Kerusso Daily Devotional

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!

1 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; He really does. God wants to use you for things no one else can do. And He wants you to do it while at peace. Maybe your biggest dream died a really spectacular death, like, one that everyone saw and still talks about.

That doesn’t matter now. The only thing that matters is that you call on Jesus to comfort you and show you the way. Ask Him to do that right now, right where you are.

He wants you to be whole and healthy. And if you ask Him also to help you live a holy life, you will clean, really clean inside and out.

This is very personal. You might feel that you don’t have anyone to turn to. That’s a lie from the enemy. Your savior and your champion says otherwise.

Turn to Him right now.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you for making us complete people, capable of sharing the Good News with everyone we come in contact with. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Since before the world was created, God has had a master plan to deliver people from evil. He cared for us so much that he was willing to endure pain to redeem us. In Acts 14:20, we read about Jesus and the disciples preaching in a city called Derbe. It says that Jesus then was busy, strengthening the souls of his disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God.

God wants us to know that the journey we are on ends with a destination. And along the journey, we must be prepared to endure hardship for his sake. His compassion for the whole world is summed in maybe the most famous verse in all scripture, John 3:16. It says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” And that's it. That's the whole point of living this Christian life. It isn't complicated in terms of understanding. But it can be hard to live out. 

There are currently 7.4 billion people on the planet, and most have not received Christ. Many have not even heard of Him yet, hard as that is to believe. There is still a lot of work to be done. 

700 years before Jesus, the prophet Isaiah saw God's throne in a vision. And the Lord said there, “Who can we send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah eagerly said, “Here I am. Send me.” This is the willing heart God is looking for. We live in this world, with all its misery and beauty and chaos and harmony. We are to share the Good News of Jesus. If we do that from a willing heart, God is faithful to use our efforts to advance his kingdom, and that is our purpose.

Would you pray with me? 

Father God, your great plan from the beginning is right on schedule. It's always on schedule. We love you. Nothing and no one stops you from accomplishing your will. See us through to the end, Lord, that we can accomplish your will for our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Many times over the centuries, earnest Christians have run out into the world to aggressively and passionately share Jesus, and the world doesn't always want to hear it. 

John 15:19 says, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own and as it is you don't belong to the world. But I have chosen you out of the world, and that is why the world hates you.” And this is a hard truth. It's discouraging to missionaries at home and in other countries who want nothing more than to see everyone saved. The Bible even tells us that God wants all people to be saved, and that's the goal. Yet we know that'll never be.

Jesus brought life-giving truth to the masses in His day. Some of them tried to kill Him, and of course, some were eager to see Him crucified. His reminder to us is that if we have the mind of Christ in the modern world, things might get dicey for us. It's not like hoards of people are beating down the doors of churches so that they can hear and believe. In this fallen and sinful state, man runs from the things of God; both the Bible and history document this. In Roman times, the empire hunted Christians. They were even fed to wild animals for sport. It's been that way all through the modern era. Remember the photos in recent years of ISIS terrorists escorting captured Christians to their executions? Pagan minds fight against God.

Knowing these things, we must resolve to ask God for courage to speak when opportunities present themselves. We also must keep in mind that boldness for Christ will cost us something…maybe everything. God in His Word also assures us that some are being saved, kingdom is being added to daily, and this reality is enough for us to continue to be salt and light in a dark world.

Let's pray. 

Father God, we ask you earnestly, send your spirit to people who need to hear your Word. Help us to be willing to share Christ, even when it's dangerous or uncomfortable. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Charles Templeton was surging ahead in ministry. Converted at 21, by 1946, the Canadian evangelist founded Youth For Christ. Billy Graham was hired as the organization's first full-time evangelist, and he and Templeton toured Europe together.

A decade later, after a turn at Princeton Theological Seminary and after wrestling with doubt, Templeton began to identify as agnostic, and his world would never be the same. Colossians 2:8 says, “See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ.”

Sometimes for various reasons, people walk away from their faith. In the strictest definition of this, one becomes an apostate. Sometimes a person goes on quietly about his or her life. Other times the effects are far-reaching. Joseph Stalin once studied for the priesthood, then he read Karl Marx. It's often true that the people who are most passionate about sharing Christ can also sort of burn out. They run hot for a long time, and then the bottom falls out.

We've all seen celebrities that claim to know God. Some even identify as Christian, but their lives are anything but, and this calls to mind the famous passage in Matthew 13:20–22, in which the parable is given of seed being thrown onto various kinds of soil. Some of the seed, which represents the gospel, finds its way onto rocky ground or among weeds. Those hearing the Word at first are taken with it, but later abandon the faith. In the Old Testament, some good life lessons were given to the Israelites who struggled living among pagan nations. Jeremiah 10:2 says, “Thus says the Lord, learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them.” The idea was to maintain spiritual purity so that the storms of life would not take away a person's faith.

We're the same way today. If we aren't careful, the world can look too good, and before long we're looking in the rearview mirror at a faith that we once had. 

Let's pray. 

Father God, help us to always keep in mind the gift that Jesus gave us on the cross. Help us daily to meditate on your grace and the mercy for our lives so that we can stay spiritually healthy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

There are different schools of thought about just how Christians should share their worldview in a world often at odds with God's best.

Some feel it's best to jump into the deep end of the pool and look just like the world. Others view it very much the other way. Second Corinthians 6:17 says, “‘Come out from them and be separate,’ says the Lord.” Whole denominations have used this verse to encourage believers to stay as much out of the world as possible. And this might include physically removing yourself to a remote location, giving up television, or providing an education in the home.

Now, we should note that there's nothing wrong or unhealthy with resisting the world's temptations. That should probably be tempered, though, with a common sense approach. If it's impossible to physically remove yourself from the culture, what do you do? Balanced biblical approach should be the ideal.

In 1 Peter 2:1, we are told to put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy, and all slander. In other words, don't do the things that unbelievers do. They don't know God, and so they don't have rules to live by. That kind of life is ultimately destructive.

Rather, we should be Christ-like in our approach to people. And at the same time, we have to make sure that we look after our own spiritual condition and constantly do an assessment. Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” It's true that some people are won to Christ by believers who look like the world.

There's nothing wrong with that. And again, a Christian as passionate as Paul said, “Sometimes he was all things to all people.” But it's also true that some are won to Christ because the Christian they're watching is so different from the world. Philippians 2:14–15 says, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent children of God without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world.”

By remembering that we're citizens of God's kingdom at the same time we live in this fallen world, we strike the proper balance and can then be that example Christ commanded us to be. 

Let's pray. 

Lord, help us to remember who we are in Christ. Give us a desire and a passion to witness to those who need to hear it, and at the same time, to guard our own hearts, that we don't stray from the things that you've taught us. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Sweat was pouring off Peter as he moved to protect Jesus. As Roman soldiers held the one who had been labeled a heretic, Peter drew a sword and cut off a soldier's ear. And he was stunned when Jesus told him to put the sword away. You see, Jesus knew infinitely more than Peter or anyone else, He knew the end from the beginning, and He knew He had an agenda to see through to the end, and Peter couldn't see that. And impulsively He moved to change the facts on the ground.

And that's so typical of us as humans. The authentic Christian wants to do something to fix things or change the world. The theologian, Francis Schaeffer, wrote a whole book titled, How Should We Then Live, on the role of a Christian in the modern world. And there are arguments over whether America is still a Christian nation or whether postmodernism has won the day.

But what does the Bible say about being a witness in the world? Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Notice it doesn't say engage. We're in fact told not to become like the world in all its anti-God stuff. Yet we also know one of the last things Jesus said to his disciples before he ascended into heaven was that we should go into all the world and make disciples. The Apostle Paul made an interesting observation in 1 Corinthians 9. He said that he was free from conformity to the world. It had nothing he coveted. But that he chose to be a servant to all, so that his example might win some to Christ.

In Hebrews 13, we're told to practice hospitality. And this echoes many Old Testament passages, too. The idea is a believer is to be an example of what life with God looks like in hopes it will draw unbelievers. And this must be done with sincerity, though, especially in our jaded modern culture. 1 Corinthians 10 tells us, whatever we do, do it for the glory of God alone.

To sum up, the Bible tells us to absolutely live in this world and be appealing to people. But to do all this while holding onto our convictions. Balancing being a gospel witness, while also being seen as personable is the approach for our modern world. Let's pray.

Father God, you've given us direction for all that we do. Help us to continually have a burden for the lost and to always remember we're to be salt and light for a hurting world. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

America has always acknowledged God. Sometimes though, our devotion to faith comes and goes. Sometimes we get too comfortable, and forget who keeps us upright every day.

Psalm 115:1 tells us, “Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”

Whenever a person questions God’s goodness, or the path He has set for us, it’s good to go to the Bible. There, we find the answer to why we should honor our Lord.

It’s because He has loved us. He has been faithful to us.

He deserves our notice. He is the One we should be all-in for, all the time.

Remember the timeless Walt Whitman poem, in which he referred to the beloved President Lincoln as “O Captain, my Captain!” Whitman was honoring the man who saved the Union. The President rightly was seen as an important figure; after all, he gave his life for his country.

But the Lord Jesus Christ is our real Captain, our General, for all time. He gave His life for each of us the world over.

Glory to God! Let’s honor Him every way we can.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we have many examples from history of people who sacrificed and deserve our respect. To you, we give our full allegiance, now and forever! Amen.

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 batteries die. Many of the things we use on a frequent basis are designed to be temporary — and sometimes they let us down when we need them the most.

Lamentations 3:22–23 says, “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness.”

God’s Holy Word, the Bible, promises that His compassion never fails. Each day is a new opportunity to experience God’s love and benefit from His grace, and His faithfulness to us will never end. Not because we’ve earned the Lord’s favor—simply because He loves us.

Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, your mercy is new every morning, and your steadfast love for us is amazing. Thank you for loving us so much, and thank you that we can depend on you, always. Amen.

Ever have the pleasure of waking up in a cozy cabin…after you’ve let the fire go out from the night before? If you don’t get out of bed and put more wood in, the squirrels or raccoons aren’t going to do it for you!

Much more serious is the tendency to get lazy about the fire inside us to share the love of Christ. After so many years of being a Christian—especially living in a free country—sharing the Gospel can be put on the back burner.

Romans 12:11–12 says, “Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord. When you hope, be joyful. When you suffer, be patient. When you pray, be faithful.”

Do you see what God is urging us to do in Scripture? He says to never let the fire go out! Never doesn’t mean sometimes, when we’re tired or annoyed about something. This is too important to mess up. Remember that Jesus saved you. More than likely, someone keeping their own inner fire going saw you through the eyes of compassion.

Let’s pray.

Lord, give us a passion for the souls of all people, at all times. And help us be ready to share Christ with them. Amen.

Emma used her hand to brush her husband’s white hair from his forehead…Edgar was near death.

Their marriage had been happy, and now she was saying goodbye. The nursing staff talked about the love between the two. Only three days after Edgar went into eternity, Emma joined him.

The Bible often uses marriage as a backdrop for what God has done for us. We know that in earthly marriages, it’s important to persevere. When we think of the Fruit of the Spirit, patience is very closely linked to faithfulness. It is the act of sticking with someone or something, all the way to the end.

Proverbs 3:3 says, “Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you; bind them around your neck; write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Our loving Father has been with us every step of the way. The faithfulness of God is an awesome thing to see and experience, and we know His promises always come true.

He is waiting for us at the end, with outstretched arms. In the tough times, think about that—imagine Him there. It makes the wait worth it.

Let’s pray.

Lord, you are faithful to your people all the time, in every circumstance. We are grateful that you love us this much. Amen.