Kerusso Daily Devotional

When we think of bravery and self-sacrifice, we usually think of heroic acts during war. We focus on famous battles and epic outcomes. As we consider what it means to sacrifice for others, it’s fitting that we spotlight a woman who gave up much to save many.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Florence Nightingale was born into a rich family and lived in Tuscany. Not exactly a training ground for self-sacrifice!

Florence, though, made a decision to dedicate her life to helping others. By making this choice, she gave up her own personal dreams.

During the Crimean War, she made the rounds at night to check on wounded soldiers. Later, she used her writing skills to build support for better nursing techniques and hospital facilities. Today, she is known for her innovative ideas that saved countless lives.

In this way, the girl born into wealth and a life of ease became a symbol of self-sacrifice. While traveling in Egypt once, she wrote to her sister that she felt “Called to God.” It was the perfect description of a woman who thought of others first, and last.

Let’s pray. 

Lord, please give us a heart for people like Florence Nightingale! Help us love others more than we love ourselves. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Most countries relish their histories…famous eras and the glory of battle and all that. Americans love this beautiful land, as well.

But the Bible tells us the true source of our blessings. It points us to the One who made all things possible.

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.”

We are incredibly blessed in America for a lot of reasons. From sufficient food to freedom to make our own choices, we have so much. But do we always acknowledge the source of our blessings?

Our forefathers did.

George Washington’s tomb at Mt. Vernon has Scripture etched into the stones. The Father of our country knew his heavenly Father!

The Bible tells us that we should glory first in our great God. He is the one we owe our lives to. Every breath we take. We owe our Savior Jesus our eternal lives.

It is to Him that all honor and glory belongs. As proud Americans, we stand on our faith. Of our almost limitless blessings, that is number one.

To God be the glory!

Let’s pray.

Lord, your mercies are available to us each day. As we get ready for a new day, help us to remember that You are our source. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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During the Civil War, Southern states relied on salt perhaps even more than their Northern counterparts. The commodity preserved various foods—such as fish—and allowed more people to eat and even keep food supplied for a rainy day.

As the Union troops began capturing Confederate saltworks, the food supplies there literally began drying up. It was one of the things that led to the end of the war, as food supplies literally not only lost their taste, but their preservative qualities. Things got so bad in the last 18 months of the war that some people were reduced to eating tree roots and other non-food vegetation. Not exactly an appetizing meal!

Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”

As ambassadors for Christ, we must make sure that our salt does not lose its effectiveness. We must stay alert, so the enemy doesn’t steal the zest which makes our boldness in sharing Christ effective. Doing so requires vigilance and much prayer, consistently.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we must be on guard against the enemy, who wants to keep us from sharing your Good News. Help us stay alert at all times, so that our witness endures. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Matt Axelson was a smiling, sandy-haired native of California. In 2000, he entered the Army and became a Navy SEAL.

Then 9/11 happened.

In the sweltering summer heat of Afghanistan in 2005, Axelson’s team was told to capture a senior member of the Taliban. Unfortunately, the team was betrayed by locals sympathetic to the Taliban, and the SEALs found themselves surrounded by upwards of 100 enemy fighters.

During a fierce firefight, Axelson was hit in the head and chest, but continued fighting until the end. He died, along with two of his team. Matt’s last words were, “Tell Cindy I love her.”

He was thinking of his wife. Of his family. He was there in a tough place, far from the green, green grass of home.

Joshua 1:9 reminds us, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

The price for living in a wonderful country is high. It’s very, very high.

No matter our politics—because none of that really matters when we stop and think about heroes like Matt—we can honor them. We appreciate our heroes more than we can say.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we thank you that one day you will wipe all tears from our eyes and death will be no more. In Jesus’ name, 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. 

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! In Jesus’ name, amen.

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There is a movement in our society for a return to simple living. We might not want to give up all of our technology—much of it is wonderful and helpful. But it is true we want to quiet our minds and find some peace. This week, we are talking about the simplest, sweetest truth around: Jesus Saves.

With that knowledge in hand, we can all find peace that the Bible says is from another world.

Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”

 It seems we are moving at near the speed of light through this amazing Information Age. Constant access to that much information can bring with it tired minds and weary hearts, at times.

With that said, wouldn’t you like to be able to grab hold of the secret of life?

We just read it. 

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth as a man, to take on our sin and pay the penalty for those sins. When He was crucified, God raised Him from the dead three days later. It is what believers call the Good News. You can believe it or not. Those of us who follow Jesus believe God has proven Himself many times over.

We love our Jesus.

Let’s pray.

Lord, you have given all of us the hope of a joyful eternity. Your Son’s sacrifice has saved us, and we are eternally grateful for that. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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A common theme today is that people are just bone-tired of chaos, both public and private. It’s exhausting sometimes dealing with bad relationships. Global problems are with us every day. We wonder when it will end. 

There is Good News for you, though. Literally Good News.

1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.”

This is a message to us that we don’t have to win the war ourselves. We don’t have to win a battle. Don’t have to take part even in a skirmish. Jesus has overcome it all. If you wonder how this can play out in practical terms, do this:

Read this verse several times. Make the choice to believe it’s true. Then just literally sit back and close your eyes for a little while and rest in the truth of God’s Word.

He is telling us that our faith overcomes all setbacks and difficulties. Our faith. Scripture tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for. We might not be able to see the end, but we trust God that He will be standing there. 

Choose to be a warrior for Christ, and let Him lead. That is what will make the difference. 

Let’s pray. 

Thank you, Lord, for winning the war already. We worship you alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Tribes usually think a lot of themselves, exclusive groups are sometimes arrogant. Even whole nations can be this way. In the 19th century, several European countries felt they were the descendants of the first people in the world.  

With religion, this can be infinitely worse with Christianity. Critics often say the exclusive nature of it is just unfair. They cite the Christian view that the only way to be reconciled to God is through Jesus Christ, and say that’s degrading to people of other faiths, or those with no faith. Other worldviews claim to have truth and a few claim a superior view of the world, but none are quite like the Christian faith. 

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All meaning all. That’s the meaning of the verse. And this is offensive to a lot of people. Christianity, though, doesn’t force itself on anyone, at least not in the modern world. It’s been said that the Holy Spirit is a gentleman, meaning He won’t force a person to yield to God. Instead, God offers grace to all who want it. 

Paul made it clear in particular that in order to be born again, one must believe in Jesus Christ. And rather than see this as exclusive, maybe we should change our perspective just a little and see how inclusive it really is. 

Many religions claim truth—but not absolute truth. Along with that, many believe all religions lead to God, but the totality of scripture tells us clearly that it is in Jesus that we find the truth, and satisfy the longing in our souls. In John 8:31–32, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. And then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” 

So you see, far from being a hateful, dominant view, the Christian faith shows people everywhere how to be free from sin. Not a workspace religion, but one that makes the very most of God’s grace. And that is true truth. 

Let’s pray. 

Father God, your Word is truth. In it, we discover who we are and what our relationship with you can be. Thank you that you haven’t left us in the dark about our world, and the world beyond. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

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Have you ever hunted and hunted for something, maybe your car keys, and you finally find them? The old saying goes (it’s very unhelpful!) that you find them in the last place you looked. There’s a lot of truth to that, though.

It also is very relevant to our walk with Jesus. Often we work really hard to solve our own problems, then we finally give in and ask Jesus for help.

Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

As with every other promise in the Bible, the really cool thing about this is, it is true. The promises Jesus has made are literally true. So, for example, if you’re looking for a solution to an impossible situation, ask Him. It works!

Let’s pray. 

Lord, forgive us for not placing our trust in you all the time. You are our sustainer. We need to remember that. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Humans have limited understanding of our world and the world beyond; not that we’re unintelligent—far from it. The Bible makes it clear that God gave man a sound mind, and from the beginning, people were capable of accomplishing amazing things. The construction of the great pyramids, modern scientific advances, and our knowledge of the cosmos is a testament to how much humans can know and achieve. We’re even capable of presenting truth in various ways through art, teaching, and moral agendas, but man’s abilities are finite. There is One, though, that claims all truth: the person Jesus Christ. 

John 1:17 says, “For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” 

In other words, man has been capable over time of building structure and order in society. Around the time of Moses and the 10 Commandments and the laws that govern the Israelites, other cultures were doing somewhat similar things. The Code of Hammurabi, a set of Babylonian laws, helped create a functioning society, and in 1254, the Magna Carta, a set of English laws that was the forerunner of the Declaration of Independence, brought England out of the Dark ages. 

Yet the Bible is very clear that ultimate truth, the sum of all reality, is found only in Jesus Christ. It is in Him that we unlock the mystery of who we are as individuals. He knows each of us, and invites us into relationship with him. 

People all over the world follow their own set of rules. It’s often said that truth is true if it’s true for you, meaning of course that each of us has the right to follow his or her own reasoning. For example, to a person who frees himself from moral constraints, love can mean many things.  

In 2 John 1:6 we read, “And this is love, that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you’ve heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” 

Do you see the difference? We can tell ourselves anything; that love, for example, can have many definitions, but God tells us in His Word that true love is being obedient to our Creator. 

In the end, the world is full of philosophies and opinions of men. Some see truth differently, but only in the Bible do we find true truth. For Jesus Christ is the ultimate truth. 

Let’s pray. 

Father God, the world can be a dangerous place. Help us to continue relying on you and as our ultimate source of truth so that we can make the best for us and our families. Your Word is our guide, Jesus’ name, amen. 

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