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.

 

Are you ready to defend your faith in Christ? Shop for Christian T-shirts like “Defender of the Faith” and other message-based designs at Kerusso.com.

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 direct your paths.”

 

Notice the precise language in these beautiful verses. We are to trust Him with all of our heart. Don’t take your eyes off Him and follow your own choices. Be upfront that He is your peace. It’s then He picks you up, protects you, and carries you home.

 

Today is the day you’re thinking about all this. You’ve messed up. You’ve messed up in the most spectacular and disheartening way.

 

And it is exactly at this moment that God is ready to do the greatest miracle in your life. Tell him you’ve screwed up and have no idea where to turn.

 

There—you’re learning to completely trust Him. Commit your life to Him, and be consistent about it from now on.

 

Remember today: the turning point to an awesome future!

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord, help us to reject our own flawed wisdom and rely totally on yours. Amen.

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 of artistic achievement takes time.

 

When you hear the word “masterpiece,” what do you think of?

 

A famous painting? A beautiful building? Your child’s latest artwork?

 

What about a giant sequoia tree? A symphony? A pink flamingo? The intricate, miraculous design of the human heart?

 

Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

 

Before you were even born, God knew you, and had a plan for your life. He created you for a purpose, and He considers you one of his personal works of art. You are a living, breathing miracle capable of wonderful things — God’s own masterpiece.

 

Let’s pray.

 

God, we thank you and praise you that in all of creation, you have chosen to make us in your image, and to fashion us as a masterpiece — a work of art designed with care. Help us to be worthy of your effort. Amen.

Life can be overwhelming sometimes, right? A huge wave of despair can come out of nowhere and push us toward disaster.

 

Anita’s life was like that, growing up in Hong Kong where revolutionary movements brought violence and loss of hope. She couldn’t see how the pieces of her life could be put together. She would ask herself, “How do you make peace with a potential that is frustrated?

 

That happens to be our theme this week, having it “All Together.”

 

Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

 

Over time, Anita saw that God had always been shaping her to find her calling in Christ. She did that, and today operates a ministry that helps women see that they are daughters of the Living God! Truly, Anita didn’t always have it together, but her life is living proof that God puts us back together for His purposes!

 

Let’s pray. Lord, someone listening needs a dramatic move from you in her life. Please bring your peace and comfort today. Amen.

 

How can we pray for you today? Members of Team Kerusso meet on a regular basis to pray, and we would be honored to pray for you. Visit Kerusso.com/pray to submit a request.

Micah had a tough job. The prophet that lived in the time of Isaiah warned the people in the land at the time that God was not pleased with their behavior.

 

He was not exactly a popular guy! He told them that the rituals they performed did not bring them closer to God.

 

Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

 

In Micah’s time, foreign enemies did a lot of damage, but the message the prophet brought was that the Savior was coming one day. It was a message that resonates in our own day.

 

Tough times are not fun. Sometimes it feels like life is crushing us.

 

But Jesus is coming! He is with you in this life and the life to come. The prophets were sure of it. We can be, too!

 

Let’s pray. Lord, your will is where we want to be. Help us stay in line with your best outcomes for us. Amen.

Do you get tired of being alone or afraid? Have you had enough of feeling like you can’t take any more stress? If you’re honest with yourself, there are times when you think you’re just going to lose it.

 

The cares of this world can be like that. You stress about not having enough money each month just to pay your bills. You can’t sleep at night because your mind is racing, striving to create a workable plan for every possible scenario.

 

And no one can actually do that successfully.

 

So what do you do?

 

Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.”

 

God—who has proven Himself billions of times, literally—tells us exactly what we need to do. It’s so simple.

 

Give your cares to God. You can’t take any more stress. Your body and mind can’t sustain it. Truthfully, that realization opens you up to a whole new way of looking at things.

 

Give your cares to God. Feel that stress dissipate. Have the best nights’ sleep tonight you’ve had in ages.

 

He won’t let you fall.

 

Let’s pray. Lord, your mercy and grace are so easy for us. We can cry out to you and give you our tired minds and hearts. Thank you for loving us no matter what. Amen.

In a world so filled with war and suffering and human conflict, it’s pretty hard to focus on just what can be done. And sadly, we can fall into a bad habit of just looking for revenge. This revenge can almost seem good, since we want bad characters brought to justice.

 

But God has a better way.

 

Micah 6:8 says, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

 

Do you get it? In Scripture we are taught that revenge belongs to God.

 

Our task is to keep our focus on what He has called us to do. According to Micah the prophet, we are to do justice in all situations, love people who are not easy to love, and then maintain a quiet spirit.

 

In this way, anger and rage at systems doesn’t consume us! Jesus, our Captain in life, is always there to walk along the way with us. He is our focus.

 

This is all He requires of us.

 

Let’s pray. Lord, help us know what we need to focus on, and leave the rest to You. You are our rest! Amen.

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; 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, He will cleanse your spirit, leaving you squeaky 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 completely whole, complete people, capable of sharing the Good News with everyone we come into contact with. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

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 it was hot, God provided a plant that grew up to provide relief from the sun for Jonah. But then the plant withered and died and the heat was so intense, Jonah wished himself dead.

 

But in that, God had a lesson for him. And for us.

 

Colossians 2:6-7 says, "So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."

 

We don’t always have the compassion for people that we should. Our bitterness takes root. We should learn instead to plant healthy roots of love and compassion for all people.

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord, we are too often like Jonah. Help us to always remember that you have been merciful to us, and so we pray your mercies for everyone else. Amen.

You’ve heard the joke about family gatherings, haven’t you?

If you weren’t related to these people, you’d never see them.

What a horrible punchline, really.

1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

God’s world has purpose in everything. Everything.

He gave you a specific family for specific reasons. It’s super easy to be nice to people we aren’t around very much. Short-term “love” is pretty common. It’s when we get in close quarters with long-term relationships that our character really comes out.

Sure, some family members are not nice people. There are still ways to manage that, taking our cues from Scripture.

Love, especially family style, is for the long haul. That beautifully worded verse from 1 Corinthians says it all. We bear one another’s burdens, and we hope for the best.

And we endure any obstacle that blocks us from truly loving the family God gifted us with.

No joke.

Let’s pray.

Lord, remind us daily of the unique gift our families are for us. Help us look for ways to enhance these special communities you’ve placed us in. Amen.