatest king to ever walk the face of the earth, is also mankind’s greatest example of humility.   Jesus may have been born in a stable, but the Son of our Creator God was anything but ordinary. He lived a humble life, but performed miracles along the way, and showed us what it means to be a humble servant leader among men.   Jesus selflessly took human...

One reason people use for rejecting the claims of Christ is that there somehow isn’t enough evidence to prove that the events in the New Testament actually happened. In other words, some say the Bible isn’t true.   We’re talking about the life of Jesus this week. So what is the true story?   Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”   There are more than 25,00...

Do you know Who Jesus is? Do you really understand His identity?   We know from the Bible that He is many things: a child, a carpenter, a leader of men. We know that He is our Savior, the One who went to the cross to take on our sin.   He is also our King.   1 Timothy 1:17, “All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.”...

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be an original settler 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.   Colossi...

Humans often get things backwards, to the point of being comical.   Case in point, the little story in the book of Jonah, about the plant God provided for the prophet’s shade.   You’ve heard about Jonah and the great fish, of course. As a prophet and evangelist, God had sent him there to preach and when the people repented…Jonah was mad!   He sat looking over the city after God had spared it and b...

Roaming, travel, wandering…all have been part of the human psyche since the beginning. Because we all have that God-shaped hole in us, needing to be filled with Him, we search.   Some find God, some don’t.   The sense of aimlessness and lack of purpose haunts some. We think of the classic novel by Jack Kerouac, On the Road, which is the story of two characters traveling the country. At first the l...

The giant redwoods of the American Pacific Northwest are among nature’s most beautiful scenes. As tall as skyscrapers, and big enough to drive a truck through.   It is said that the redwoods are so powerful and strong in part because even these plants have a sense of community. Separated, or as a single tree, the root system is more vulnerable. But planted with partners all around, the picture cha...

You may have heard someone say before that they’ve put down deep roots, right? Usually, they’re not talking about gardening, but about the roots of their lives. Family. Friends. A career. A church home.   We all want to belong. We want to be planted deep in the soil of community.   Colossians 2:6–7 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him,...

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 psal...

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 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 destruction.”   T...

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...

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...

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...

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 Sc...

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...