Kerusso Daily Devotional

Have you ever been in such a dark place that you wondered if God cares about you, or even exists? Maybe it’s all some cosmic joke, right? We’ve all been there. Humans doubt. We doubt ourselves, we doubt product labels, we doubt our kids. We question everything. But that worst one is trying to figure out where God is in the middle of great difficulties. Sometimes the world is just flat-out mean and...

As humans, we compartmentalize, don’t we? By that we mean, it is in our nature to rank priorities, then even lose sight of some of them. This can often lead us to confusion about which direction we’re supposed to go. This confusion even can extend to faith itself. We wonder, When am I supposed to pray, and when am I supposed to act on faith? Psalm 34:1 says, "I will bless the Lord at all time...

Scores of people today, even many in our churches, walk around aimless. They work their jobs and take care of their families, but struggle to understand what it is that God wants them to do. He’s told us in His word! As with every other situation, His Word speaks directly to our circumstances. Micah 6:8 says, "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To...

Have you ever wondered what your place in this world is? Of course you have. That’s the human experience. Alone with our thoughts, we wonder who we even are, and what we are meant to do. It’s a mysterious journey, but the fog lifts and the way becomes clear when we get to know King Jesus. Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepa...

Do you find it hard to trust someone? Anyone? Our society is full to the brim of people who have been hurt, wounded, devastated. It puts up a wall and we live behind it in silence and fear. After the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the people of that captive country were free for the first time to tell their stories. One woman said that she had been driven nearly insane by the dictator’s torture c...

In all the world, there are almost countless ways people try to find God. Some people are drawn to the mystical, while others chase after the practical. Does it work? God knew we would all look to fill the void in our spirits, the one put there when man first sinned. He also already knew what our escape route would be, the path back to Him. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Je...

Most of us assume that if Jesus had a driver’s license, his listed name would be “Jesus Christ.” That’s kind of funny, but as usual, our puny human perceptions can’t define Him and box Him in. The Bible tells us in fact that Jesus has many names, each a shining facet of Who He is. He is called the Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end. Elsewhere He is referred to as the Prince of Peace. Romans...

Humans have a fair amount of self-awareness. And if we’re honest, we all know our weak points. Those places where character is lacking a bit. One of our biggest weaknesses is that we just want stuff. Bigger house, more expensive car—that kind of thing. In those moments, we are missing out on the biggest prize. Our focus is wrong. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteou...

Some scholars have believed that the suffering Job of the Bible was sort of a primate thinker who didn’t really understand much about the life beyond this one. But that isn’t true. Job 33:25,26 says, “Let their flesh be renewed like a child’s; let them be restored as in the days of their youth’—then that person can pray to God and find favor with him, they will see God’s face and shout for joy; he...

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 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 love toward us, in that whi...

A really cool thing about God is that He has a solution for literally every situation. That includes mental health. We see this especially in the ministry of Jesus, who walked the land healing people of all sorts of terrible things. One day He encountered a man driven insane by demons. Mark 5:15 says, “They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and i...

For some reason, people sometimes tell big lies when it comes to fishing. You know, what was really a small fry becomes a man-eating shark in the re-telling of the story. But that’s nothing compared to a really incredible story in the Old Testament book of Jonah. It seems the prophet didn’t want to preach in the pagan city of Nineveh, so he sailed away on a ship. He forgot that God controls the se...

One of the extraordinary stories in the Bible involves a young woman named Rahab. This story beautifully expresses God’s love for all people. Rahab lived in the Canaanite town of Jericho, which was near the border of the Promised land God had promised to His people, who had been wandering for years in search of a home after slavery in Egypt. Because the Canaanites were powerful, Joshua sent a scou...

The Bible is full of stories of God doing amazing things for those He calls. One of the most famous seems to be good to be true, but it is! Daniel, God’s man in exile in Babylon, insisted on worshipping the Lord, and not a human king. This was against the law. When those who were jealous of him urged the king to punish Daniel, the prophet was thrown into a lion’s den overnight. And that was that....

Have you ever gotten so tired of life that you wished you could disappear and start over somewhere else? Ever wish that fantasy would just pull you out of your circumstances? They make movies about things like that, but it’s not real. John 14:2,3 says, “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare...

When Richard Winters stood in the doorway of a huge glider in the pre-dawn over Normandy, France, he thought about a lot of things. The young Army captain was preparing for the invasion of Europe, to free the continent from the Nazis. He know one thing first: he couldn’t survive on his own skill. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; i...

Have you ever tried to follow God in a half-hearted way? You know what that means. You like the idea of God, but His perfect will for our lives also can feel restrictive. That’s the moment you are walking along the highway of life completely alone. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall dir...

Life stories are full of redemption. Usually after the worst sins have been committed. When he wrote a book about his past rebellions, Franklin Graham became known as the Rebel With a Cause. His story is about a prodigal that chased after the world and his own desires, but the son of Billy Graham is a modern parable. He was lost, then he was found. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all...

The Bible tells us that King Solomon was a very wise man. He ruled over his kingdom from Jerusalem, and built the famous Temple there. He was also very human. This son of King David eventually let his wealth and power go to his head, and he began to follow other religions and almost seemed to enjoy sinning. Yet God loved him. In his later years, Solomon realized how wrong he had been to rely on hi...

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 die a...

Are you the kind of person everyone looks at and assumes you are strong and together? You too, huh? Many of us look fine on the outside, but the human condition is often much different on the inside. Proverbs 31:25 says this of a godly woman: “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” But the thing is, God did not make us to have a spirit of fear. He never plann...

China in the 19th century was as remote and mysterious a place as has ever existed. Its countless villages, mountains, and hidden places were a challenge for inhabitants. Imagine what it was like for a small Christian woman from Virginia! Charlotte Moon, who went by the name that would become famous, “Lottie,” was a missionary to the Asian country for 40 years. Proverbs 31:25 says this of a godly...

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...

With the tech boom has come concerns that we are being surveilled. That’s not conspiracy; it’s actually fact. But no one in this world knows everything about us. There is still some privacy, some place we can go away from prying eyes. Except. Psalm 69:5 says, "O God, you know my folly; the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you." We know that we serve the one true God, the One that m...

Have you ever noticed how much we love ritual and form in religion? We become so good at it, so obsessed with it, that we lose sight of the essence of what it means to be a Christian. To know God. That is the purpose of our journey, and it will be the end of our journey. It is so foundational to who we are as humans that even the great Moses basically begged God to let him see Him. So close were t...