Kerusso Daily Devotional

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 because...

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. Colossians...

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 chang...

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 lure...

Does your love for God make your heart sing? The psalms, many of them, were written as songs of worship. King David, in particular, loved to sing praises to His Lord. Whether he was tending his flock under a night sky, or sitting in his palace in Jerusalem, David had a heart for the Lord. Psalm 104:1 says, “Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor an...

Are you struggling right now? Are you listening to this while gripping the steering wheel, wondering how you’re going to go on? You have so many burdens! First Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ.” He has a purpose for you;...

In the last century, a 4’10” woman from England answered the call of God to become a missionary in China. Her accomplishments there, especially in saving orphaned children during war and conflict, have made her sort of a legend. Near the end of her life, Gladys Aylward gave an interview in which she said the most amazing thing, something that could only have come from the heart of a truly humble s...

If you’ve been fortunate to hold a newborn, you know what it’s like to be thunderstruck by the delicate features. Everything in miniature. And then the eyes open. You’re in love. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” A baby is a blessing and gift from the Lord. All life is precious; it doesn’t matter if the parents are famous or completely obscure. In that warm bundle is...

Most of us feel a deep respect in our hearts for those who have sacrificed so that we can remain free. Loving those who have paid the ultimate price is just something we do as a people. We pause to remember each year. Isaiah 56:5 says, “To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure fore...

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 o...

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...

Watching little kids perform on stage at school or at church is the best, isn’t it? There are always a couple of shy violets, but many of them sing their hearts out, fidgeting with excitement and performing actions to accompany the songs with gusto. If Grammy awards were doled out based on sheer enthusiasm, kids in elementary and Sunday School programs would win every year. They simply can’t conta...

Have you ever had a power outage and pulled out your favorite flashlight, only to discover the batteries are dead? Bummer, am I right? How about light bulbs? For some reason, they all seem to go at the same time, leaving you in the shadows and looking for that flashlight — you know, the one with the dead batteries! Light bulbs burn out, tires go flat, umbrellas turn inside out on a windy day, and...

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: a b...

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 heart...

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. If...

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 psalm is...

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...

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.” Traditi...

Hers is the greatest motherhood story of all time. You know who she is. Magnificent Mary! Her story has been told many times, but how grateful we are that it’s recorded in Scripture. Whatever God’s reasons for choosing this particular woman to give birth to Jesus, we know that she must have loved the Lord with all her heart. And just think how her head and heart must have been spinning when the an...

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be close to Jesus when He was on the earth? It would have been amazing to be in His inner circle. We know of a remarkable woman, a family member, who would have been able to be around to watch the most amazing life unfold. Her name was Elizabeth. An aunt of Jesus. We read in Luke that everyone thought that the time for Elizabeth to become a mo...

Are you a woman blessed with the gift of a wonderful mother-in-law? We can hardly think of a more important relationship. Through the ages, this mentoring friendship has sealed families and nurtured them. Likewise, we easily see the pain inflicted when this relationship isn’t good. In the Old Testament, we read of a really remarkable mother-in-law. She showed great kindness to a young woman at jus...

We don’t even know her name, but we know what she did. Let’s just say there was great strength in her household! Known only as the wife of Manoah, from the Israelite tribe of Dan, this godly woman was unable to have children. But then, in a kind of foreshadowing of another, more famous visit by an angel hundreds of years later, she was told by the Angel of the Lord that she would become pregnant a...

She’s not well known even though she’s, you know, in the Bible. But Jochebed…who’s heard of her? Raise your hands. This great woman deserves a bigger story in our culture, because she modeled what it means to act with bravery, and to value all life. Exodus 2:3 says, “But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child...

It’s kind of fun in those moments when the kids are in bed and the dishes are done, to think about the Big Questions. You know the list. Why am I here? What is the meaning of life? A question that people from ancient times to now have asked is, why in the world, literally, did God create people? We are a handful, as past generations used to say. We mess up. Sometimes we’re on our way to being smar...