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 fa...
Jul 12, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 290
This summer, 75 years after he landed in France to help the Allies liberate Europe from Nazi control, Russell Pickett stood at attention as the President spoke. A private in 1944, Pickett was now receiving the adulation of a grateful nation. He knew firsthand the reality that there is very little glory in war death. Yet here his country was honoring his service in that memorable conflict. The President even hugged him! He stood with several of his comrades, men now in their 90s, and they shook h...
Jul 11, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 289
America does celebration very well. As a rich and varied nation, we have the resources frankly to host great celebrations. Our veterans are honored, which they very much deserve. We glory in our past and look forward to the future. Flags fly and flap in the breeze that sweeps across the land. The recent Memorial Day recalled our nation’s fallen, those who willingly went into the danger zone and gave the ultimate sacrifice. It’s interesting that as our nation grew up, we as a people came to a mor...
Jul 10, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 288
In May 1962, an intimidating figure delivered a final public speech at West Point Military Academy. Douglas MacArthur, who led America to victory in the Pacific during World War 2, addressed cadets. He told them simple truths, ones that define honor and glory. The hall was completely still as the old general spoke in hushed tones. Everyone heard him speak of the honorable soldier who must rely on “those divine attributes which his Maker gave when He created man in His own image.” Here was perhap...
Jul 09, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 287
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. B...
Jul 08, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 286
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; 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 never served in the military. Most citizens haven’t, an...
Jul 05, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 285
From the very beginning, women around the world have served their countries on the front lines of war. In America, we know that the Land of the Free has hundreds of thousands of women manning their stations at home while Daddy fights a long way from home. In fact, winning World War 2 would have been dicey had we not had millions of women manning factories and offices. But many of us are unaware that women serve in front-line units. As of last year, 800 served in combat. By the fall of 2018, 18 h...
Jul 04, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 284
Today in America, two million men and women serve in our armed forces. More than 200,000 of them are deployed to various points around the world. 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 Lord has told us directly not to be afraid. We aren’t even to be discouraged! He’s told us through His promises that He’ll be with us every step of the way. If we stop and thin...
Jul 03, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 283
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 unt...
Jul 02, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 282
On Today’s episode of the Kerusso Daily Devotional, we talk about the importance of remembering why our nation is the Land of the Free. 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.” Our daily blessings can be taken for granted. Let’s never forget just why America is a beacon of freedom and hope in a harsh world.
Jul 01, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 281
God’s Word is a collection of individual books about the history of the world, poetry, worship songs, letters, and the beginnings of the Church. But is also all about Jesus! Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Jesus, who came to our world as God in the flesh, is actually the Creator of everything that exists. Most ama...
Jun 28, 2019•3 min•Season 1Ep. 280
On Today’s episode of the Kerusso Daily Devotional, we talk about the durability of God’s Word. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Through history, men have tried to destroy the Living Word, but God always preserves it!
Jun 27, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 279
The world is full of interesting ancient books. The Indian Vedas, the Egyptian Book of the Dead, even ancient clay tablets from Sumeria. In the Bible though, we read that God’s Word is alive, not dead. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Active. That’s a very interesting way to describe a book. It sits on a shelf, or ...
Jun 26, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 278
People have different views on just what God’s Word actually is. Some think it’s an ancient book of wisdom. Others think it’s just kind of an interesting piece of historical literature. But the Word itself tells us that it has amazing benefits for those who read it and believe it. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” I...
Jun 25, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 277
Jun 23, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 276
No one is immune from burnout. It comes in our jobs, friendships, and even our church life. Sometimes our hobbies become dry and tedious! But in Scripture, God gives us hope for the future. John 7:38 -- "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.'" Jesus is telling us that in Him alone is true life. He is always pointing us to the future, to a time when that dry creek bed will be filled forever. In Revelation 22, He showed John a river flowi...
Jun 21, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 275
Jesus has great compassion for everyone. Especially for those society considers unlovable or worth nothing. One day he stopped by a well and had a conversation with a woman who had been married five times. When He spoke to her, He knew she was now living with another man. Yet Jesus spoke to her in a way that let her know He valued her as a person. He told her that people could drink the water from that well, but again they would eventually be thirsty. He said to her that the water He gives is a ...
Jun 20, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 274
Jun 19, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 273
Researchers have long known that even when exploring new worlds, water is the key to life. Without it, nothing can live. Water is an image used often in Scripture. When Jesus emerged from the River Jordan having been baptized by his cousin, John, He used the imagery to help people understand that by trusting in Him, they would live forever. John 7:38 says, "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.'" Did you catch that? You must believe tha...
Jun 18, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 272
It’s no accident that Jesus chose as some of His apostles a group of fishermen from Galilee. These were men who could understand Him when Jesus told them He would make them “fishers of men.” He meant, of course, that they would share the Good News about Him with everyone they came in contact with. That’s exactly what each of them did, for the rest of their lives! John 7:38 says, "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.'" Fishing requires ...
Jun 17, 2019•1 min•Season 1Ep. 271
Who do you put your faith in? In the 1930s, as war approached in Europe, the British loved their monarchs. The royal family has been beloved for generations, and King Edward the 8th was ready to take his place on the throne after the death of his father. The people loved the dashing young king, and he seemed to enjoy his role. Then he fell in love. Falling in love isn’t a bad thing, even for kings, but Edward loved an American woman who was divorced. In royal society, that just wasn’t done. So i...
Jun 14, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 270
If Genesis describes the beginnings of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the book of Revelation finishes the story. Revelation 19 tells us that a descendent of Judah, Jacob’s son, will one day come and rule the whole world. And He will be unlike any other king in history. 1 Timothy 1:17 - All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. This verse tells us that the role of the greatest of all kings belongs to Christ alone. T...
Jun 13, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 269
In the Bible, we read of family records that were the original genealogy sources! People knew where they came from, knew their kin. The 12 tribes of Israel were first outlined in Genesis, and from these 12 came an entire nation. Even Jesus came from somewhere! One of the Bible’s patriarchs, Jacob, had a son named Judah. The father calls the son a lion’s cub, and blesses him. Judah is told he will have favor in the family. 1 Timothy 1:17 - All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the et...
Jun 12, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 268
Have you ever heard of the legendary English king, Arthur? An iconic figure in history, he led a defense of his country against Saxon invaders around 1,500 years ago. He has also been immortalized in literature. Only one problem: We don’t know if he actually existed. We certainly don’t know where he’s buried. And it’s a sure thing that King Arthur, if he lived, wasn’t history’s greatest ruler. 1 Timothy 1:17 - All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one wh...
Jun 11, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 267
Do you know Who Jesus is? Do you really understand His identity? We know from the Bible that He is many things: a child, a carpenter, a leader of men. We know that He is our Savior, the One who went to the cross to take on our sin. He is also our King. 1 Timothy 1:17 - All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen. In this letter to his young friend, Paul emphasized to Timothy that Jesus has dominion over everything and ...
Jun 10, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 266
You’ve heard people say that they’ve put down deep roots, right? Usually, they’re not talking about gardening, but about the roots of their lives. Family. Friends. A career. A church home. We all want to belong. We want to be planted deep in the soil of community. 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." If you are se...
Jun 07, 2019•3 min•Season 1Ep. 265
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 th...
Jun 06, 2019•3 min•Season 1Ep. 264
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be an original settler 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,...
Jun 05, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 263
The giant redwoods of the American Pacific Northwest are among nature’s most beautiful scenes. As tall as skyscrapers, and big enough to drive a truck through. It is said that the redwoods are so powerful and strong in part because even these plants have a sense of community. Separated, or as a single tree, the root system is more vulnerable. But planted with partners all around, the picture changes completely. The redwood becomes tall and strong. Colossians 2:6-7 says, "So then, just as you rec...
Jun 04, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 262
Roaming, travel, wandering…all have been part of the human psyche since the beginning. Because we all have that God-shaped hole in us, needing to be filled with Him, we search. Some find God, some don’t. The sense of aimlessness and lack of purpose haunts some. We think of the classic novel by Jack Kerouac, On the Road, which is the story of two characters traveling the country. At first the lure of freedom is fun to think about, but the truth is, if people don’t fill that God-shaped hole with G...
Jun 03, 2019•2 min•Season 1Ep. 261
