Kerusso Daily Devotional

Do you tend to be a fair-weather friend? Do you stay strong when times are good, but run away if things are difficult? Nothing will ruin a relationship more than that.   Let’s be honest here: There is someone in your life who needs your help and strength. Maybe you need to step it up in that area.   Jesus is a perfect example of loyalty to others; by following His lead, we can learn what genuine l...

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 that was unexpected.   M...

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, root...

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be one of the original settlers 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....

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...

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...

One of the things that mark a healthy society is the consistency between generations. In other words, adults who care about the future of their children will invest the time to make sure tomorrow is bright.   God the Father is the ultimate parent, and we would do well to model His love for us.   Luke 18:1 says, “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and neve...

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 your 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 som...

  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 says a lot about forgiveness. Forgiveness is mentioned doze...

The Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke Chapter 10, verses 25-37 exemplifies what it means to be the kind of neighbor Jesus wants us to be: ____________________________________________________________   On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”   “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”...

Sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ means that we don’t just sit in our houses and shut away the world.   Scripture is an action item.   Isaiah 60:1 says, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.”   If the Bible is true—if God’s story intersects with our story—then a hurting world is in need of a Savior. The pain many are enduring will have no end until t...

Of all the gifts God gives His children, joy is perhaps the one closest to heaven on earth.   Who isn’t aware just how wonderful it feels to experience true joy? It is as if the Lord has freed a prisoner.   When American POWs returned from captivity in Vietnam, the looks on their faces as they emerged from the planes carrying them to freedom…well, no one will ever forget that!   Psalm 16:9 says, “...

As humans, we have a tendency to compartmentalize things.   It’s in our nature to make lists, and rank priorities, and really box certain things in. We’ve got our work-life over here, and our family life over there, and our faith...somewhere else. And this can often lead us to confusion about what we’re supposed to do, and when, and which direction we’re supposed to go.   This confusion even exten...

Have you ever thought much about grace? We hear the word, but the concept itself might be a little elusive. That might be because it’s hard for humans to understand and embrace.   Grace means simply that someone gives you something with no strings attached. Just for your good.   Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gi...

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...

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 set 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 a 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 p...

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 poetic works and 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...

Did you know that “Joy to the World” was not written as a Christmas carol? In its original form, it had nothing to do with Christmas. It wasn’t even written to be a song.   Isaac Watts was one of the great hymn writers in church history, and nothing shows that better than the fact that he wrote one of his most famous hymns entirely by accident. In 1719, Watts published a book of poems in which eac...

202 years ago, “Silent Night” was first heard by villagers attending Christmas Eve mass in St. Nicholas Church in Oberndorf, Austria. Joseph Mohr, the young priest who wrote the lyrics, played the guitar and sang along with Franz Gruber, the choir director who had written the melody.   How did this simple tune, with its quiet words of comfort, become a beloved hymn of peace throughout the world?  ...

Charles Wesley, an English Methodist leader in the 1700s, wrote more than 6,000 hymns – more than any other male writer.   His goal was to teach the poor and illiterate sound doctrine. God used the writing talents of Charles Wesley to bring the Good News to people in a memorable way; even those who couldn’t read, could hear and understand a beautiful song, and even sing along.   Think about the so...

Phillips Brooks was the minister of Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia and visited Bethlehem in December of 1865.   When Pastor Brooks traveled to the Holy Land, the journey included a horseback ride from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve. Back then, it truly was a small village, far removed from the bustling city it would later become. By nightfall he was in the field where, according to t...

O Holy Night is a well-known Christmas carol that began as a French poem celebrating the opening of a new church. The beloved song we know today was translated into English by John Sullivan Dwight, an American minister and abolitionist, in 1855.   This poignant carol reflects on the birth of Jesus as humanity's redemption.   O holy night! The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our...