June 30 – Middle of the Year – Where are We?

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:3-6 NIV

 

Are you making progress in becoming more like Jesus?

If we are to have the goal of being more like Jesus every day, then we need to know just what His traits are…His spiritual character traits to which we can attain—so that we can walk like Jesus walked. Here’s a list from which has been blogged. Check off the ones that you or your children have…or that you want to have as part of your character. Are there other characteristics on which you need to work?

¨  Love

¨  Commitment

¨  Obedience

¨  Joy

¨  Compassion

¨  Kindness

¨  Contentment

¨  Integrity

¨  Honesty

¨  Loyalty

¨  Perseverance

¨  Forgiving

¨  Humility

¨  Prayerful

¨  Servant

¨  Holiness

¨  Suffering

¨  Gratitude

¨  Goodness

¨  Faithfulness

¨  Generous

¨  Gentleness

¨  Self-Control

¨  Courage

¨  Peace

¨  Patience

¨  Discipline

¨  Responsible

¨  Dependable

¨  Respectful

¨  Reliable

¨  Creative

¨  Encouragement

¨  Optimistic

¨  Meekness

¨  Tactful

The following list is the characteristics we’ll look at these during the coming weeks. Check them off as we blog together…or check those you feel you need to address in your character or that of your children.

¨  Tolerance

¨  Vision

¨  Enthusiasm

¨  Endurance

¨  Grace

¨  Discretion

¨  Supportive

¨  Efficient

¨  Wisdom

¨  Attentiveness

¨  Teacher

¨  Listening

¨  Security

¨  Submissive

¨  Diligence

¨  Initiative

¨  Faith

¨  Fearless

¨  Flexibility

¨  Godly Priorities

¨  Hospitality

¨  Discreet

¨  Decisive

¨  Guidance

¨  Persuasiveness

¨  Purpose

¨  Prudence

¨  Avoid Anger

¨  Reverence

¨  Agreeable

¨  Appreciation

¨  Discernment

¨  Devotion

¨  Determination

¨  Virtue

¨  Zealous

¨  Selfless/Self-Sacrifice 

In addition…here are some other things we considered at the start this New Year. How are you doing mid-year? Is this the year…?

The year we have our break-through?

The year we get our priorities in order?

The year we keep our resolutions?

The year we reach our potential?

The year we stop making excuses?

The year we take responsibility for our situation?

The year we make good choices instead of bad mistakes?

The year we come to understand who we are in Christ?

The year we become obedient?

The year we have more fun than ever before?

The year we become the giver instead of the receiver?

The year we fully grasp how to walk in God's gifts to us?

2013...Is this the year? It is half over…there is still time to set your goals…and live more like Jesus.

Training Tip – At a family devotion time talk about how God wants us to be more like Jesus…and the character traits that you see in each of your family members. Ask them in what way would they like to be like Jesus—you may get some surprising answers. Set some goals for yourself and each of your children to work on one or more character traits from the lists above. 

 Lord—give us insight into Your character as we study You and seek to develop Your character traits in us and in the little children around us.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

June 29 – Tactful Words

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone. Colossians 4:6 NLT

 

Tactful is to be considerate and diplomatic towards others, considering their feelings and ideas. It is doing and saying the right thing. As Paul wrote in Colossians 4:6 …Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. Knowing how to respond to others is such an outstanding skill—a real gift from God. How many of us have foot in mouth disease at some time or other? I’ve been known to occasionally stick my foot in my mouth—not tasty. I wish I hadn’t said that—how uncouth! Well this is certainly a character trait on which I have room to grow! How about you?  

Training Tip – Put just a little flour, baking soda, salt, pepper, and a variety of herbs like parsley, oregano, dill, and basil on a plate. Have your kiddos wash their hands and let them dip their fingers in each of the seasonings to taste them. Read them the scripture from Colossians 4:6 above and talk about how saying the right thing is with kind words is like having tasty things…the salt gives good flavor to our food and in the right combination, so do the herbs. We want to say kind things to others and respond nicely when we talk to each other. 
 

Lord, let our conversation be gracious and tactful, considering others feelings. Help us to be kind and treat others the way we want to be treated—to say words to others that we would want to hear said to us. Just as You taught in Proverbs 3:26… LORD be my confidence and keep my foot from being caught...in my mouth.  

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

June 28 – Eat and Be Satisfied

The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the LORD that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. Psalm 22:26 KJV

But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 1 Peter 3:4 KJV

The opposite of meek is self willed. I’d say that self will includes arrogance, pride and selfishness. So someone who is meek is someone who is willing to put others first—to consider others needs before their own—someone who is following God closely. They are not the whiny, wimpy or one who, from Merriman-Webster’s Dictionary, is deficient in spirit and courage, or is submissive. Our culture tends to think of meek as a shy person who won’t stand up for themselves. That is not at all what we think of as we think of Jesus. He was strong and courageous…to the point of death on the cross. Humble and even quiet. That is a quality we would do well to strive after in our own character. I remember the day that I decided I want to be a quiet person…instead of a noisy, outspoken person. It was a good decision. Even now though there are days when I’m outspoken—but I hope I’m still humble as I express myself. What about you? Are you meek? Do you want to be known as a humble person?

Training Tip – Are your children ever satisfied when they eat? Sometimes it may seem like they are bottomless pits! Give them an opportunity to share their food with others, knowing that they will have plenty to eat at home. Summertime there is such an abundance of food. Find a food bank and take some fresh or canned food there. While you are there chat with the people distributing the food so that your children learn something about the people that will be coming to get your food.  

Teach your children the “Doxology” song that was written in 1674.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

We can praise God—He provides everything for us.  

Lord Jesus, we praise You for everything we have—our food, our homes, our family and our relationship to You. Thank you for abundantly blessing us that we can share with others. Help us to be like You—meek and humble, loving and kind. 

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

What kind of food satisfies you the most? Steak and potatoes, grilled cheese sandwiches, or maybe breakfast for supper? Recently for a Baby Shower for my niece, Michelle, I made an easy egg casserole that was just heavenly. 

Queen Anne’s Omelet Casserole

(Make the night before.)

Brown 1½ pounds pork sausage (Jimmy Dean’s natural is best.) Let cool while you mix up the other ingredients.

Beat 9 eggs, add 3 cups of milk, 1 tsp salt, 1½ tsp dry mustard.

Add 3 slices of bread, cut into ½ inch cubes. Stir in 1½ cups grated cheese and the browned sausage.  

Pour into a greased 9X13 inch glass baking dish. Refrigerate overnight.

Next morning bake at 350 ° F for 45 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.

Serves 12 – 16 people, depending on appetites and other side dishes.  Serve with fresh fruit like these raspberries right off the vine. Enjoy.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

June 27 – Inherit the Earth

But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psalm 37:11 KJV

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5 KJV 

In His Sermon on the Mount when Jesus taught all those people on the hillside above the Sea of Galilee He said… Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. When looking at scripture on meekness I discovered that this same phrase the meek shall inherit the earth is found in Psalm 37. It is amazing how much scripture is repeated in the Bible. When we visited Israel I commented to our tour guide about that fact that scripture is repeated…God is making sure that we get this teaching of His because not everyone reads all of the Bible. Well…his comment back was…everyone should read ALL of the Bible. And he is Jewish! Our Bible is not the same as his, since we have the New Testament. Interesting food for thought. 

So the meek will inherit the earth. What does it mean to “inherit” something? In the Hebrew and Greek these two translations of “inherit” are different. The passage from Psalms means to: 1) to take possession of 2) to inherit, 3) to impoverish, come to poverty, or be poor. The passage from Matthew means to: to receive a lot, receive by lot, a) especially to receive a part of an inheritance, receive as an inheritance, obtain by right of inheritance, or b) to be an heir, to inherit. No one wants to become “impoverished” so Jesus was really changing what had been said in Psalm to encourage the Israelites. 

The “earth” is also translated somewhat differently: in Psalms it is referencing the whole earth, as opposed to heaven. It can also mean the land of Canaan. Earth in Matthew it is referring to arable ground, or similarly land that is not heaven. So the humble people will get the good earth someday. I think Jesus was giving the people hope by saying that those who are not proud and haughty will be rewarded with land—land was a valuable thing during Jesus time—just as it is now. Good real estate is very valuable. Do you have some good real estate…or hope to inherit some? Stick with Jesus and we’ll have a little bit of Heaven one day. He has promised that He will prepare a place for us there. In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.  John 14:2. 

Training Tip – Get a little box or plastic jar and put some dirt in it from your yard. Tell your kiddos that when you die they will inherit your land and house. Don’t be morbid…just factual. That’s the way life is. Explain about inheriting things and land. Maybe you got your grandfather’s old car or rocking chair like my son and son-in-law did. The earth or land is what we all want to pass on to our children—just like Jesus said, the meek will inherit the earth. So give your children a little bit of your inheritance (dirt) now and tell them that their heavenly Father has an even better inheritance waiting for them—for you all.  

Lord Jesus, help us to be humble before You and others. Give us Your peace, strength and love that we may share it with others so that they too will inherit some of Your Kingdom someday.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

June 26 – An Attitude of Meekness

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Philippians 2:5-8 

Jesus was the creator of the universe, King of Kings, all powerful—and then He became a man. Not a king or famous political ruler, but a humble man who was willing to be a servant to His friends, associates and students. Willing to suffer and die for all of humanity. That is who Jesus was. Now He is a savior—risen from the grave, ruling Heaven with His father. He is building a new home for each of His believers (John 14:2-3) who will one day be there in Heaven with Him. His attitude was one of submission and obedience to His father. That should be our attitude, too. Attitude is what life is all about. Think about how much your own attitude influences everything you do and say. Change your attitude and it will change everything about your life. How do you change your attitude? Like anything else that is part of a habit...it will take at least 21 days. That means if you start today, then by July 18^th—you’ll have some differences in your life. It takes radical obedience to change any habit—that includes our attitude, too. Pray about this. What one attitude would the Lord want to change in you? Is it your attitude towards Him, your spouse, your children or your parenting skills, your work or job situation? Specifically choose one attitude to change and daily give God your old attitude and ask Him to give you a new one to take the old one’s place. Let me know how it goes. 

Training Tip – How much does meekness weigh? Have your children step onto a bathroom scales. Weigh them and record their weight. Then talk about this scripture passage and about how Jesus was humble and obedient—meek. Ask them if they want to be like Jesus and then ceremoniously put on them a pretend crown of obedience and meekness. Weigh them again. Any change? No—attitude does not weigh anything. It is in our hearts and lives, but it doesn’t weigh anything. Spiritual burdens are unseen—and may feel heavy. Why do we feel lighter if our burden is removed? Good question for discussion.

Lord Jesus, Thank you for carrying our heavy burdens for us. Help us to have an attitude of obedience and a willingness to serve others like You did.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

June 25 – Be Meekly Yoked Together

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 KJV

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30 NASB

In these two translations of this passage in Matthew 11, Jesus is telling us that He is meek, gentle, humble and lowly in heart. If we are to be like Jesus, then we need to be humble, too. What a comfort to know that Jesus is willing to help bear our load in life. It is easy to get bogged down—but He can lift those cares from our shoulders. Pray about the specific things from which you need “rest.” Stress about covers it all—but what is the source of that stress? Is it your kids fighting with each other or with neighbors, co-workers or supervisors, in-laws or other relatives, money, a real need that needs to be met for food clothing or housing situations, or just your own attitude? Lay whatever it is at Jesus feet and trust Him to help you specifically with your problem. I’ve done this before with relationships and needs—and Jesus has given me His peace and usually provided just what I needed. That is the key—trust. Meekly trust Him.

Training Tip – Do your children know what a yoke is? Look for an opportunity for them to see animals yoked together—perhaps at a working farm nearby or at a county fair. If no opportunities are available then get a piece of wood, like a 2X4 that is several feet long and tie it to yourself and then to your spouse or another adult. Pull something heavy together, pushing on that 2X4. Demonstrate how one of you alone can’t easily move the heavy object. Challenge your kids try to move whatever it is, too. Then get yoked together and show that the object can more easily be moved. Let your children try out the yoke for themselves. 

Read the scripture to your children and explain that Jesus want us to be “yoked” to Him and that He will help us with our heavy problems—just like moving that heavy object. Jesus is meek—but that is not a bad thing. We need to be meek, like Jesus. Gentle, humble and willing to serve others, not puffed up, proud, arrogant and self sufficient.  

Lord Jesus, we need to rest in You because we are weary—physically and spiritually. We humbly ask that we could be yoked to You and that You would help us and give us rest. My specific need is_______.  Thank you.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

June 24 – Meekness

Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. Numbers 12:3 King James Version 

The Bible Lexicon uses the synonyms for meek of humble, poor, lowly. Different Bible translations use gentle, humble or afflicted for meek. Meekness isn’t about being whiny and weak. It is strength under control, which gives up personal rights and expectations to God. Moses may have started out meek in a humble way when God called him to go back to Egypt and to rescue His people from the Egyptian pharaoh and slavery. He was living the life of a shepherd and apparently quietly content with his life, but God had a job for Moses to do. It was a job that he thought would required him to speak eloquently. Moses hoped that God wouldn’t use him if he wasn’t comfortable speaking…but God used him anyway. The following verse from Psalms 25:9 give us insight into God’s ways with the meek. The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way. KJV. It looks like God values the meek and will guide and teach them. They are blessed folks. Do you consider yourself to be meek? Is it a quality that you want to develop in yourself, your children, or your grandchildren? Let God mold you and make you into the person He wants you to be. 

Training Tip – Search your own heart and see if you have any meekness—any strength under control. Look at your children or grandchildren. Do they have a meekness in their character? If so rate them on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest value. Talk to them about meekness and have them rate themselves in this category. 

Lord, give us insight to see You guiding us. Fill us with Your wisdom and teach us to seek You and Your righteousness first.  

Happy Anniversary! 41 years of love and commitment.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved

June 23 – Optimistically - He Is With You

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

This is such a hard verse for a lot of Christians to handle. Some use it flippantly—all things work together for good—even in disease, disaster and death. Others just can’t accept that “God causes all things….” Remember not to take words or verses out of context! God does allow things to happen to us and He uses those things to His glory. He really is not a mean ornery guy up in Heaven casting bolts of bitterness, anger, wrath, as well as disease, disaster and death on people down here on earth. He allows things to happen and then uses those things for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. He gives us choices to make. This verse doesn’t say God makes things happen to everyone…it says God causes all things to work together for good. This isn’t a promise to everyone…but those who are called according to His purpose—Christians. God didn’t promise that nothing bad would happen to anyone who believes in His Son, Jesus, as their savior. In fact Jesus said that trouble will come because we do believe…Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Matthew 5:11. But He also promised in Hebrews 13:5, as well as Deuteronomy 31:6, that He will never leave us or forsake us. My favorite promise! Imagine always having Jesus with you. It is wonderful! I claim that promise every day. I’ve also learned that to pray… “Be with us, Lord” is a faithless prayer. He IS with us—that is what the “I will never leave you or forsake you” promise is all about. Pray specifically for your needs, wants, and intercessions—not for Jesus to “be” with you. Know that He is there and is working good things for you and those you love. 

Training Tip – Take a doll, stuffed toy, or a picture of Jesus and put a large rubber band on it and then fasten it to your arm. Tell your children to pretend that the toy or picture is Jesus. Go about your day—playing with them, working around your house…whatever you do, don’t take off “Jesus”. Then later in the day show them that “Jesus” is still with you. He hasn’t left you all day long. That is how it is for them, too…Jesus is always with them. Read to them the promise of Hebrews 13:5. Also remind them that God loves them and even when bad things happen, Jesus is still there and is working for good things to happen to those He loves. 

Lord Jesus, thank you for always being with us—for never turning Your back on us. Help us to feel Your love and to share it with others, especially when they are going through some bad times and having a hard time accepting that You can work good through their sorrow and pain.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.