Kerusso Daily Devotional

In 1943, Winston Churchill wanted an invasion of Europe to defeat the Nazis, but the Americans weren't ready. They were ready one year later. And when the Germans on the French beaches saw thousands of ships coming through the mist one morning, they knew Franklin Roosevelt, the American president, had been right to wait.    Now the allies were at full strength and aiming for victory. Timing s...

A farmer, perhaps more than most, knows something about faith.   Harvest time captures much of our attention and all the good press, but the farmer’s careful planning, toil, and belief in the outcome are all necessary to reach that moment of glory.   First, the farmer must decide what to plant in his fields. What do history and the Farmer’s Almanac say about likely weather patterns in a given year...

Gwen closed her eyes and didn’t dare to even breathe. Japanese troops were right outside her house, looking for her and other missionaries.   It was World War 2, and American forces in the Philippines were nearby. Just when Gwen and her friends thought someone would throw open the trapdoor to their basement hiding place, loud voices began getting dimmer.   The enemy troops were distracted, and lef...

Picture what it would be like to lose everything in one fell swoop. Your house burns to the ground. The stock market plummets and all your money is gone. Worst of all, your children fall ill and die. Suddenly, you’ve lost not only your material possessions, but your family, too.   When people refer to someone as having “the patience of Job,” they say that for a reason.   Job was a man of immense w...

Who likes to wait for what we need or want? Basically, nobody.   Of those nine elements that make up the Fruit of the Spirit, patience may be the hardest to find.   Romans 8:25 says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”   And patience is learned. Which makes it one of the sweetest fruits the Spirit gives us. Waiting for a “payoff” of some kind makes the end result...

David, the giant-slaying boy who would eventually become king of Israel, is mentioned over 1,000 times in the Bible. The youngest of eight children, David grew to become a powerful king, and some say he was also the original pop star, penning most of the 150 psalms included in the Bible. These songs were the hymnbook for Old Testament Jews, and continue to inspire well-known musical works today, i...

Since before the world was created, God has had a master plan to deliver people from evil. He cared for us so much that He was willing to endure pain to redeem us.    In Acts 14:20, we read about Jesus and the disciples preaching in a city called Derbe. It says that, “Jesus then was busy strengthening the souls of his disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through ma...

Who are you, exactly, that God should know your name, or care to know your story? Have you ever wondered about the answer to that big question?   In the great scheme of things, we sometimes feel like ants in an anthill: nameless drones, fetching and carrying, an unremarkable face among the masses.   We are so much more than that to the Lord.   1 Thessalonians 5:17 says simply, “Pray continually.”...

Have you ever known someone who inherited something of great value from an obscure relative? It happens.   The will is read by an attorney and all of a sudden, the beneficiary goes from struggling to pay the rent to needing a financial planner. It can be an exciting time, even disorienting.   The only downside to receiving a large inheritance is the knowledge that someday it will run out, or you d...

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 t...

The Bible is full of what we can call difficult stories. Some of them don’t make a lot of sense at first. Others seem contrary to what we think should happen.   As we finish up our time this week by talking about Walking By Faith, one such story is breathtaking if we follow it through.   It involves a father trusting God more than his own instincts.   2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith,...

Are you angry at God today? Has something happened that has damaged your faith? If we live in the world long enough, it can happen to any of us.   How you respond is really important. If you’ve listened previously, you know we are talking about how to live by faith.   Having perseverance when we’re miserable is really, really hard. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re the only one.   2 Corint...

There is a famous story in the book of John and it involves an act of amazing grace by Jesus. It changed one man’s life forever.   As we discuss Walking By Faith this week, make sure these stories find their way deep into your memory.   2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”   In our story, Jesus meets a man blind from birth. He tells His disciples that, incredibly, the man...

The Bible contains a huge amount of wisdom for us. It’s the Word of God, after all.   Usually, that wisdom is most valuable to us when we are living through tragedy. Those days and nights can be among the hardest we’ll ever have, because the pain seems to be too strong.   Have you ever felt like that?   Our topic this week has to do with walking by faith.   2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by...

The metaphor of life as a road is a common one, 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.   Second Corinthians 5:7 says, “For we live by faith, not by sight.”   This week we’re talking about Walking By Faith, something that humans find difficult to do when times g...

The Bible is famous for speaking in parables and metaphor. One of the most famous is found in one of Paul’s letters, in which he tells us the benefits of a life in Christ.   The “Fruit of the Spirit” is a list of nine attributes that a person filled with the Holy Spirit will model for the world. It’s probably no coincidence that Paul starts with…Love.   Galatians 5:22–23 says, “By contrast, the fr...

We “love” all sorts of things. We love a friend’s new hairdo. We love pistachio ice cream and travel to exotic places.   Many times, the word itself loses all real meaning. It’s like homemade chicken soup without the chicken and without the soup.   1 John 3:16–18 “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyon...

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...

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,...

During the summer in Oklahoma, the heat can be oppressive.   When Martin Luther King, Jr. walked into Calvary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City in 1953, few knew who he was. The congregants just fanned themselves and tried not to think about sweating.   The 24-year-old seminary grad preached and then left. He had been looking for a job, honestly, but no offer came.   Years later, a deacon was asked...

A positive in our culture today is that we can admit our shortcomings.    In the past, it was sort of taboo to tell the world you were not exactly all together. Back in the day, a “hot mess” usually referred to an overturned pot on the stove.   But today, the phrase “hot mess” has a whole new meaning. Our lives are often just a mess.   Thank goodness the outcome is not dependent on us.   Ephesians...

By some estimates, the beloved hymn “Amazing Grace” is performed over 10 million times a year around the world. Imagine not being able to hear this sweet song!   Losing the ability to hear, or being born deaf, is unimaginable for many of us who have never experienced hearing loss, but there are some surprising upsides to being differently-abled in this way.   Deaf people develop keener senses of o...

Have you ever been really angry at someone, and had a tough time letting it go?   Maybe a work colleague let you down, or got you in trouble with the boss.   Maybe family drama is dragging you down, and there are unresolved hurt feelings.   Maybe your spouse betrayed you, and you aren’t sure how to move past it.   Unforgiveness in our lives is painful, and as believers, it can affect our prayer li...

Do you ever worry you might not measure up?   Sam was a fourth grader with a big problem: he left his homework at school, and he was so worried he’d be in trouble with the teacher, he could hardly stand to go to school the next day.   In the car on the way to school, Sam’s mom explained the concept of grace, asking, “Sam, do you know about the idea of grace? Grace means even if we aren’t perfect,...

“Mom — I broke something! I’m so sorry!”   Benjamin had slipped on the wet bathroom floor and managed to take down the shower curtain and the curtain rod, in one fell swoop.   His mom’s concern wasn’t the state of the shower curtain, but whether the broken something was an arm or leg. Thankfully, her son wasn’t hurt, and fixing the curtain was a lot easier than mending a broken bone. A reassuring...