Kerusso Daily Devotional

It’s all in how you see it.

The world we live in has plenty of problems, and they are huge. Don’t need to list them here, but it’s fair to say we even suffer from some existential threats.

And yet, God’s Word tells us that this present life can have, and does have, peace. That’s our connection this week.

Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

Remember the story of Jim Elliot and his band of missionaries? They were killed in a jungle by the very people they were trying to reach with the Gospel. The God part of that story is that later, the dead men’s wives went back and reached that tribe for Christ! Peace settled on the creek-bed that had seen death, and there was goodwill among men that had once been at war with each other.

Peace is possible. It is possible in geopolitics, and in communities, and right there in your own heart.

Let’s pray. 

Lord, no situation is too bad for you to redeem. Redeem us, Lord, so that we can redeem the time and reach others for you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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 and can’t take it with you. That’s why the Bible’s revelations about eternal riches are so much more important.

Genesis 31:14 says, “Rachel and Leah said to him, ‘Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house?’”

Let’s think of this as a parable. A man took the place of another and was executed.

He was no ordinary man, though. Only a few days after His death, the will was read.

He left it all to you!

Jesus Christ died for our sins and took the penalty for them so that we don’t have to. That is what the Gospel is, the Good News that we have riches in Christ, and they last forever.

Let’s pray.

Lord, your precious gift for each of us is something we did nothing to earn. You simply decided to put us in your will. We thank you forever for your grace and mercy. In Jesus' name. Amen.

In thinking about different kinds of love, it’s a beautiful thing to realize that God has placed certain people in our lives for specific reasons.

Friendship is one of His great gifts to us, all-time.

Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

Do you have someone in your life that is not blood-related, but it sure feels like it? In fact, often it feels like a closer relation than biological family!

Notice what the writer of Proverbs tells us: A friend does two things, loves us no matter what, and God set a time for them to stick with us when we need it the very most.

Think about that! That guy you met in third grade will impact the rest of your life. The girl who brought you a coffee on your first day n a new job was meant to do that.

As we think about all this and marvel at God’s plans, don’t forget to turn it around and think about how we can be that brother or sister to someone in your life.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you so much for the friends you bring to us. Help us be worthy of such special love. In Jesus' name. Amen.

It seems that 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 put together. Back in the day, a hot mess usually referred to an overturned pot on the stove. But today we know the phrase ‘hot mess’ as a whole new meaning, and our lives are often exactly that. 

Thank goodness that the outcome is not dependent on us. 

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace. You have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves. It is the gift of God.”

Recognizing that you don't quite have it together is a positive first step to moving beyond your circumstances. But the real key is internalizing the fact that God, and not you, saves the day. All we can do is admit our shortcomings, and then rest in the knowledge that God has it from here, and that's an attitude the Lord will bless. God's got you covered and blessed all at the same time. 

Let's pray. 

Lord, you are so good to us, and you have been so much more for us than we can even imagine. Thank you for blessing us, for not leaving us where we were. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Beryl Markham could have given up her aviation dreams after crash-landing in Nova Scotia.

But she didn’t.

Instead, this determined woman became the first person to fly from England to North America. She later said that in order to move forward, we can’t stay in the past. In fact, she said, “Leave it the fastest way you can!”

This pioneer knew that staying stuck was not inevitable, that we must choose to keep our eyes on what it is we are yet to accomplish in life.

Ephesians 4:31–32 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Maybe you are letting some past hurt keep you from your destiny. Don’t waste another moment! Your future is waiting on you to turn your eyes to it, and stop staring at a past failure.

Leave your past hurts as fast as you can!

Let’s pray.

Lord, we are grateful that you make a way for us to forge ahead and not be limited by the things of the past. Walk with us, always, Lord, and bless our efforts. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Have you ever paused and thought about how rarely people see you for who you are? Have you ever done something that you feel is almost unforgivable? You need to know that that is not the way God wants you to feel. 

Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a pure heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me."

Some of the most famous people in history were very unrighteous at times. King David, described as a man after God's own heart, he was loved that much, did dreadful things. Guess what, though? His life ended well. God had cleaned him up on the inside. 

Nothing you've done is fatal. It really isn't. 

Call on God to heal you on the inside and put a spirit of love, hope, and peace in you. He will and he'll do it sooner rather than later, and you'll be able to breathe again, guaranteed.

Let's pray. 

Lord, your desire to make us clean has been told for centuries. We believe it and we claim it. Thank you, father God, for the work of renewal you do all day, every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Keeping things simple is usually the best path forward. For Christians, that means following Christ’s lead in everything.

This includes sharing and standing for our faith.

The Bible is full of examples of how Jesus did this. Occasionally he got mad, as when he threw out the moneychangers. Other times he just quietly sat and taught what His Father had shown Him.

This is our model. When you share Christ with someone and that person believes, you have been given the privilege of watching the most important moment in his or her life. Ever. To get to this moment, it will require you to be knowledgeable about your faith, balanced enough to be gentle in sharing, and sometimes edgy enough to pushback when someone mocks our Lord.

Jude 1:3 says, “Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people.”

God gave us a job to do, and one of his prophets, Jude, told us to be ready to defend the Gospel. This we are happy to do.

Let’s pray.

Lord, your wisdom is enough for us. We are always ready to defend the Good News. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Are you a person that has walked away from your faith? Maybe you believed once, very much, but it faded over time. Maybe you accepted the promises of God for a little while but then something else caught your eye.

That’s not uncommon. Starting out on fire for God and then becoming weary is something many of us have dealt with. To use a flying analogy for our talk today, sometimes your flight of faith becomes grounded.

Isaiah 40:31 says, “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

This famous verse, now on millions of framed prints, coffee mugs, and yes, T-shirts(!) has given hope to countless people. There are critics of the Bible, or those who claim not to believe in God, but too many people have taken it to heart and found out that the words are true. God does lift us up from our burdens, and puts us to flight. Just like a bird leaving the safe hands of its master.

If you are tired today, tell God. If you’re hiding it from family and friends, don’t try to hide it from the Lord. He knows already, anyway.

If you trust Him, freedom will follow.

Let’s pray. 

Lord, your mercies endure forever. Help us be ready to tell others about you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

One of the biggest criticisms of those who follow Jesus Christ is that such a model is very exclusive. In other words, it seems on the surface that Jesus leaves some people out of the salvation plan, because He says that He is the only way to God.

But what is He really telling us?

John 14:6 says, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Jesus is actually showing us the way. He gives us the path to being reconciled with God the Father. Sin separated us from Him long ago, but in His mercy, we can find eternal peace. In that way, we are able to fill the “God-shaped” hole in us. Solomon wrote about that.

When it comes to loyalty, we see that Jesus is in fact totally inclusive. He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sin for all men, women, and children in every era of history. What could be more open and loving than that?

If you’ve rejected Christ because you heard His love isn’t inclusive enough, we hope you’ll realize the opposite is true. He loves everyone equally.

Especially you.

Let’s pray. 

Lord, your Word shows us the expansive love that you have for all people. Help us share that Good News with everyone we come in contact with. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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 servant:

I wasn’t God’s first choice for what I’ve done for China. There was somebody else…I don’t know who it was—God’s first choice. It must have been a man—a wonderful man. A well-educated man. I don’t know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn’t willing…And God looked down…and saw Gladys Aylward.

Ephesians 4:1–3 says, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

If you remember who you are in Christ, and remember that only through His strength can you accomplish anything worthy of leaving a legacy, you’ll find contentment that most only dream of.

Let’s pray.

Lord, give us a humble heart in everything we do. In Jesus' name. Amen.