Kerusso Daily Devotional

Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates is credited with saying, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

This line of thinking, developed nearly 2500 years ago, applies to our lives as Christian believers today. Let’s examine the question: What does it mean to be a godly man?”

There are many characteristics that come to mind when thinking about godliness, and living the kind of life the Lord wants for us. Today, we’re talking about honesty.

In our culture—even in our Christian culture sometimes—lying is often treated as harmless. In fact, many of us lie automatically, without a second thought. Much of the time we aren’t even aware we’re being dishonest.

We may exaggerate, change the facts “a little” so we look good, tell a police officer we didn’t know we were speeding, cheat on our income taxes, or make up stories about our past. Sometimes we lie by omission, leaving out important details to protect our pride or avoid accountability.

Proverbs 19:1 says, “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.”

Crooked in speech...in this verse, God’s Word reveals just how well He knows our tendency toward sin, including dishonesty.

As men and women after God’s own heart, it is vital for us to examine our words, our deeds, and our actions to see that they fall in line with God’s instructions for living, in order to fulfill His good plans for our lives.

A godly man is honest.

Let’s pray.

Lord God, thank you for calling us to be honest in every facet of our lives. Your Word reveals powerful truth for our lives. Thank you for your instruction, and your forgiveness when we fall short. God help us to be honest in word, deed, and action. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Citizens of the United States of America have 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.

Have you ever thought about the fact that you have an obligation to defend our nation’s freedoms? You live in the Land of the Free, after all; your contributions are needed. We all have a role.

Joshua 1:9 commands 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.”

Sure, maybe you’re not a Navy SEAL. Maybe you don’t fly supersonic jets in combat. You’ve never served in the military. Most citizens haven’t, and won’t. But that doesn’t mean we can sit on our hands and not participate.

Your gift and contribution might be instilling values in your children. Or you might be in the medical field, helping keep folks healthy. Maybe you’ve been entrusted by the Lord to be a pastor, protecting your congregation from spiritual dangers.

Many things have joined forces to make America a place millions want to come, to improve their lives. It takes a lot of effort and a lot of moving parts.

Many of our ancestors moved through New York Harbor and shielded their eyes from the sun so they could see the Statue of Liberty. Each of them made the choice to be a piece of a large quilt that makes up our nation.

It is up to us to be courageous and continue the tradition. Our freedom depends on it.

Let’s pray.

Lord, we acknowledge those who came before us. We want to take up our own responsibility to do our part. Thank you for blessing us with this nation. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be one of the original settlers in America? As a person leaving the safety of England to come to the New World and start over?

Those people came here for religious freedom and risked it all. When they landed in New England, they literally put down roots as they built and planted the beginnings of an amazing experiment that is still ongoing.

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.”

Our ancestors were definitely strengthened in their faith as they faced challenges and danger. But the payoff was worth it.

Maybe you’re going through something similar. You’ve moved to a new place. New job. New social circle. And you want to find a church! Just tell Jesus you need help with all these things, and He’ll be right by your side.

Let’s pray.

Lord, forever you have walked with us and forever you will keep us close, making us strong in the faith. God, thank you for your faithfulness to your mission. In Jesus’ name, amen.

From earliest times, God has commanded His people to see their national home through His holy eyes. In other words, countries around the world are to follow the Lord. Of course, many don’t.

Jeremiah 30:22 says, “So you will be my people, and I will be your God.”

Many great civilizations have risen, but few last beyond a couple hundred years. Although history is debated, the foundations of America see a people who wanted to live holy unto the Lord. Modern America is still an ongoing experiment, but our Pledge of Allegiance, adopted in 1942, used the phrase “Under God.”

Lincoln used it for the first time during his Gettysburg Address, when he told the people that from that point on, we would be one people, united under the Living God.

This is something to celebrate, and we should! Our nation is always stretching to do better, and fulfill an ideal that is more than just some slogan. It’s our calling to be this way…under God.

Let’s pray.

Lord, thank you that Christ is proclaimed in freedom in our nation! Help us continue this sacred calling. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Do you ever stop and think about the routine things you do every day? Buying detergent so that you can wash your family’s clothes. Fixing a couple of boards on your deck. We even grind through staff meetings at work. All this of course mixed with life, laughter, and love.

But do you think about why you can do these things in our country?

Primarily it’s because of the sacrifices of our fallen soldiers—those men and women who have defended the homeland since Colonial times.

Joshua 1:9 commands 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.”

We are privileged to live in a land of the free precisely because fellow citizens took a different road. They walk a path of danger so that we can have the freedom to live as we choose. So many of them fight with the faith they’ve lived with all their lives, and it’s our duty to thank them, and be thankful for them.

Remember them when you want to complain about those daily chores…which were made possible by their sacrifice.

Let’s pray.

Lord, would you keep our warriors safe, and keep them in your loving arms. We ask you this as we reflect on Independence Day. We thank you for our soldiers, and we thank you for Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Identifying where our problems originate is one thing, but locating the Divine Healer is key in getting clear of obstacles in our lives. 

At each mile marker in our life journeys, God is standing alongside the road, smiling at us, and holding out his strong hand to guide us. And from the indispensable wisdom of scripture to stories of human triumphs over tragedies, He is always there reminding us we're never truly alone. 

His grace and mercies begin to overshadow and overwhelm those forces that want to harm us, and it's then that we see God for who He truly is. 

1 Peter 5:10 says, “And after you've suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” 

And that is Good News! 

Let’s pray. 

Lord, it’s important to see who our enemy is, but it’s more important to look past that and concentrate our focus on you who brings us that peace that passes all understanding, the kind that gets down deep in us and calms us from the inside out. In Jesus’ name, amen.

When fear takes control, God just crushes it.

None of us are immune from feeling unsettled at times. Circumstances have a way of knocking us off balance. How we respond not only affects our lives, but those who are watching us.

In the film “The Patriot,” a Colonial militia leader sees the British kidnap his son. Taking the two younger sons with him, they wait in ambush in the forest. One of the sons is rattled and crying, so the father puts his hands on the boy’s shoulders, looks him in the eyes, and says, “Steady.” Fear drains from the boy’s face.

In that moment of terror for the whole family, the father’s example won the day, and their day ended well.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, we learn the source of calm. It says this: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and a sound mind.”

God has given you a spirit of power, love, and a good mind. So don’t let fear, the enemy, or the world intimidate you when it comes to sharing your faith. Speak God’s truth with boldness, and love. Your moment will come one day, and by keeping in mind the truth of God’s word, courage will overcome fear.

Notice the qualities mentioned in Second Timothy. God has actually given us courage, but also power, and a sound mind—also phrased as self-discipline. And discipline will help keep you steady in a crisis. That spirit of power actually does our fighting for us, and it is the enemy who is afraid.

Let’s pray.

Father, you are good to us. Just as Jesus modeled for us how to handle fear when he prayed in the garden, we know that you have our back, and we can be courageous. Thank you for a sound mind and a calm heart in times of trouble. In Jesus’ name, amen.

No one is truly alone. Some people have many relatives and friends, others just a few. Occasionally, someone will have no real friends or family, but all of us interact with humans, and that over time has proven to be dicey. 

The health of our relationships is one of the biggest factors in how we function each day. 

Turmoil and chaos at home or work, or both, puts us in emotional quicksand. On the other hand, healthy relationships in our lives improve our overall health and make us more productive.

In Genesis, God modeled right relationships for humans, and this model continues through the Bible right to the end in Revelation. From this, we see that our first priority in relationships is to be in fellowship with our Creator. Get that one right and everything else flows. Following close behind is finding harmony in our human relationships, and getting this right is crucial to finding peace. 

Ephesians 4:2–3 says, “Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

Most people are familiar with the well-known Bible verses that deal with relationships, such as Paul’s wisdom from Ephesians, but Scripture is loaded with helpful and healing relationship commands. We hesitate to call it advice because God doesn’t really give advice. He tells us what is good for us and what may be harmful. For example, a fairly obscure passage in Job speaks to mean in any era having healthy relationships with women. 

In Job 31:1 the suffering man says, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman.” 

Wow. So simple, yet very important and profound.

That chapter goes on to say that God sees all that we do. He’s watching how we treat people. Job made it clear that a man can decide he’s going to treat women with respect. It isn’t complicated or beyond our reach. 

So often, simply deciding to be a decent human being leads to waves of healing and peace of mind for everyone. Lots of books have been written about relationships, from marriage to raising children, but the best book of all has the best wisdom, and if you check that out, your relationships will thank you. 

Let’s pray.

Father God, you've given us the gift of interacting with other people. Each is unique and created special. We ask that you send the Holy Spirit to guide our relationships so that they’re pleasing to you and to others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

A really cool thing about God is that He has a solution for literally every situation, and that includes mental health. 

We see this especially in the ministry of Jesus, who walked the land healing people of all sorts of terrible things. One day He encountered a man driven insane by demons.

Mark 5:15 says, “They came to Jesus and observed the man who had been demon-possessed sitting down, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had the ‘legion’; and they became frightened.”

The “Legion,” those who possessed this man’s mind, were no match for Jesus, who simply commanded them to leave the man in peace. And they did!

Now, not every mental health problem is related to possession. But mental illness is so devastating to the patient, and family and friends, that it often feels like evil lives there.

Not so in the peaceful kingdom of our Lord. If you or a loved one struggles with mental issues, ask the Lord to help you. He has done it many times. That man with the peaceful face and clear mind all those years ago is proof of that.

Let’s pray.

Lord, you own the universe and can solve any problem. Please especially today be with those afflicted by mental illness. Come to them and comfort them and heal them. In Jesus’ name, amen.