Kerusso Daily Devotional

A lot of us like action movies. And if they have a faith theme or element, even better. The iconic film “Raiders of the Lost Ark” comes to mind. In fact, the wild ride taken by Indiana Jones really typifies what we’re talking about this week: finding the grit to move beyond failure.

As he pursues the famous Ark of the Covenant, Jones chases and fights Nazis, and his own doubts. Along the way, his physical and mental stamina are challenged like never before. 

Romans 5:3–4 says, “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

In a sense, Indiana was sorting out his faith, too, as he looked for the most famous relic of all time. For sure, in the end, he had enough evidence to believe in the God of the Bible.

That’s kind of the way faith is. We look at it with skepticism. Sometimes for years! But then something happens to us that we can’t explain. Then we turn a corner on the street, and there He is: Jesus.

If you are wrestling with your faith, stop and go back to the source: think on who Jesus really is. Your Savior. Your path to glory will be worth it all!

Let’s pray. 

Lord, our journey to faith is not always smooth and straight. Thank you for sticking with us to the end. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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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? And were those tasks completed on time, and correctly? 

Recording minutes looks pretty mundane from the outside, but this person ultimately holds colleagues accountable to their responsibilities.

If someone was taking minutes on your life, what would those minutes say about you?

Romans 14:12 says, “So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.”

In this verse, Paul isn’t talking about salvation; when you’ve given your heart to the Lord, He offers forgiveness and salvation freely. We can’t earn or lose God’s promise of eternal life for us. Salvation is a gift.

Paul is talking about the judgment seat of Christ—a moment at the end of time when we will be accountable to Jesus for our actions. 

Did we create lasting value? 

Did we serve Him and others well? 

Were we ultimately responsible during our lifetime?

As believers, our goal should be to leave lasting value, to impact others for eternity, and ultimately to take responsibility for the legacy we are leaving in the name of Jesus.

A godly man is responsible.

Let’s pray.

Lord, along with the gift of salvation comes the incredible responsibility of sharing the Good News with others. Thank you for loving us enough to sacrifice yourself for us, and for the gift of salvation. Help us each to be responsible for sharing that gift with others. We love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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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 meet the God-Man, Jesus. He is our healer, and His glory fills the earth.

We all have different personalities and various methods of engaging with others. But whatever personality God has given us, we are tasked with sharing the life-giving news of Jesus and His sacrifice.

Get in the game and do that very thing! God has called you to share His salvation with anyone and everyone. Darkness can be oppressive. 

The Light has come!

Let’s pray. 

Lord, you showed up in our world at precisely the moment we needed you most. Help us tell others that eternal story. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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We “love” all sorts of things. We love a friend’s new hairdo. We love pistachio ice cream and travel to exotic places. Many times, the word itself loses all real meaning. It’s like homemade chicken soup without the chicken…and without the soup. 

1 John 3:16–18 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.” 

The Divine Word helps us yet again. Here we learn that true love means doing for others. Get involved. Don’t just say you love your community. Show the community your love.

Cleanup projects, running errands for a shut-in, taking your niece to the movies because her mother is working two jobs: you know what to do. You know the opportunities.

Think you love those around you? Show them.

Let’s pray.

Lord, there is so much good to do in the world! Please show us opportunities every day, so that we can put action to our words. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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As humans, we compartmentalize things. It’s in our nature to make lists, and rank priorities, and really box certain things in. We’ve got our work-life over here, and our family life over there, and our faith...somewhere else. And this can often lead us to confusion about which direction we’re supposed to go.

This confusion even extends to our faith. We wonder: when am I supposed to pray, and when am I supposed to take action on my faith?

Psalm 34:1 says, “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.”

When we get the Word deep in our hearts, we can have an answer to our personal questions. This sweet psalm tells us that we are to always remember the great gifts Father God bestows on us. His greatness is ever before us, and in this way, we can worship Him all the time, no matter what we are doing.

Learn to bless the Lord and praise Him as you do your job, as you fellowship with others, and even as you engage with people who don’t believe what you believe. They need to see the love of Christ shining through you.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we bless you and praise you with our words. Thank you, Father, for never ever forgetting us. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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The action of sharing the Good News—the Great Commission—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 meet Jesus. He is our healer, and His glory fills the earth.

We all have different personalities and various methods of engaging with others. But whatever personality God has given us, we are tasked with sharing the life-giving news of Jesus and His sacrifice.

Get in the game! God has called you to share His salvation with anyone and everyone. 

Darkness can be oppressive—but the Light has come!

Let’s pray. 

Lord, you showed up in our world at precisely the moment that we needed you most. God, would you help us tell others that eternal story? It’s in Jesus’ name that we pray, amen.

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If you’ve ever wondered what the best way might be to share your faith and defend it in the modern world, it might help to look at past examples.

In the Bible, the husband-and-wife team of Priscilla and Aquila shared Christ with Apollos, who would become a famous early evangelist. In colonial England, the abolitionist William Wilberforce shamed his own government into freeing slaves.

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.”

Today more than ever, it’s truly important that Christians prepare to defend our faith. The world is hurting and dying. People the world over desperately need the love of Christ, and they will have questions. They might wonder about the divinity of Jesus, or ask you specifically how to be saved.

You should be ready to answer, and do so with a heart full of love and compassion. And don’t be afraid to be bold!

Let’s pray.

Lord, give us a spirit of courage in this chaotic world. Help us to love as you love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Defending your faith can sometimes be a subjective thing. As examples of extremes, we’ve seen the Crusades, and at the other end of the spectrum, it’s perhaps an aggressive “pitch” to someone who isn’t a believer.

The thing is, it’s great to be zealous for our faith, but let’s also be disciplined. We don’t want to alienate a person who might otherwise listen. To put it simply: an angry Christian is usually a lonely Christian.

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.”

We can defend our faith in a strong way. We can be bold in what we believe, sure of our eternity with Jesus Christ. But our messaging is very important. It could be that just having a conversation with someone is the right approach. Don’t feel pressure. Don’t press. Jesus has the job of saving; we just have to be available to share about Him.

Let’s pray.

Lord, please always remind us to share the Gospel with love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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In every generation, it falls to believers to spend time in defending our worldview as Christians. And honestly, it’s not the nicest part of the gig—but it is part of the gig. Usually, it involves simply explaining what your faith is all about. 

Followers of other religions do the same thing, but for us, we’re sharing the person of Christ with someone who may not know Him. That makes it a big deal.

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.”

It’s exciting that God has entrusted this to us. It’s a privilege. Even if you find yourself in an adversarial conversation—and they’re not all adversarial—but if it is, remember the main thing: you get to share your faith, and see someone else find freedom in Christ!

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you that you allow us to tell others about you. Help us always to be ready to give an answer when asked about our faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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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 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 forever.”

God instituted the concept of maintaining memorials. He remembers, and so do we.

Maybe you’ve had a brother or mother or cousin or uncle that never came home from war. Even before the American Civil War, our citizens were placing flowers at the graves of veterans. It’s one way we can keep their sacrifices front-and-center, so that we don’t forget and become complacent.

This year on Memorial Day, stop to take time and pause. Do something tangible, like visit a cemetery. Ask an older relative to give you some insight into a family member who never came home. And then thank the Lord for that sacrifice.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we remember those who had paid with their lives. It’s the least we can do, but we want to do more by keeping their memories alive in our hearts. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Change your shirt, and you can change the world! Save 15% Off your entire purchase of faith-based apparel + gifts at Kerusso.com with code KDD15.