When God asks us to love our neighbor as ourselves, what exactly does He mean? In Luke 10 verses 25–37, Jesus shares the Parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate what it means to love our neighbors the way Jesus loves us. “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too...
Dec 09, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1706
Are you comfortable in your life? This is a little different than asking if you’re always happy, or living in some sort of paradise. Comfortable just means you are relatively peaceful and content with your situation. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it can be dangerous in a spiritual sense. Jesus calls us to something more. Mark 16:15 says, “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.’” Of the 200 or so nations in the world today, a good portion of them hav...
Dec 06, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1705
Today, we’re continuing our series on sharing the gospel, and what we’re covering today is about the Great Commission. Have you heard that term before? Christianity’s great at using terms the general public isn’t familiar with, and sometimes we use terms even we aren’t familiar with as believers. A recent study shows that more than 50% of U.S. churchgoers don’t know what that term Great Commission means. And when asked if they had heard of the Great Commission, half of U.S. churchgoers say they ...
Dec 05, 2024•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1704
Have you ever known someone who inherited something of great value from an obscure relative? It happens…maybe in a movie or something. The will is read by an attorney and all of a sudden, the beneficiary goes from struggling to pay the rent to needing a financial planner. It can be an exciting time, even disorienting. The only downside to receiving a large inheritance is the knowledge that someday it will run out, or you die and can’t take it with you. That’s why the Bible’s revelations about et...
Dec 04, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1703
Table salt today is so common, it becomes another thing we take for granted. You go to the store, pick a cylinder or jar of salt off the shelf, and then go home. You don’t even think about it. Now, consider that 1,000 and more years ago, if a person wanted to use salt on his dinner, this required some prior work. A lot of work! The Romans boiled seawater in huge, lead-lined pans. So valuable was salt in the Roman Empire, it was used as currency! Mainly, it was used as a critical food preservativ...
Dec 03, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1702
Kerusso exists to tell people about the Good News of Jesus Christ, but somehow in our information-jacked world, culture has moved further away from understanding who the most famous person in history really is. Millions of books and articles have been written about a carpenter who lived in the Middle East 2000 years ago, and Jesus has been identified as anything from a desert mystic to God Himself. Historically, He was born into a Jewish family in Judea at the time the Roman Empire controlled th...
Dec 02, 2024•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1701
Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday—it’s an attitude we can choose to fill our hearts with every day. The Bible shares many examples of gratitude in the midst of challenging circumstances. Imagine Mary, a young Galilean girl, given the news that she was to be the mother of the Messiah. She didn’t panic or protest. Instead, she embraced the news and nurtured the One who would bring healing to the whole world. The story in Luke 17 tells us that of the 10 lepers who were healed, only one returned to ...
Nov 29, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1700
New York Times writer Arthur Brooks once cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for his in-laws in Spain. Over dinner, a couple of questions were asked. The first, “What does this beast eat to be so filled with bread?,” and then, “Should you celebrate this holiday even if you don't feel grateful?” The first question is just funny. The second should give us all pause. Being grateful is a state of mind. It’s intentional. Too many times, we get caught up in what we don’t have, and let’s be honest, as America...
Nov 28, 2024•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1699
Malala Yousafzai is a Pakistani activist working for education and women. In 2005, while riding on a bus, she was shot in the head by a member of the Taliban, and the attack was revenge for her activism. Incredibly, Malala recovered from her gruesome injury and today considers herself an ambassador of gratefulness. Here’s a quote: “I can speak. I can see you, I can see everyone, and today I can speak and I’m getting better day by day, it’s just because of the prayers of the people and because of...
Nov 27, 2024•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1698
You’ve heard that every good thing comes from God, right? It’s true. He is our example, both of how to live and how to react to others. This week we’re talking about practicing gratitude, and as usual, God shows us the way. Psalm 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Often we can become disappointed if we don’t get everything we think we should have. But that’s a dead end when it comes to true happiness and peace. And those are things we all really, dee...
Nov 26, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1697
Isn’t it fascinating that a secular definition of the word blessed is “made holy; or consecrated.” It seems the whole world really knows, even deep down, that blessings are from God. Psalm 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” As we focus on thankfulness and blessings this week, in this season of Thanksgiving, we are instructed to actually thank God for the ways in which He has blessed us. There are too many to count! The Psalm tells us several things a...
Nov 25, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1696
Since before the world was created, God has had a master plan to deliver people from evil. He cared for us so much that he was willing to endure pain to redeem us. In Acts 14:20, we read about Jesus and the disciples preaching in a city called Derbe. It says that Jesus then was busy, strengthening the souls of His disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations, we must enter the kingdom of God. God wants us to know that the journey we are on ends ...
Nov 22, 2024•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1695
That song, Are You Lonesome Tonight by Elvis was a mega hit. And it’s been around a long time. Why? Because it’s a universal story. Everyone gets lonely sometimes. God knew we’d battle loneliness. He knew our world would present a crazy number of challenges, and that’s why He spends so much time in His Word reassuring us of His love and commitment to us. The Psalms are largely about David’s loneliness and God’s provision for him in that season. Leaders get lonely too, as we see in the stories of...
Nov 21, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1694
Janet remembered how alive she had felt when she was disciplined in her prayer life and Bible study. She surprised herself one day when she blurted out, “I could think clearer, before I got mentally lazy!” Just saying it out loud kicked her out of the fog that she’d been in since forever. Joshua 22:5 says, “Love the Lord your God, walk in all his ways, obey his commands, hold firmly to him, and serve him with all your heart and all your soul.” The enemy wants to distract us from our God-given mi...
Nov 20, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1693
Kelly had felt alone for years. Since childhood, in fact. At 26, she didn’t like it anymore and she decided to do something about it. Not a naturally outgoing person, Kelly began volunteering in a local women’s shelter. She learned quickly to listen to other people’s problems she had herself never experienced, and she found that helping someone else made her feel better—physically and emotionally. Within a year, she decided to make a change, finish her degree, and become a counselor. She realize...
Nov 19, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1692
It’s amazing how important the right perspective is in helping us maintain a healthy balance in every area of life. Alphonse Karr has said, “Some people grumble that roses have thorns. I’m grateful that thorns have roses.” Isn’t that amazing? It’s so common to gripe and complain about negatives, yet we don’t see the great things right in front of our faces. Derek Carpenter has written, “The benefits of practicing gratitude are nearly endless. People who regularly practice gratitude by taking tim...
Nov 18, 2024•3 min•Season 1Ep. 1691
Charles McGee is one of those improbable heroes. Part of the reason is because he started life with obstacles to overcome—just because of the color of his skin. He is now the last surviving member of the famous Tuskegee Airmen. This was an incredible group of pilots made up of African Americans during World War 2. He pushed to achieve great things, and God was with him every step. 1 John 5:4 says, “For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, eve...
Nov 15, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1690
Donna and Betty were sisters, but in midlife they were both tired of the fighting and the mistrust and the hurt. Each had their grievances. Both were stubborn. Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!” At one particular time of the year, Betty heard this verse spoken in a service. And here’s an ironic thing: of the two sisters, most people would agree she was definitely the most stubborn! But that day she did an amazing thing. She went home and she ...
Nov 14, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1689
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...
Nov 13, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1688
Joshua was called by God to lead the 12 tribes of Israel after the death of Moses. Those were some pretty big shoes to fill, and the Lord chose Joshua because he was faithful. Joshua knew that when he called on God in times of trouble, He would answer. In one powerful example, Joshua asked God to cause the moon and the sun to stand still so that he and his army could continue fighting a difficult battle by daylight. Joshua 10:12–13 says, “On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Jos...
Nov 12, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1687
Seventy five 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. And 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 ...
Nov 11, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1686
Have you ever been really angry at someone, and had a tough time letting it go? Maybe a work colleague let you down, or got you in trouble with the boss. Maybe family drama is dragging you down, and there are unresolved hurt feelings. Maybe your spouse betrayed you, and you aren’t sure how to move past it. Unforgiveness in our lives is painful, and as believers, it can affect our prayer life, and even our relationship with the Lord. Mark 11:25 says, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anyth...
Nov 08, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1685
In thinking about different kinds of love, it’s a beautiful thing to realize that God has placed certain people in our lives for specific reasons. Friendship is one of His greatest gifts to us, of all time. Proverbs 17:17 says, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Do you have someone in your life that’s not blood-related, but it sure feels like it? In fact, beautiful friendships often feel like a closer relation, than biological family! Notice what the writer of Pr...
Nov 07, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1684
You’ve heard that joke about family gatherings, haven’t you? If you weren’t related to these people, you’d never see them. What a horrible punchline, really. 1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” God’s world has purpose in everything. Everything. He gave you a specific family for specific reasons. It’s super easy to be nice to people we aren’t around very much. Short-term “love” is pretty common. It’s when we get in close qua...
Nov 06, 2024•1 min•Season 1Ep. 1683
As citizens of the United States of America, our nation’s leaders have always acknowledged God, even if some of them haven’t always been model Christians. For one thing, no one can occupy the Oval Office and not lay aside some pride. And if our nation’s spiritual health has sometimes been less-than-desired, there is a unity that we all enjoy. This community spirit has made America a very interesting experiment. Romans 8:31 tells us, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” We’re now more than ...
Nov 05, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1682
You may have heard someone say before that they’ve put down deep roots. 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...
Nov 04, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1681
Jesus, the greatest teacher who ever lived, spent a lot of time giving out wisdom in the form of stories. Once, he told His disciples a story that illustrated the importance of understanding that God never quits us, and we should not quit Him. Luke 18:1 says, “One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.” That story was about a woman who didn’t give up in her pursuit of justice. Jesus then said that God hears our pleas for what we need, and He ...
Nov 01, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1680
Have you ever been in such a dark place that you wondered if God cares about you, or if He even exists? Maybe it’s all some cosmic joke, right? We’ve all been there. Humans doubt. We doubt ourselves, we doubt product labels, we doubt our kids. We question everything. But the worst one is trying to figure out where God is in the middle of life’s great difficulties. Sometimes the world is just flat-out mean, and it seems like it’s an entity that’s trying to break you in half. It’s in this very mom...
Oct 31, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1679
At an address in Columbus Ohio in 1900, former slave Booker T. Washington kept the room spellbound. This man, who had built Tuskegee Institute to lift blacks out of economic bondage, was revered around the world. But he said something that surprised more than a few in the audience. He said that one of his main priorities for the Institute was hiring more Bible teachers! Washington, who had been forced to work in an evil system, once felt powerless. Yes, an American president legally freed the sl...
Oct 30, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1678
Bill was a very successful businessman for a lot of years. About 10 years ahead of retirement, he decided to entrust a lot of money to the investment wizardry of Bernie Madoff. And when Madoff’s Ponzi scheme imploded, Bill joined many others who now had to wonder where their money went. And he thought of suicide. For fully two years, he struggled to get out of bed. He felt sapped of energy every waking moment. Then, on a park bench one afternoon, he met Mildred, who shared the Good News of Jesus...
Oct 29, 2024•2 min•Season 1Ep. 1677
