Adam, a first time father, looked down at his newborn son with love. Adam and his wife had made mistakes in the past and suffered greatly for it, but this child, their firstborn, was a chance to start fresh. The new family didn’t have the support of friends or relatives, but they did their best, and figured it out as they went along. When the family was blessed with another son a few years later, they were so grateful to the Lord, and excited to watch their boys grow and play together. The famil...
Jun 12, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1316
Welcome back. Today, we are wrapping up our series on forgiveness. In the final chapter, we're talking about the emotional benefits of forgiveness. In Christ, we experience peace that is so remarkable, it isn't naturally part of this world. As we think about the power forgiveness has for us and others, let's think about how forgiving someone lifts a huge burden off our minds. Matthew 5:23–24 says, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has so...
Jun 09, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1315
Welcome back to our series on forgiveness. Today, we're talking about the physical benefits of forgiveness. There are several stories in the Bible that tell us when God's people obey Him, they are in better physical and emotional shape. Remember, Daniel and his friends refused to eat the rich food sent by the king. After several weeks of their own diet, they emerged healthier than other young men in the Babylonian kingdom. So too do we learn that an attitude of forgiveness leads to peace. In Mat...
Jun 08, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1314
The story of the Prodigal Son is one we can all relate to. The Bible tells the story of a brash young man who leaves his home after asking for his inheritance. His loving father complies, and let’s just say the son learns some valuable lessons on his travels. Eventually, he humbles himself and comes home; he needs his father and his family. It’s really a story of Jesus and us. 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.” We scr...
Jun 07, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1313
One of the most corrosive elements in the human character is unforgiveness. Bitterness and fighting in relationships is really a drain. Physically and emotionally, we’re simply not wired to survive long-term problems in this area. According to Dr. Michael Berry, 61% of cancer patients have forgiveness issues. And Dr. Karen Schwartz of the Johns Hopkins Hospital confirms that the hurt and disappointment associated with forgiveness issues can spike incidents of heart disease, depression, and diabe...
Jun 06, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1312
Welcome to the Kerusso Daily Devotional. Today, we're kicking off a series on a topic all of us probably need a reminder about from time to time: forgiveness. Even though most US homes have at least one copy of the Bible, few know what's in it. There are all sorts of things: wisdom for living, history, spiritual food. It's the Bible's practical value that hooks most people who read it. The Bible says a lot about money, how to raise kids, and even how to strengthen your marriage. It also tells us...
Jun 05, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1311
Scores of people today, even in many of our churches, walk around aimless. They work their jobs and take care of their families, but they struggle to understand what it is that God wants them to do. He’s told us in His Word! As with every other situation, His Word speaks directly to our circumstances. Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” The Lord requires of us that we ...
Jun 02, 2023•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1310
Jill felt like she couldn’t keep up anymore. Four years out of college, she was doing well in her chosen career. But it had not only taken her far from home, it took her away from the values she had known her whole life. This new place she lived in pressed in on her mind and heart. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” Burdened by her stresses, Jill realized something had to change. But in that unique way He has, God showed her that she didn’t necess...
Jun 01, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1309
Carl loved working on his farm. He loved the solitude and sense of accomplishment. One day though, working alone, he was injured severely. In fact, if he didn’t get to the hospital, he would likely die. So, he banged the door of his old pickup shut and took off. He pulled into the hospital parking lot and lost what little consciousness he had. Waking up 24 hours later after surgery, he realized he remembered nothing of his injury or even getting to the hospital. In effect, the God he loved and t...
May 31, 2023•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1308
Does your life feel out of control? Are you experiencing that common feeling of weaving down a busy highway, about to crash? It’s a metaphor for life that many of us internalize at some point. All of a sudden, what you were sure of isn’t there anymore. You might as well be behind the wheel of a fast car that’s heading into oncoming traffic. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” This isn’t some nice little bit of wisdom someone put on a greeting card....
May 30, 2023•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1307
Most of us feel a deep respect in our hearts for those who have sacrificed so that we can remain free. Loving those who have paid the ultimate price is just something we do as people. We pause to remember each year. Isaiah 56:5 says, “To them I will give within my temple and its walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that will endure forever.” God instituted the concept of maintaining memorials. He remembers, and so do we. Maybe you’ve ha...
May 29, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1306
Today we're in part five of five, the final chapter of our series on doubt. If you're working your way toward belief and away from doubt, by now you must assume that God exists. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering or extraordinarily patient toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.” The cornerstone of the Christian fait...
May 26, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1305
Today we're continuing our series on doubt. We're in part four of five. A political science major at a major university was having coffee with a campus pastor. The pastor knew that the student was wrestling with doubt about the existence of God and said to him, “John, you know all of us wonder at some point if it's all real or not. For example, there are quite a few stories in the Bible that are just hard to believe. Jonah and the whale and all that.” John smiled and said, “No, that's not my pro...
May 25, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1304
Today we're continuing our series on doubt. We're in part three of five. Because there's so much easy access to information and ideas today, we can take in a huge amount of stuff. The downside is that much of it is just noise, and a lot of it simply isn't true. What we hear, even if it sounds good, is not always good for us, especially when we're talking about spiritual doubt. There are many opinions floating around out there on the subject. For instance, some will say that doubt is really somet...
May 24, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1303
Have you ever wondered about how convinced well-known Christians are of their faith? We all know they never doubt, right? Wrong. Today, we're continuing our series on doubt, we are in part two of five. We're talking about doubt all week. A well-known preacher, Charles Spurgeon once said of doubt, “I think when a man says, ‘I never doubt,’ it is quite time for us to doubt him.” Doubt is a fact of life for many of us, although most don't like to admit it. In fact, doubt's mentioned often in the Bi...
May 23, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1302
Some of the most important conversations we have can be the most uncomfortable, and when it comes to faith, doubt is near the top of that list. Today, we're launching a five-part series on the topic of doubt. Many Christians wrestle with doubt, but who wants to admit that their foundational beliefs are not so firm? Not long ago, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, openly admitted that he's questioned if God is real. When the head of the Church of England says something like that, it make...
May 22, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1301
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, and 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 w...
May 19, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1300
Part of the joy of being a believer is that we can share the Good News with literally anyone and everyone. And how we share that faith is often critical for the other person’s future. 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.” As we share this week about holding fast to faith, it should be obvious that we are greatly blessed to be able to show others the way. And in tha...
May 18, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1299
Our world needs many things. We have political concerns, environmental concerns, broken relationships, and disease that still stalks too many countries. It’s also true that God doesn’t leave us in despair. He doesn’t allow our problems to overcome us, if we trust Him. Romans 15:13 says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This is our anchor, the blessing of hope. This week we’re talking abo...
May 17, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1298
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 al...
May 16, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1297
When you think of ships, whether you’re thinking of the Titanic, pirate ships, or trading vessels crossing the vast ocean to bring goods and services from one country to another, you probably picture them with an anchor—a heavy metal hook designed to catch on the ocean floor and keep a boat or ship in place. Wikipedia says this about anchors: There are two main types of anchors: temporary and permanent. A permanent anchor is called a mooring block and is not easily moved. A temporary anchor can ...
May 15, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1296
Hers is the greatest motherhood story of all time. You know who she is. Magnificent Mary! Her story has been told many times, but how grateful we are that it’s recorded in Scripture. Whatever God’s reasons for choosing this particular woman to give birth to Jesus, we know that she must have loved the Lord with all her heart. And just think how her head and heart must have been spinning when the angel visited her and told her the special job God was going to give her! Luke 1:46–48 says, “And Mary...
May 12, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1295
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be close to Jesus when He was on the earth? It would have been amazing to be in His inner circle. We know of a remarkable woman, a family member, who would have been able to be around to watch that most amazing life unfold. Her name was Elizabeth. She was the aunt of Jesus, and she was also a mother. We read in Luke that everyone thought that the time for Elizabeth to become a mother was past. In those days people thought sin prevented pregn...
May 11, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1294
Are you a woman blessed with the gift of a wonderful mother-in-law? We can hardly think of a more important relationship. Through the ages, this mentoring friendship has sealed families and nurtured them. Likewise, we easily see the pain inflicted when this relationship isn’t good. In the Old Testament, we read of a really remarkable mother-in-law. She showed great kindness to a young woman at just the right moment. After returning home to Bethlehem after a famine is over, Naomi wants the best f...
May 10, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1293
We don’t even know her name, but we know what she did. Let’s just say there was great strength in her household! Known only as the wife of Manoah, from the Israelite tribe of Dan, this godly woman was unable to have children. But then, in a kind of foreshadowing of another, more famous visit by an angel hundreds of years later, she was told by the Angel of the Lord that she would become pregnant and have a son. Samson! Judges 13:24 says, “The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He gr...
May 09, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1292
She’s not very well known, even though she’s in the Bible. But Jochebed…who’s heard of her? Raise your hands. This great woman deserves a bigger story in our culture, because she modeled what it means to act with bravery, and to value all life. Exodus 2:3 says, “But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” Jochebed, you see, was the mother of Moses....
May 08, 2023•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1291
Communism kept half of Europe locked up for much of the 20th century. For 75 years, the oppressive system took most freedoms away from its ordinary citizens. The political system responsible for tens of millions of deaths seemed almost indestructible. Then, almost suddenly, the system built on restricting freedom just collapsed. The end came so quickly that all the most experienced analysts and diplomats were caught off guard. How did that amazing turnaround happen? It didn't happen with guns an...
May 05, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1290
Today we conclude our four-part series on prayer, Prayer 101. The big question for today is, "Does God always answer prayer?" Since prayer is, by nature, personal, we often want to know how things are going to turn out, even before we start praying. We wonder if God will actually answer our prayer. Maybe not as dramatic as some stories, but still if we're honest, we would like an answer to our prayer. Why else ask? Luke 18:1 says, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they s...
May 04, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1289
Welcome back to Prayer 101. Today's big question is, “Should I pray to Jesus or to God?” Most people at one time or another wonder who they should address when starting a prayer. The Christian concept of the Trinity has caused people to hesitate to pray. It's like, “Who do I pray to?” Luke 6:12 says, “One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” Interestingly, when Jesus prayed, as recorded in the Bible, He prayed to His Father. This is a diff...
May 03, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1288
Welcome to prayer 101. The big question for today is: How do you develop a prayer life? The answer to how we develop a healthy prayer life is really not that complicated. It's all about choice. We can learn to pray first by reading scripture and taking notice of the hundreds of prayers offered by believers just like us. We can also talk with veterans of prayer in our own life, those who are older and deeper in their faith. Notice something about the prayers recorded in the Bible: they aren't con...
May 02, 2023•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1287
