Be encourage with biblical encouragement and inspiration from Pastor Kevin Berry. Receive leadership tips to succeed in your work or daily life, follow along with daily devotionals, and receive practical steps to walk out your Christian life.
Today’s reading from The One Year Bible:
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body;
jealousy is like cancer in the bones.
– Proverbs 14:30
As I read this the other day my heart leaped. That’s what I need—a peaceful heart. There are so many things that come to rob our peace. The world is full of peace stealers. I’ve found that there are people who seem to suck the life out of me and others who tend to breathe life into me. But the truth is, nobody can take my peace away. However, I can choose to give it away.
Renee and I recently went to see comedian Brian Regan. I loved it when he painted a picture of what it would be like to be the president. He said, “Everyday you would be woken up by someone nudging you saying, ‘problems, problems, problems.’ Who wants that job?” But it’s not just the president! It’s every busy mom, it’s the dad who is trying to lead his family, it’s the hard-working business owner.
Renee told me she had a picture for me. It was me being woken up every day by the Lord and He was gently nudging me saying, “peace, grace, mercy.” I love it! Everyday you can choose to walk with a peaceful heart, or you can let somebody else take your peace—but it’s your call. It has become my number one personal goal this year to walk in a peaceful heart every day. Why? Because a peaceful heart leads to a healthy body, a healthy way of hearing, a healthy way of seeing, a healthy way of living.
When you have a peaceful heart, you can become the person who just cannot be offended. The person who forgives more than they judge. The person who prays more than they blame. The victor, not the victim. The person who hopes for the best and defends the rest.
My friend, the Lord Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace, is inviting you to walk the rest of this year with a peaceful heart. Come join me and discover what a peaceful heart can do for every area of your life.
In just a couple weeks, we are going to start a verse-by-verse study of the Book of Mark. Bring your Bibles for this exciting journey.
Now, may the Lord cause His face to shine upon you, may the Lord be gracious to you, and may the Lord give you peace!
Today’s reading from The One Year Bible:
Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. – Psalms 103:2-3
In the First World War, a young man had been wounded. The medic who came to treat him said, “I am sorry, but you have lost your arm.” The young soldier replied, “Doctor, I didn’t lose it. I gave it.” Jesus did not lose His life, He gave it—for you!
Jesus came “to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). At the last supper, when Jesus took the cup, He said, “This is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24). The “precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:19) is stressed throughout the whole New Testament:
You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel. – Hebrews 12:24
Did you catch that? The call is to come to Jesus… and to the sprinkled blood. Have you come to Jesus? Have you come to the sprinkled blood? As we come to the conclusion of our study, “Lessons from the Cross,” I want to encourage you to take notice of the blood. Anyone standing around a crucifixion could not help but notice the blood. But with Jesus, that blood was different. It was not the blood of a man… it was the blood of God spilled out for you and me. Oh, may the Holy Spirit give you revelation to all that the blood has purchased for you.
Thanks for joining me for the first three days of May as we pray and fast together. I hope to see you this Wednesday night at the prayer gathering and at the Amazing Love Family Conference this weekend.
Today’s reading from The One Year Bible:
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” – John 1:29
The first thing John the Baptist said about Jesus is found right here,“the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” A lamb was known for one thing—being the sacrifice, the substitute for sin. The lamb was enough to cover your sins. Jesus was going to be the one-time sacrifice for the sins, not of one man, but of all of mankind! His blood, the precious blood of Jesus, is what makes you right in God’s eyes. It is the blood of Jesus that forgives sin and makes you enough!
Have you ever felt like you are not enough? If you’ve lived with someone that you seem to never be able to please, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. No matter how hard you try, it’s just never enough. It’s a horrible place to be, to feel that you are just not enough. Either you don’t know enough, you don’t do enough, you don’t perform well enough, you don’t pray enough, you don’t… and so the list goes on.
This feeling of not being enough is ugly and relentless. I’m not alone here and neither are you. Jesus also knew it all too well. They did not think He was enough. He did not do enough miracles for some; for others He did too many miracles. Out of all the good that He did, all the miracles He did, all the provision He gave, all the teaching He gave… it was not enough, so they cried, “Crucify Him!”
Thanks be to Jesus. He made you and me enough! When it comes to relationship with you, Jesus says, “You’re enough!” You’re not in the process of trying to achieve enough. When the Father looks at you, He sees Jesus! The blood of Jesus is enough to wash away every sin. The blood of Jesus is enough to protect and heal you. It’s what the blood has made you that you have to let sink in. Oh, what endless striving will finally come to an end when you know He has made you enough. He has qualified you—qualified to be enough, to have enough competency. That, my friend, is you in Christ Jesus.
It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own.
Our qualification comes from God. – 2 Corinthians 3:5
The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”
Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.” – Luke 10:37
When I went to elementary school, we had something called “Show and Tell.” It’s simple – you bring something random with you, show everybody what it is, and tell them about it.
Mercy is kind of like that. It can’t be just talked about… it has to be shown, too! In our Bible reading today, we see Jesus telling a man about the Good Samaritan. “Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked. The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy!”
What is mercy? How can you show mercy, unless you know what mercy is? Mercy is kindness beyond what can be claimed or expected. Mercy isn’t pity; it’s power working for you!
Mercy can be exercised only where there is guilt! It is a pardon for the crimes of the guilty. Will you pause right now and think about how God has shown mercy to you? See Jesus on the cross—the One without guilt being treated like the guilty. He took your guilt and mine. He was utterly despised so you could be accepted. And He was absolutely hated so you could be loved supremely.
Understanding God’s mercy toward us, and the mercy He calls us to extend to others, is hard to wrap our minds around. After all, we learn early on things like: “No pain, no gain; You get what you work for; If you perform well, you get the rewards.” But grace and mercy step in and mess all that up.
God’s mercy is extended to you not because your character is so good,
but on the basis of His Character!
Before you move on, slow down long enough to see Jesus on the cross for you. See mercy being shown to you. Now, thank Him.
Today’s reading from The One Year Bible:
“As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” – Luke 9:51
When do you find yourself needing a good dose of courage? When you need to make a difficult decision? When you get bad news? Then there are times when it’s like giving birth. You know something really good is about to happen, but first you need the courage to push!
I think this was the case with Jesus. As the time drew near for Him to ascend to Heaven, Jesus set out courageously! I want to encourage you today, my friend. As the time draws near for you to receive the promise… as the time draws near for you to live out your purpose… as the time draws near for you to rise up to another level—take courage!
With determination in each step and confidence in your eyes, step out resolutely for the path that God has marked for you. Hey, remember this, God is with you. The pain you are experiencing now will pass. What happened in the past is in the past… leave it there. Keep your eyes on the prize. Your biggest and brightest days are not the days behind you, but the days just ahead of you!
Jesus, with great courage and resolve, set out for the cross—the cross on which He would be crucified, the cross He would teach from. It was on this cross that Jesus, God’s Son, would pay the penalty for the sins of mankind, for your sin and mine. How could He have the courage to willingly face something as horrific as the crucifixion? He was looking at the resurrection. He was looking at you.
Join me today as we begin a study from God’s word at Mount Hope Church: Lessons From The Cross. Let’s discover the lessons Jesus taught while hanging on the cross—lessons that still speak to us today!
Today’s reading from the One Year Bible:
“About eight days later Jesus took Peter, John, and James up on a mountain to pray… Peter and the others had fallen asleep…” – Luke 9:28, 32
Jesus invited Peter, James, and John to a prayer meeting on a mountain. [Side note: When Jesus invites you to a prayer meeting, it’s going to rock! Something significant is going to take place.]
What Jesus invited the disciples to was a time of encounter, something supernatural. They were about to see some things they had never seen before. They were going to be part of an encounter with God!
Sure enough, as Jesus was praying, the appearance of His face was transformed; even His clothes were transformed. Then suddenly Moses and Elijah showed up, talking to Jesus about His soon exodus from this world. What were Peter and the guys doing? Sleeping. What?!?
They almost slept through the entire experience.
I don’t want to sleep through what Jesus invited me to experience. I don’t you want you to doze off and miss the encounter God is inviting you to. Today and every day, you have the opportunity to encounter God and experience the joy of His presence, the peace that comes from the Prince of Peace, and communion with the Holy Spirit.
Peter and the guys woke up right when Moses and Elijah started to leave. Peter, probably still rubbing his eyes, started talking about how great this whole thing was. “Then a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him’” (Luke 9:35).
There it is, the great secret to times of encounter with God: Stay awake and listen to Him.
Thank you for joining me for three days of prayer and fasting as we start the month of April. May the Lord bless you, may you have times of encounter with the Holy Spirit. May you be wide awake so you can take in all God has planned for you, and may you have ears to listen to Him.
There is something very important and heavy on my heart that I want to talk to you about—marriage and divorce. You may hear often about marriage and family in church circles. We know that marriage was God’s idea, He loves marriage, and that there are blessings that come with the marriage covenant. But what you don’t hear much about is divorce, yet it plagues so many. For them, their dream of what they thought marriage would be was hit with disaster.
I have cried with friends who were divorced. It’s not what they signed up for. It’s not what they wanted. For them, divorce was something that happened to other people, but of course would never happen to them… but then it did. Through the tears, I have seen the pain of being rejected and the broken heart that came with the broken covenant.
What does God say about divorce? How can a couple stay together in a world where divorce is the norm? What hope does He give?
“For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.” – Malachi 2:16
But God made them male and female from the beginning of creation. This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.” – Mark 10:6-9
Why does God hate divorce? It goes against His nature. It’s the nature of God to join together, accept, and create a covenant relationship. It’s the nature of the enemy to separate, reject, and break a covenant. God hates the overwhelming cruelty, pain, and brokenness that come with divorce.
Hey, if you have been through the pain of divorce… if you were served divorce papers… if somebody rejected you… listen to me real closely—Jesus accepts you! You are the beloved. The Lord is close to you; He’s close to the brokenhearted. The Lord, your healer, can mend your broken heart and restore life to you! Just because someone said it’s over… you are not over.
If you are facing significant challenges, there is hope for you! God is into the restoration business. He’s into making everything new. He’s great at taking what is broken and making it healed. It’s not too late for you. Jesus, who raised the dead back to life, can raise a dead marriage back to life. It’s true, my friend, nothing is impossible with God… nothing!
Love ya,
Pastor Kev
March 3: Today’s reading from The One Year Bible:
“I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
– Mark 11:23-25
I was in an airport recently when I noticed something very strange – people kept talking to themselves. Some were facing a wall and talking to it; others… well, I don’t know who they were talking to. Nobody else was around but they were chatting up a storm. How weird is that?
Eventually, I discovered that they had a Bluetooth device in their ears and they were talking on the phone, but it just looked weird! I guess sometimes things that look odd at a first glance are actually just fine.
Jesus taught us to do something that may look odd, but in reality it’s always the right thing to do. When you face a mountain—a challenge of some sort—talk to it! You can talk aboutit, or you can talk to it. And talking with faith to your mountain is a whole lot more valuable than just talking about it! I’ve heard it said like this – You can make excuses or you can make progress, but you can’t do both!
What is it you are facing today? What challenge sits in front of you and looks like a mountain that can’t be moved? Jesus gives us a strategy that may look a bit odd at first, but it brings results! Here it is:
And now may God give you the gift of faith. May He grant you eyes to see what is coming, not just what is today. May He fill you with His Holy Spirit. May you walk in the fullness of His joy today.
“They were now on the way up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. The disciples were filled with awe, and the people following behind were overwhelmed with fear.” – Mark 10:32
Why would the disciples be filled with awe? Why were others overwhelmed with fear? I mean, this is Jesus we are talking about! Most people were filled with hope when Jesus was walking by, but this day was different. Jesus was walking into Jerusalem—the place where the religious leaders wanted to kill Him. He knew it… the disciples knew it. They were in awe because of the amazing courage Jesus displayed. He wasn’t walking behind them to hide. Instead, He was walking ahead of them, right toward the cross!
Here’s the thing—that same courageous Jesus lives inside you! In the face of everything that is overwhelming to you, during times of deep discouragement when it feels like everything and everyone is against you, TAKE COURAGE! Rise up, lift up your head! Fix your eyes on what lies before you. Do not be sidetracked by the challenges that lie in front of you. Press into the presence of the Lord. He is a warrior, and it’s in these moments that He wants to rise up on the inside of you with a bold courage.
Renee and I were talking last night about how a mother bear, when provoked, comes out fighting. When it comes to protecting her own, she is willing to fight, even if it means her own life. Something happens when we need to protect our children… when we feel pushed into a corner. We tap into a strength that we didn’t think we had. We become fearless, courageous… it’s the very nature of God inside of us! Moses declared:
“The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is his name!” – Exodus 15:3
Jesus had courage to walk toward His death because He knew it was not going to be the end of the story! He knew that three days later, there would be a resurrection; it would be the beginning of a new and better covenant. Take courage, my friend – it’s not the end of the story for you. It’s the beginning of something brand new!
Blessings!
Your Pastor and Friend,
Kevin Berry