Kerusso Daily Devotional

When you think of ships, whether you’re thinking of the Titanic, pirate ships of yore, or trading vessels crossing the vast ocean to bring goods and services from one country to another, you probably picture them with an anchor — a heavy metal hook designed to catch on the ocean floor and keep a boat or ship in place. Wikipedia says this about anchors: There are two main types of anchors: temporar...

Do you remember the last time you laughed? Do you remember the last time you laughed from sheer joy? Many of us don’t. The weight of life presses down on us. It weakens us. Proverbs 31:25 says this of a godly woman: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” Did you know that God means for you to be strong? He wants you to have dignity. You are a child of the Ki...

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 — "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 th...

Sandra was a single mom with little family support. Her ex was not exactly helping repair a tough situation. Her days slowed down only late at night when everyone else was asleep. That’s when fear got into bed with her and wouldn’t budge. Psalm 23:4 tells us, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfo...

As we talk through the Good News of Jesus this week, we must always make it personal. In other words, deciding to believe in Christ is a very personal thing. We all come from different backgrounds and belief systems. In the end, though, what will you do with the story of Jesus? Do you believe it is true? Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.” Over and over...

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 f...

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 we...

In Luke Chapter 7 verses 1-10, Jesus heals the servant of a centurion soldier at Capernaum. These verses illustrate the faith this soldier has that Jesus can heal his favorite servant. We also learn in these verses that the Jewish people of the city knew of this particular centurion, and put in a good word for him with Jesus, because he had built the Jewish temple in Capernaum on their behalf. Ima...

Have you ever recorded minutes for a meeting? Whether you were taking notes at work or for a volunteer organization, such as the PTA at your child ’ s school, taking minutes and reporting on them at a follow-up meeting is an important responsibility. What ideas were discussed? How were those ideas followed up on? Who, including yourself, agreed to complete certain tasks before the next meeting? An...

Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is credited with saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”   This line of thinking, developed nearly 2500 years ago, applies to our lives as Christian believers today. Let’s examine the question: What does it mean to be a godly man?”   There are many characteristics that come to mind when thinking about godliness and living the kind of life the Lord want...

Welcome back 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...

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 life, and...

Tim closed his laptop and wondered what to do next. He had a degree. Great job experience. Enthusiasm and passion for his work… But the job market was tough in his new hometown, and his savings was running out fast. “Lord,” he prayed, “please help me find a job. You know my talents, and what I need to help support my family. Please provide.” He’d been praying this same prayer daily, but no job had...

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...

Humans were built for language and communication.   It's one of the bits of creative genius God used when He formed His highest creation. And apart from regular communication, whether it's the written word or verbal, we have a great gift from a loving God: prayer. And that's what we're talking about this week in a series we're calling, Prayer 101.   Prayer is an intensely...

One of the best benefits about flying at night is to look out the window and see millions of lights against the black backdrop. The lights signal that a city or town is down there — a place where families live.     Our spiritual lives are the same way. This  world has its share of darkness, but God looks down and sees His lights. He sees the good that says, “Love lives here.”     Matthew 5:14 says...

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 they me...

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 disce...

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, “He sai...

Don’t you just love the diversity God put into the world? He created harmony and balance everywhere, including our individual “best time of the day” to be creative and productive. Some of us are “up with the chickens,” as they used to say. Others burn a candle late into the night. Whatever time is your time to connect in positive ways, God made you to shine for His purposes. Isaiah 60:1 says, “Ari...

Have you ever thought about the fact that you have an obligation to defend our nation’s freedoms? You live in the Land of the Free; your contributions are needed. We all have a role. Joshua 1:9 commands us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Sure, maybe you’re not a Navy SEAL. Maybe...

From the very beginning, women around the world have served their countries on the front lines of war. In America, we know that the Land of the Free has hundreds of thousands of women manning their stations at home while Daddy fights a long way from home. In fact, winning World War 2 would have been dicey had we not had millions of women manning factories and offices. But many of us are unaware th...

Today in America, two million men and women serve in our armed forces. More than 200,000 of them are deployed to various points around the world. Joshua 1:9 reminds us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” The Lord has told us directly not to be afraid. We aren’t even to be discouraged...

Matt Axelson was a smiling, sandy-haired native of California. In 2000, he entered the Army and became a Navy SEAL. Then 9/11 happened. In the sweltering summer heat of Afghanistan in 2005, Axelson’s team was told to capture a senior member of the Taliban. Unfortunately, the team was betrayed by locals sympathetic to the Taliban, and the SEALs found themselves surrounded by upwards of 100 enemy fi...

We owe them so much. Do you ever stop and think about the routine things you do every day? Buying detergent so that you can wash your family’s clothes. Fixing a couple of boards on your deck. We even grind through staff meetings at work. All this of course mixed with life, laughter, and love. But do you think about why you can do these things in a great and strong country? Primarily it’s because o...