Blessing of Endurance

We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that The Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. James 5:11

Endurance is that inner strength--a sticking with it--that enables us to accomplish something. Hopefully that which we are trying to accomplish is in God's will. Endurance is a quality that Jesus portrayed for us in His daily life, as well as on the cross. He never gave up on telling His followers and every one who would even listen--even just hear His voice--about His Father. The Pharisees heard His voice--but they didn't listen. Jesus continued to endure their ridicule and evil plotting. By His example we can endure sarcasm and ridicule of anti-Christians and the put downs of socially inept. 

My sister, a Christian, was married to a self-declared atheist who ridiculed her for her beliefs--and eventually killed her and himself. For about sixteen years of marriage she endured domestic and verbal abuse. I don't think we'll ever know the extent of what she had to go through, but we do know she "endured" more than most wives would have. She stuck it out to live up to her marriage vows and scripture that teaches us not to divorce. When the abuse included her daughters, she did divorce--but the disregard for human life didn't end until about a year later when physical death ended it. Endurance like Job--who went through loss of all his family and health--is not something we ever want to have to face.  The Lord is compassionate and merciful to those who love and serve Him. Compassionate in ways that help us to endure. By that love of The Lord we are blessed--so was my sweet sister. Today is her birthday - celebrate in remembrance of blessed endurance.

Training Tip - Bake a cake--or a pie. Light a candle and reflect as a family on the endurance of those you know who have endured hardships. If you don't know anyone personally then talk about children in Africa or India where they don't have enough food or fresh water--and yet they endure. Maybe your family could give up something once a week and put that money aside to help provide a well for pure drinking water in another country. See http://www.globalgatewaynetwork.org/. This is a very reliable outreach ministry that has already helped provide wells for villages, showing the love of Jesus to those communities. Check it out for yourself. Can you extend that love to others?

Lord Jesus, thank you for Your compassion and mercy--blessing me, my children and grandchildren with endurance. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary (Galatians 6:9). 

Happy birthday - Sis.

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

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

Perfect Results

Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4

Lacking in nothing--having everything. But look back at verse 2...you are going to have to face trials. Again Jesus tells us--now through James, His half-brother--that we are going to have to face trials, tribulation, persecution. Familiar statement--face trials and tribulations. Luke 21:12, 1 Peter 1:6, psalm 143:3, Matthew 5:11, John 15:20 and 1 Corinthians 4:12, to name a few. Going through tribulations makes us stronger--purifies us, like the refiner's fire. When we are purified we will be more mature and complete--I think more useful to The Lord. I can see that over the years, as I have matured in my Christian walk, that I have become more useful to The Lord. I certainly would not have been writing a daily devotional forty years ago! I'm surprised that The Lord has been using me to write this even now. What about you? how is The Lord using you for work in His kingdom? Do you feel led or called to do anything in particular? Pray about that--and for your kids, too. What does The Lord want them to do--they don't have to wait until they aware thirty or fifty to start serving The Lord.

Training Tip - Help your child's find a way to serve The Lord. You may ask--what can they do? Let them bake cookies for the firemen and deliver them, or make get well cards for shut-ins or someone in the hospital. There are countless ways--have a lemonade stand and give the money to a missions project. Get them a pen pal who is a missionary family's child. They can e-mail each other once a week and maybe send packages twice a year--on their own birthday and another day like Valentine's Day or Easter-not a day when others would be sending that child something special. Help your child to "endure" a hardship like giving up a meal so that someone else can have something necessary.

Lord God, may we be like You--lacking nothing, but perfect and complete in our knowledge of you--that we could serve you better.

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

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

Endurance Race

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

Ready, set, go! Run like you've never run before--feel that wind in your hair and the sweat running down your back. Run.

Therefore--it should always send us back to the previous verses so see what it is there for. In the previous passage the great examples--heroes--of faith are written out for us-- from Abel, Abraham, Moses, and Rahab, to Samuel. We are surrounded by these believers. God provided beyond what He gave those faithful--He gave us His own son, Jesus.  So we need put aside our sins--confess and give them up-- and then set off as if we were racing--running to our goal--heaven. And let us run as in Isaiah 40:31--...yet those who wait for The Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired.... Imagine running and not getting tired! One foot going before the other--with our eyes on our goal...the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus...Philippians 3:14. God's will on earth as it is in heaven...Matthew 6:10.

Training Tip - Kids love winning a prize. Create a race for them so that they can come across a finish line and win a prize. Have a prize for different categories so that each kid "wins." They're not dummies--they know that the can only be one winner in a race--but maybe you can create a race for each one and have them better their time or distance and give them a ribbon for their best efforts. Help them build up their endurance as well. Challenge them to become better at whatever they do--and may whatever they do...do it for The Lord.

Lord God, show us what You would have us do and say...that we may lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance. Teach my children and grandchildren perseverance in all they do and help them to run the race that You have marked out for them. We praise You for who You are--almighty God and Savior of our very souls.

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

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

Need of Endurance

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. Hebrews 10:36

The author of Hebrews, known only to God, is encouraging the Hebrew people since they endured conflicts and tribulations and showed sympathy to others (verse 32). The same goes for us. Keep on keeping on. Don't throw away your confidence but keep on enduring. Times will still be tough--but hang in there and God will give you what He has promised. When we do His will we will receive eternal life--it begins when we first believe--not when we die. So trust in God--in Jesus as your Savior and do what He expects--that is to be obedient to His word and become transformed--to be like Jesus.   

Training Tip - Teach your kids the song "Trust and Obey" because that is what God expects of us.

Lord God, show us how we can trust and obey You in ever way, every day. Please give us endurance to live by the faith that You so richly give us.

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

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

Endurance

Read Luke 21:5-36.

By your endurance you will gain your lives. Luke 21:19

In this passage Jesus is talking to His disciples about the end times. Who of us doesn't want to know about the future--our end times.  The characteristic we're focusing on for the next few days is "endurance". Jesus wanted His disciples and us to rely on Him--on the Holy Spirit--for the words to say in our defense when we are persecuted. Did you see that in verse 14--don't prepare beforehand--He will give us the words to say. He goes on to tell us to ENDURE (v19) to gain our lives. Don't give up or give in--stand firm in your faith. Know what you believe and in whom you have faith--God and God alone. You don't want to loose your faith--your life by being weak and wishy-washy about what you believe. Remember what Jesus told John to write in Revelation to the church at Laodicea--because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out....Revelation 3:16. Get yourself fired up about Jesus and endure the trials and tribulations that may come your way because you love Him. Jesus endured a lot for you. Can you endure a little for Him?

Training Tip - Do your children know what "endurance" means? You can talk about enduring something--but they really need to experience it for themselves. When I was a kid we had to weed the bean fields on the family farm. The rows were long and it was hot! Mom would be out there with us kids working along side us reminding us that there was fresh cold water at the head of the row--just a short time weeding down our row and back up and we could have a drink of water. That taught us to ENDURE. What can you do to create a situation like that? We don't have the bean fields anymore--but test their endurance.

Lord God, we want to be able to endure as You expect us to. Give us wisdom and strength to endure for Your name sake. 

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

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

Discretion Seasoned with Salt

Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person. Colossians 4:6 

Knowing how to respond to each person is an issue of discretion. It may take a gift of the Spirit to graciously respond to each person with love and compassion. The best place may be to start is with a clean heart yourself. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me…from Psalm 51:10. I know that when my own heart is right with God, it is easier to be discreet and respectful of others—to respond politely to them—seasoned with tasty salt—not bitter grapes.  

Training Tip – Role play some situations with your family so that your children will know how to respond to each person. Some ideas for role playing may include:

            Arguing or dealing with some issue within the family.

Meeting a new teacher at school.

            Meeting new classmates.

            Visiting the doctor or dentist and discussing a problem.

            Talking with a librarian about a particular book.

            Talking to a pastor about a Biblical question.

            Talking with someone who has just had a birth or a death in their family.

You can probably think of more situations that your child may need to “practice” to give them real life ideas of what to do and say. Make your role playing age appropriate for the ages of your children.

Lord Jesus, please give us wisdom that we would know how to respond to others around us. 

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

Over the years I have seen different salts in grocery or health food stores and gourmet shops, but have really only tried a couple of sea salts and kosher salt.  A few weeks ago I had lunch with a friend at her home and noticed a salt grinder with pink salt crystal in it. I asked her if it tasted any different and she assured me that it did. I don’t think I used enough of it to really tell the difference. Since then I’ve wanted to learn more about different salts. So here’s just a little of what I’ve gleaned.

·         Not all salt is created equal. Table salt is so processed that only sodium chloride, additional anti-caking agents and sometimes iodine are found in that finely ground salt that is commonly used in baking and at the table. Table salt is not particularly healthy.

·         Salt comes from mining earth deposits (old sea) and from evaporation of the sea.

·         Salts can be fine, coarse, or flaked. Each has a distinctive use such as for the table, baking, roasting meats, or finishing vegetables and salads.

·         Kosher salt is a coarse salt that is additive free. Once used in the production of kosher foods, it is now the most used salt. It may seem to taste less salty than sea salt but that is due to the size of the crystals of salt.

·         Sea salt is the strongest tasting salt and has many natural trace elements that are good for our bodies. It can be either fine or coarse.

·         Pink salt, like my friend served, is Himalayan salt that is considered to be the very purist, hand-mined salt. It is a salt that was crystallized millions of years ago and is now found naturally, deep within the pristine Himalayan Mountains, protected from modern-day pollution.

·         Dead Sea Salt is harvested at the southern end of the Dead Sea in Israel where the mineral content is the highest.

·         Other Sea Salts are from Spain, France, Italy, Hawaii, Bali, Bolivia, El Salvador (Mayan) and New Zealand. They are named for their characteristics, like Sel Gris – a French mineral rich gray salt; and Gros Sel—a large salt used in a grinder or to create a salt crust on meat or fish. Fleur de sel, which means "flower of salt" in French, is actually scraped from the salt crystals on salt evaporation ponds.

·         Seasoned salts from many parts of the world contains other spices and additives to create additional flavors. Your imagination is the limiting factor when it comes to flavored salts.

So as you gather around the Lord’s Table, add some tasty sea salt to any of your dishes and reap the benefits of trace elements.

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

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

No Gossip for the Discreet

He who conceals a transgression seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates intimate friends. Proverbs 17:9

When was the last time someone asked you to keep a secret? How hard was that? When we do as Solomon so wisely wrote—conceal a transgression—we likely are keeping a very dear secret and showing love and compassion through our discreet action. There is never a time that it is necessary to tell someone else’s troubles. If you want to ask other to pray for someone…just say, “I have a friend that needs prayer—God knows the issue, please just lift this individual up to the Lord.” God knows the details and although we need to pray specifically, sometimes being discreet and respectful is better than divulging what could be construed as gossip. Guard your tongue and value your friend’s privacy.

Training Tip – Play that game of “gossip” with your family and share how important it is to keep secrets. Talk about the Proverbs 17:9 verse and what a transgression is—something that someone did that was wrong. It doesn’t make it right talking or “gossiping” about it. If someone wanted everyone to know their problem, they need to tell others themselves. It should not be shared as a topic of casual conversation—then it becomes gossip. Share these verses below with your family on the topic of gossip:

He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets, therefore do not associate with a gossip. Proverbs 20:19

Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things. 1 Timothy 3:11 (This verse is good for men and children as well.) 

Lord God, give us wisdom to know when to hold our tongues and thus not gossip, but to be discreet with information our friends share with us in confidence.

 

Happy Christmas in July!

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

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

Wisdom for the Discreet

The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can give a discreet answer. Proverbs 26:16

The sluggard is a lazy fellow who really doesn’t know what is going on and is basically a looser…a foolish jokester. There are more verses throughout Proverbs about the unwise lazy people of this world. We can take a lesson from them, like this verse above, be discreet. Be wise. What is in our hearts and minds is what comes out of us when we speak, as Jesus taught in Luke 6:45: The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. So think good things, do good things, and speak good things—as if you were speaking to the Lord Himself. Would you be indiscreet when speaking to Jesus? No. Then why would you speak any differently to anyone else? Wise up! If you need wisdom—ask for it. Jesus promised … and all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Matthew 21:22  Others may be praying for you, too…just as Paul wrote in Colossians… For this reason (the hope laid up for you in Heaven) also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…. Colossians 1:9. Get wisdom and give discreet answers to those around you.

Training Tip – A place for everything…and everything in its place. Just like Grandma taught me…but then she didn’t have much stuff! Whether it is material stuff or treasures in our hearts—stuff has to have a place. A chaotic and messy environment creates frustration and disorderly behavior in children. The lazy person—that sluggard—doesn’t care where he puts things. That includes discreet answers as well as his dirty socks. Train your children—reward them if necessary—to pick up the toys and dirty clothes. A week of taking care of their rooms will be worth an hour at their favorite park or playground. A month of a clean room will be worth a whole day just to themselves with Dad or Mom—and they plan the agenda! Discreet or respectful language and actions can also be rewarded. Keep a chart on the refrigerator or another handy spot to record good actions. You may want to make it a family activity—so that Dad and Mom are rewarded, too.

Lord God, fill our hearts with Your love and wisdom that we would speak kindly to others from our hearts.

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

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

Graciously Discreet

It is well with the man who is gracious and lends; he will maintain his cause in judgment. Psalm 112:5 

This passage in Psalm 112 is a wonderful description of a righteous man...or woman. He is blessed because he has respect (fear of) for the Lord. Maybe it is because he is blessed that he can help others—graciously lending them something from his resources…his money, belongings, knowledge or time. Being gracious about lending someone something is good for both the lender and the borrower. If the lender makes a big deal about lending something, then it will make the borrower uncomfortable. When the lender is gracious, the borrower can feel respected and valued. Jesus gave us principles for lending…but love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Luke 6:35. Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:42. Are you a gracious lender discreetly allowing someone to borrow something from you? The point here is not really about lending or borrowing, but about being graciously discreet. Not calling attention to other’s needs, but meeting them in a respectful way. 

Training Tip – I don’t know of any instance that someone borrowed something from Jesus, but He certainly generously and graciously gave of His time, knowledge and energy. Children need to be told not to repeat private matters and to listen to their parents. My son, give attention to my wisdom, incline your ear to my understanding; that you may observe discretion and your lips may reserve knowledge. Proverbs 5:1-2. Proverbs teaches a lot about wisdom. Read some verses to your family everyday from Proverbs. If you read an entire chapter a day, you’ll read through the book in one month. I know of a couple who for years read through the Proverbs day by day. They were a very wise, wonderful Christian couple. I think I’ll start reading through Proverbs again on August 1^st—how about you? Will you join me in a challenge to Read Proverbs Through in August?

Lord God, I am giving You my attention. Please give me wisdom and understanding that I would be discreet and gracious to those around me in need—especially in spiritual need.

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

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

Disceetly Respect Others

Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. Romans 12:17 

What does it mean to you to be “discreet?” To be discreet is to give serious respect to another’s privacy, considering our attention and thought to what we say and do. It is also the ability to not bully people with our actions or personality. This is a new characteristic that we know Jesus had. He was respectful and gave his undivided attention to countless people—even some to whom no one else would speak. Those who first come to my mind are the woman at the well (John 4), the woman accused of adultery who was about to be stoned (John 8), and the tax collectors Matthew or Levi (Luke 5) and Zaccheus (Luke 19), as well as the leper that Jesus healed (Matthew 8). All of these people were outcasts—and yet Jesus ministered to them in special ways. He didn’t ignore them or disregard their needs. Neither did He call public attention to their predicament in life—He just helped them deal with what was happening to them. He didn’t accuse them or bully them into admitting they were sinners—He simply paid attention to them, respecting them by showing no partiality, met their needs and taught them about God. Can you see this quality in yourself or your children? Showing no partiality and discreetly meeting the needs of others in your family, neighborhood or community. 

Training Tip – Have you ever noticed that people show respect to those who respect them? Here’s an acrostic with some scripture to encourage RESPECT, the basis of being discreet.

            R – Regard others as more important than yourself – Philippians 2:3

            E – Encourage one another – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

            S – Strengths - find your child’s individual strengths – get to really know your child individually

            P – Patience – Be patient with all  - 1 Thessalonians 5:14

            E – Education - goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart… 1 Timothy 1:5

            C – Consistency – with discipline and with the child – God does not show partiality – Romans 2:11

            T – Train up a child in the way he should go…Proverbs 22:6

Build your child’s self-esteem so that they respect themselves. Respect them—don’t talk down to them or say careless things about them in their presence (like “my little devil” or “my uncontrollable child”). Guard your tongue. Respect yourself and your children will be more likely to respect you, too. Respect is an important issue in the development of healthy children.

Lord God, help us to be discreet and respectful to those around us that they would see Jesus in us.

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

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

Grace When You Need Help

Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

In Medieval Times people would go to the castle when they needed help...bowing before the King. And remember Queen Esther who went to before King Ahasuerus to ask him to save her people. She knew that if the King did not accept her that she could be killed for approaching him without being summoned. But just as her cousin Mordecai had told her…she had attained royalty “for such a time as this.” With that giving her confidence, she approached the throne of King Ahasuerus hoping that he would change his edict to kill all the Jews. After Esther hosts a couple of meals and then the evil royal assistant Haman is hung on his own gallows, the king grants a proclamation that the Jews can defend themselves, thus saving Esther’s people. Read the whole story in the Book of Esther. It’s a short book, only 9 chapters long. The important part is that she approached the king, just like we should approach our King and Savior, seated on His heavenly throne—with confidence, knowing that He hears our prayers and knowing that He will answer them. God’s grace, His unmerited favor towards us is what we can count on as we seek His love and help. Hebrews 4:15 gives us a clue as to why we can go to Jesus on His throne. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. He can sympathize with us…He knows our weakness, temptations and our needs. He will hear our prayers and intercede to the Father for us. Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Romans 8:34. What a great promise! Ask your friend, Jesus, to pray for you—and with you to the Heavenly Father.

Training Tip – Kids love dress-up and to play that they are royalty. Dress up and act out the story of Esther. Tell them about another throne that we should be approaching daily. The Throne of Jesus is a powerful place. We should feel privileged to be giving Him our prayer requests. So approach an imaginary throne and ask Jesus to intercede to the Heavenly Father with your prayer request. Then let your own light shine before your family as you smile and accept responsibility for your actions, just like Esther. Teach your children well—let their lights shine for Jesus, too.

 

Lord Jesus, we come before Your throne knowing that You hear our prayers. We ask that You will help us with this specific problem: ___________, and we trust that You not only hear our prayers, but You will answer them. Thank you for loving us and showing Your mercy on us. 

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

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

Grace Without Bitterness or Whining

See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled…. Hebrews 12:15 

Have you ever jumped the long jump and come just a little short of your goal? Those marks of your jump in the sand show that you’re just short of the longest jump. Are you taking a leap of faith with God? His grace is sufficient for me…and for you. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9. Believing that His grace is sufficient, take that leap of faith and see that you don’t come short of His grace. Only something like bitterness, envy or strife will keep you out of God’s grace. How do you get rid of bitterness? Find the root…is it jealously, an unforgiving attitude, or just plain selfishness in your heart? Talk to God about that bitterness, repent of it, let it go and ask God to forgive you. You may have to seek forgiveness from someone else, too. Whatever it takes—seek to please God, be right with Him and with others around you. You don’t want to fall short of the grace of God. 

Training Tip – Set up a long jump for your kids in your backyard—or find a sandy area at a nearby park or beach. Have each person in your family do the standing long jump—and see who can jump the farthest. Jump again and see who can improve their own jumping distance. Take time tonight in your family devotions to talk about this verse in Hebrews 12:15. Don’t let anyone fall short of the grace of God—to miss out on His blessings. Explain to your children that when they have a bad or unforgiving attitude they need to talk to you. Life is better when we do things God’s way and not hang onto bitterness and bad attitudes just because we selfishly want our own way. We must be obedient to God and children must be obedient to their parents. Whining, pouting and throwing fits are not acceptable—for your children—or you! Whoops—when was the last time you saw a 30ish person whine? We want to do our best…and have our best attitude towards God and our family. Take that leap of faith and trust God to help you teach your children to obey…specifically to obey God and to obey their parents. 

Lord Jesus Christ, help us to grow in the grace and knowledge of You as our Lord and Savior. To You be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen… from 2 Peter 3:18.

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

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

Humble Grace

…do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:4-7

This same scripture…God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble…is repeated in 1 Peter 5:5. In other places in the scripture it has similar connotations…Psalm 138:6 where God regards the lowly and in Proverbs 3:34 where grace is given to the afflicted. But God being opposed to the proud and giving grace to the humble is a much different issue. Proud people don’t have much room for God in their lives, so it isn’t any wonder that God is opposed to them, while humble people easily submit themselves to God and are accepting of others—so it makes sense that God showers them with His grace, His unmerited favor. Can we take a lesson for ourselves from those scriptures? Humble yourself before the Lord. It is dangerous not to be humble before the Lord. Remember the story of pharaoh and Moses—Let My People Go. But pharaoh wouldn’t humble himself before the Lord…and the Lord God asked him… How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve Me. Exodus 10:3. Do you have room for God in your life? Can you humble yourself before Him?  

Training Tip – Your child’s self esteem is linked to your verbal and non-verbal acceptance of them. Do you esteem your child highly? If so, that child will place a high value on himself/herself—even before they go to school. So how do you build their self-esteem?

·         Accept your children as they are. Are they athletic, mechanical, scholars, outgoing, or introvert? Whatever their characteristics no one is perfect or the same as someone else. Accept each child for what they are, not worrying about what they are not.

·         Don’t push their development or rush them into activities beyond their level of maturity. Children who are not forced to grow-up quickly have a better self-image.

·         Discipline the child in love—praising the good behavior. Somehow preventive discipline, like praise, works better than punishment. When there is misbehavior, let the child know that you are rejecting wrong behavior—not them. Find the discipline method that works for your child (time-out/spankings) and use that when necessary. Be consistent, reasonable and fair. Don’t show favoritism. God—in His infinite grace—doesn’t show favoritism (Romans 2:11). 

·         Encourage one another. Once again, find your children’s best character traits and skills and encourage them in those areas.  

Lord God, I humbly submit myself to you…my family, my goals and my dreams—may they all be yours. Your family, your goals and your dreams for us.

 

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

Come dine with us for an adventurous international meal at the Lord's Table. Sushi is a family favorite—at home and in restaurants. My daughter-in-law Melissa’s favorite is Spicy Shrimp Rolls. Some of you may not know that not all sushi is raw. This one uses cooked shrimp. 

Spicy Shrimp Sushi Roll

Ingredients
Sushi:

• 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cup short-grained sushi rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 sheets toasted nori (dried seaweed)

Fillings:
1/2 regular cucumber, seeded and cut into matchsticks

• 1/2 firm-ripe Hass avocado, peeled, thinly sliced lengthwise, sprinkled with lemon juice
• 8 large cooked shrimp, peeled and cut in 1/2, lengthwise
• Fresh mango, sliced thin (may be used as garnish on top of roll instead of as filling
• Spicy sauce – mix the following:
• ¼ c mayo
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha hot chili sauce

Dipping Sauce: Soy Sauce and wasabi paste to taste

Equipment: Bamboo sushi mat 

Directions

For the rice:

Mix together vinegar, sugar, and salt. Set aside.

Rinse the rice with cool water; drain. Put the rice and water in a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to very low and simmer, tightly covered, until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat (don't uncover), and set aside for 10 minutes.

 

Fluff the rice with a fork and transfer to a large bowl. Add the vinegar mixture and toss with a wooden spoon. Spread the rice out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Let cool—fan if you prefer it to cool faster. Cover the rice with a damp towel.

To assemble sushi rolls:

Place the sushi mat with the slats running crosswise directly in front of you on a clean work space. Lay a sheet of nori shiny-side down. Lightly moisten fingers with water, and evenly press about 1/4 of the rice onto the nori, with 1 1/2-inches uncovered at the far edge. Line up the fillings about an inch from the closest near edge, evenly across the rice. Beginning with the near edge of the mat, tightly roll up the nori, rice, and fillings with the spicy sauce into a cylinder. Firmly tug on the rounded mat over the roll as you pull on the far edge of the mat to tighten the roll. Open the mat, dab unsealed edge of nori with a bit of water and roll the sushi forward to seal. Transfer the sushi to a plate and cover with damp paper towels. Repeat with remaining rice and fillings. Cut each sushi roll, crosswise, into 8 pieces with a sharp wet knife. Arrange each roll on a platter. Serve with a small bowl of soy sauce and wasabi paste for dipping. [Adapted from a Television Food Network recipe.]

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

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

Grace Through Jesus Christ

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'" For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. John 1:14-17  

Can we develop the character trait of “grace” like that of Jesus? This scripture passage tells us that “grace and truth were realized”—obtainable—through Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is full of grace and truth. Full of grace, God’s unmerited favor. Acceptance. Yes, we can show grace, like Jesus, by showing undeserved acceptance. Jesus spoke to the woman at the well—when no one else in society would speak to her—no respectful men or women. That is why she was at the well in the middle of the day. Other women had already been to the well to draw their water for the day. She could not socialize with them. Jesus spoke to her and told her who He was…the Messiah. He had not revealed that to everyone He met. He was certainly showing her undeserved acceptance—the very grace of God. Do you show such acceptance of others? How about the homeless on the street, or those begging for money? How about your own children? Do you show them that you “accept” them even if you don’t approve of their actions? 

Training Tip – How do you show “acceptance” of your children…and your spouse? Do you give them hugs and kisses every day—morning and night? Do you tell them that you love them…no matter what? Does that include telling them that you love them, but don’t approve of their actions…whatever it was that they did that was not acceptable? In her new book, Happier at Home, author Gretchen Rubin suggest that families “Give Warm Greetings and Farewells.” This means stopping whatever you are doing when someone enters or leaves your home and give them a hug or kiss as a warm greeting. Focusing this attention on each other for just a few moments is a great way of showing acceptance—of demonstrating God’s grace. Try it and see if it improves the family value of acceptance and grace in your home—and with that the level of God’s love flowing through each of you.  

Lord God, please give us grace to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference.

 

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

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

Grace

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11 

Somewhere along the line I was taught that “grace” was the unmerited favor of God. In the Blue Letter Bible on-line, the Strong’s Lexicon gives “grace” the definition of favor, elegance, acceptance. It also states: of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues (Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for charis (Strong's 5485)". Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2013. 15 Jul 2013. http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm? Strongs=G5485&t=NASB). 

God gives grace...undeserved favor—love and acceptance—and good things to those who live holy lives. What a promise! We know bad stuff happens to good people…but God’s desire for us is good things. Our own selfish desire is for good stuff all the time—no one ever wishes for bad stuff unless they are just plain evil or have some mental condition. We look at the world around us and bad stuff happens all the time…and the entertainment media is so bent on destruction of property and lives that it can be downright depressing or just plain scary. Focus on the promise of God—good stuff for His obedient people—those who walk upright—live Godly holy lives. 

Training Tip – Get out the dictionary or look up “grace” on-line. Teach your children the meaning of grace and help them to see that it is the grace of God , His merciful kindness that allows us to live good lives. 

Lord God, thank you for your mercy and grace in our lives.

Happy Birthday, Melissa!

May God continue to bless you as you seek and serve Him.

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

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