Kerusso Daily Devotional

Do you struggle to wonder what God’s will is for your life?

Many of us do.

Although it isn’t a quick answer, the best way to find God’s will for your life is to read His Word. The Bible will tell you the answer to that question.

Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Actually, finding God’s will isn’t the hardest part. Deciding to follow His will is where we get tripped up.

People need the skill and the discipline of being persistent. Too often the impulse is to give up and then, if we’re honest, pretend that God hasn’t revealed His will to us.

Good old Abe Lincoln had it right when he said that the only important response is to make sure we are on God’s side, not whether He’s on ours.

God has already told us that He’s on our side. He sent His Son, Jesus, to take the penalty for our sin. It doesn’t get any more “on our side” than that. 

Change your thinking a bit. Don’t focus on what you think God is supposed to do. Resolve instead to follow God, and to do it every day.

Let’s pray.

Lord, your will is the thing that drives us on, to find our purpose in this life. Thank you for sticking with us. Help us to stick with you. 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.

The Bible tells us that King Solomon was a very wise man. He ruled over his kingdom from Jerusalem, and built the famous Temple there.

He was also very human.

This son of King David eventually let his wealth and power go to his head, and he began to follow other religions and almost seemed to enjoy sinning. And yet God loved him. 

In his later years, Solomon realized how wrong he had been to rely on his own spiritual strength. And so scholars believe that’s where the book of Proverbs was born. They come from a man weary of the cares of this life. A man ashamed of the mistakes he had made.

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.”

Proverbs is packed with amazing wisdom into right living, after perhaps one has been focused on other kinds of living.  

Solomon learned the hard lessons as he found his way back to a forgiving God whose mercies are eternal. That is a good lesson for us.

Let’s pray.

Lord, your patience with us is humbling, and it is so appreciated. We thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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.

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 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.

We all screw up. We all fail in some way. We fall short of goals, or get embarrassed in some kind of career implosion or other event. It’s easy then to feel like we’ll never win again.

That is not how God sees you.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

Hope and a future. That’s what’s ahead, not depression and failure.

The Bible is full of stories of people God would not allow to slip away. Peter denied Christ, and the Savior forgave him! Sarah mocked the idea that she would ever have a child, but God let her be a mother late in life!

This is the world God created. Not one of misery and losing. Does it make sense that He would create you in very specific ways, uniquely gifted as you are, and then just give up on you?

Don’t let that be your story. Your part in it is refusing to believe the enemy when you hear that voice that tells you it’s all over. God knows the plans He has for you! Remember that. 

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you that you don’t let us sink out of sight. Thank you for setting us on our feet, and helping us move forward. In Jesus’ name, amen.

The most influential ruler of all time, the greatest king to ever walk the face of the earth, is also mankind’s greatest example of humility.

Jesus may have been born in a stable, but the Son of our Creator God was anything but ordinary. He lived a humble life, but performed miracles along the way, and showed us what it means to be a humble servant leader among men.

Jesus selflessly took human form, God incarnate, to become a living sacrifice for our sins. He did not profess His innocence and demand to be taken down from the cross; rather Philippians 2:8 says, “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus gave up His place on the throne where God rules the universe. He gave up His power to defend Himself, but willingly gave His life as a ransom for many. He loved us so much that He died for us. He endured shame, ridicule, torture, and an agonizing death on that cross.

What greater humility is there?

Philippians 2:3–4 says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

A godly man is humble, and Jesus Christ is our ultimate example.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we are humbled by your sacrifice. Jesus took our sin upon Himself when He took our place on the cross, and the gift of salvation is the result of His choice. We are so grateful for that love. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Picture what it would look like to lose everything in one fell swoop. Your house burns to the ground. The stock market plummets and all your money is gone. Worst of all, your children fall ill and die. Suddenly, you’ve lost not only your material possessions, but your family, too.

When people refer to someone as having “the patience of Job,” they say that for a reason.

Job was a man of immense wealth, the richest man in the region, and was the father of 7 sons and 3 daughters he loved dearly. He was also a faithful servant of the Lord, and grateful for every blessing.

In a terrible turn of events, Job lost his fortune in a single day. His crops, property, livestock, and servants…gone. Most devastating of all, Job lost his children. But Job didn’t blame God. He accepted that God had a plan for him, and was patient as he waited for the Lord to reveal that plan. He knew that sometimes bad things happen, and he continued to praise the Lord in the midst of trial.

Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Job lost everything, but he didn’t take matters into his own hands to seek justice for what he had lost. He fell to his knees and worshiped the Lord, and then he was still. In the quiet of his soul, Job knew God had a plan, and in the end, God restored to Job twice as much as he had in the beginning.

A godly man is patient.

Let’s pray.

Lord, waiting is hard to do. Waiting for an answer. Waiting for resolution. Waiting for things to get better. Restore peace and patience as we grow in faith and learn to wait on you. We trust you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

In Luke Chapter 7 verses 1–10, Jesus heals the servant of a centurion soldier at Capernaum. These verses illustrate the faith this soldier has that Jesus can heal his favorite servant.

We also learn in these verses that the Jewish people of the city knew of this particular centurion, and put in a good word for him with Jesus, because he had built the Jewish temple in Capernaum on their behalf.

Imagine that! A gentile, a man who was a soldier of some esteem in command of other soldiers in his city, built the local Jewish synagogue.

This brief window into the centurion’s character shows us that generosity can and should extend not just within our own family or our most familiar community, but to others who look, think, and act differently than we do.

This man’s willingness to complete such an act on behalf of the Jewish people in his community is an example for us today, that we should seek to be generous whenever God provides the opportunity to do so—even if the recipient is not who we expected it to be.

2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

A godly man is generous.

Let’s pray.

Lord, you have given us so much! Every good thing comes from you, and we are blessed to call you Father. Plant a seed of generosity in our hearts and help it grow, that we will share the gifts you’ve given freely, and at every opportunity. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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.