Banquet With The King

Daily Devotional focusing on spiritual "food" at the King's Banquet Table. In 2024 this blog will explore verses to meditate on as we examine our "choices" daily, pursuing a deeper relationship with God as we grow in Christian maturity. This web page has had over 230,000 page views by people in over 135 different countries who are seeking God through His Word. God has promised if you seek Him, you will find Him. May you be blessed reading Banquet With The King.

Monday, October 31, 2022

Listen Carefully

Prayer – Lord, I am listening carefully to what You are saying and teaching me and all others who are seeking You with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. Please continue to pour out Your blessings on us—preparing us for the days ahead that we wouldn’t be afraid, as You bless us with Your love and peace.

LORD, you poured out blessings on your land! You restored the fortunes of Israel. You forgave the guilt of your people—yes, you covered all their sins. You held back your fury. You kept back your blazing anger. Now restore us again, O God of our salvation. Put aside your anger against us once more. Will you be angry with us always? Will you prolong your wrath to all generations? Won't you revive us again, so your people can rejoice in you? Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. I listen carefully to what God the LORD is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people. But let them not return to their foolish ways. Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory. Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Truth springs up from the earth, and righteousness smiles down from heaven. Yes, the LORD pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest. Righteousness goes as a herald before him, preparing the way for his steps. Psalm 85:1-13 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate. Consider God’s unfailing love. Listen carefully to what the Lord is saying.

Show us Your unfailing love, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation. Salvation is what we all seek whether we realize it or not. Those who are foolish are seeking salvation from the boredom of their mundane lives and stress, find their salvation in activities that don’t involve the Lord or righteousness, such as found in mindless activities, in a bottle, pill, or heaven forbit…a needle. The wise are seeking the Lord, rejoicing in the Lord’s love, and His blessing. Jesus is our Salvation. Listen carefully to what God is saying.

Last day of October. Did you know that this was the month for awareness—attentiveness—of lots of causes:

Dysautonomia Awareness
Domestic Violence Awareness
National ADHD Awareness
National Down Syndrome Awareness
National Physical Therapy
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness
Spina Bifida Awareness
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Awareness
Pastor Appreciation
Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 3-9)
Malnutrition Awareness Week (October 4-8)
World Cerebral Palsy Day (October 6)
National Depression Screening Day (October 7)
World Mental Health Day (October 10)

Verse of Salvation ~ Show us your unfailing love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. Psalm 85:7

Memory Verse of the Week ~ Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires. Psalm 37:4

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day -

Daily Devotional for Building Character

What type of character are you?

Are you like Jesus? That is what God wants for you...to be like His Son.

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:24

Sunday, October 30, 2022

Joy Inexplicable

Prayer – Lord God, I am overjoyed at the very thought of seeing You in Your Home in Heaven and having my own home there, too! I am already singing praises and shouting joyfully to You—for You are the true living God. My God and my Savior.

How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of Heaven's Armies. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God. Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O LORD of Heaven's Armies, my King and my God! What joy for those who can live in your house, always singing your praises. What joy for those whose strength comes from the LORD, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they walk through the Valley of Weeping, it will become a place of refreshing springs. The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings. They will continue to grow stronger, and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem. O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, hear my prayer. Listen, O God of Jacob. O God, look with favor upon the king, our shield! Show favor to the one you have anointed. A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked. For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right. O LORD of Heaven's Armies, what joy for those who trust in you. Psalm 84:1-12

Meditate. Consider God’s Dwelling Place—His Heavenly home.

If you attend church regularly…or even just a few times or on-line…did you know that this is Pastor Appreciation Month? Have you told your Pastor(s) that you appreciate them? Today is Sunday—so it is a good day to greet them with appreciation.

Camel Crossing
The Judean Desert

I love this passage of scripture. I’ve been on a pilgrimage to Israel and walked where Jesus walked. Although it was more than ten years ago, it still brings joy to my heart and tears to my eyes. Yes, I walked the trails where Jesus walked, felt the rushing stream of the Jordan River near the headwaters of that River, heard migrating birds chirping as they went south for the winter, tasted the olives, breads, and figs just as Jesus did, and drank cardamon tea in a desert Bedouin tent like Abraham when three visitors came to see him. I floated in the Dead Sea and stood praying at the Western Wall, stuffing my prayer requests…and those of my friends…into the cracks in the wall. A lifetime of memories created a just a couple of weeks.

A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! Yes…just one day with the Lord is better than a thousand days at some great vacation destination, like Hawaii or even a beachside bungalow on Bora Bora! Just to see the face of the Lord and bow before Him will be beyond awesome. We are told that God’s heavenly home, and His throne there, are lovely—but I think it will truly be beyond our expectations. I can hardly wait—and knowing that the Lord will not withhold any good thing from those who do what is right, should be great motivation for us all to strive to do what is right and seek God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. It will be joy inexplicable for all of us who trust in the Lord.

Verses of Salvation ~ This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes and put on the shining armor of right living. Romans 13:11-12

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted. sa

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Saturday, October 29, 2022

Trust in The Lord God Who Sees and Knows Everything

Prayer – Lord God, I trust You, because You are all powerful and don’t need anyone to tell You what to do. You have enemies, but You are more powerful than they are and You will win any battle against anyone—even against the common, pesky tumbleweeds.

O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God. Don't you hear the uproar of your enemies? Don't you see that your arrogant enemies are rising up? They devise crafty schemes against your people; they conspire against your precious ones. "Come," they say, "let us wipe out Israel as a nation. We will destroy the very memory of its existence." Yes, this was their unanimous decision. They signed a treaty as allies against you—these Edomites and Ishmaelites; Moabites and Hagrites; Gebalites, Ammonites, and Amalekites; and people from Philistia and Tyre. Assyria has joined them, too, and is allied with the descendants of Lot. Do to them as you did to the Midianites and as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River. They were destroyed at Endor, and their decaying corpses fertilized the soil. Let their mighty nobles die as Oreb and Zeeb did. Let all their princes die like Zebah and Zalmunna, for they said, "Let us seize for our own use these pasturelands of God!" O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind! As a fire burns a forest and as a flame sets mountains ablaze, chase them with your fierce storm; terrify them with your tempest. Utterly disgrace them until they submit to your name, O LORD. Let them be ashamed and terrified forever. Let them die in disgrace. Then they will learn that you alone are called the LORD, that you alone are the Most High, supreme over all the earth. Psalm 83:1-18

Meditate. Consider God’s power and supremacy.

This Psalmist is advising Almighty God Himself not to be quiet, silent, or deaf. Who tells God what to do…or not do? God knows and sees everything. I think of it as…God knows the good, the bad and the ugly—and loves us all in spite of your standing. We can’t work to get into heaven…to receive Salvation. That is a gift—pure and simple—but He does offer us the opportunity to serve Him. What a privilege to serve God Almighty!

For God watches how people live; he sees everything they do. Job 34:21

Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:18-20.

I live in a region where the tumbleweeds, known as Russian Thistles, grow in any area they can…in any area where the ground is broken, and the soil is exposed. They even grow alongside the wheat…just like in the story of the wheat and the tares. Do you see yourself in this parable?

Here is another story Jesus told: "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. "The farmer's workers went to him and said, 'Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?' "'An enemy has done this!' the farmer exclaimed. "'Should we pull out the weeds?' they asked. "'No,' he replied, 'you'll uproot the wheat if you do. Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.'" Matthew 13:24-30

Watch out for the tares growing in with the good crops, or for those who claim to be allies, but want to destroy Israel. Beware. But trust in the Lord God who sees and knows everything.

Verses of Salvation ~ (Jesus wept over Jerusalem.)

The City of Jerusalem
Would Jesus weep over it today?

But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. "How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation." Luke 19:41-44

Memory Verse of the Week ~ I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

Did you memorize this verse?

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Friday, October 28, 2022

God Wants Us to See the Light

Prayer – Lord, guide and protect us…day by day. Give us insight into Your word. Shine Your light on us.

God presides over heaven's court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings: "How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core. I say, 'You are gods; you are all children of the Most High. But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler.'" Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you. Psalm 82:1-8

Meditate. Consider God’s judgment.

Clover Island Lighthouse
Columbia River at Kennewick, WA

Just like this Psalmist wrote…you will die like mere mortals. Death and then judgment. Death is something we all have to face as our bodies wear out…or we face other tragedies. But right living in God’s standards and believing in Jesus as our Savior will mean that we don’t have to go through a final judgment as non-believers will. Sure we’ll be judged for the things we say and do…but once we repent and are saved, we are forgiven of our sins—set free from that eternal judgment.

"There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God's one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God's light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants." John 3:18-21

So—believe, repent, and be saved. God wants us to see the light.

Verse of Salvation ~ The LORD is my light and my salvation--so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? - Psalm 27:1 NLT

Memory Verse of the Week ~ I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

In honor of my Sister-in-Law, Evelyn, who is originally from the Philippians, I suggest you try this recipe for Pancit. It is classic comfort food—easy to prepare, versatile for what you have on hand, and always tasty! Other vegetables, such as celery and summer squash, can be added.

Pancit

½ lb thin spaghetti or rice noodles ½ head of cabbage, coarsely chopped

2 eggs 2 carrots, julienned

1 Tbsp water ¼ lb mushrooms, sliced

Garlic – 2-3 cloves, grated 5 Tbsp olive oil, divided

Onion – 1 medium, chopped 1/3 cup soy sauce

¾ lb meat—of your choice, chopped splash of fish oil, optional

Cook spaghetti in unsalted boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain well.

Beat eggs with water (1 Tbsp) until well blended. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet and add eggs. Cook until firm. Turn and brown. Slice into thin strips. Set aside for garnish. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a wok and stir fry the meat for 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, carrots, cabbage and mushrooms. Add soy sauce and fish oil, if desired.

Transfer to a bowl and keep warm. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in the wok and stir fry the noodles for three minutes. Add the meat mixture and stir fry for another minute. Transfer to a platter or large bowl. Sprinkle with the egg. Enjoy!

Happy 10^th Anniversary – Barry & Evelyn

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Thursday, October 27, 2022

Sing Praises to God

Prayer – Lord, my heart overflows with praise and thanksgiving to You.

Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Jacob. Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp. Blow the ram's horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival! For this is required by the decrees of Israel; it is a regulation of the God of Jacob. He made it a law for Israel when he attacked Egypt to set us free. I heard an unknown voice say, "Now I will take the load from your shoulders; I will free your hands from their heavy tasks. You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you; I answered out of the thundercloud and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah. Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me! You must never have a foreign god; you must not bow down before a false god. For it was I, the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things. But no, my people wouldn't listen. Israel did not want me around. So I let them follow their own stubborn desires, living according to their own ideas. Oh, that my people would listen to me! Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths! How quickly I would then subdue their enemies! How soon my hands would be upon their foes! Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him; they would be doomed forever. But I would feed you with the finest wheat. I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock." Psalm 81:1-16

Meditate. Consider God’s word, His scripture, as He spoke again to the Israelites. Sing praises to God.

I grew up going to Sunday School and church most Sundays from the time I was a preschooler. Some of my earliest memories were of church events, like Vacation Bible School, but it wasn’t until I was in college that I actually accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I was a good kid—but like everyone I was a sinner in God’s eyes. I was amazed when I prayed a prayer of repentance that a huge load was lifted from my shoulders. What was that?! All my sins were removed—the great burden of guilt taken away. I was saved. Saved from my sin and now I have the eternal life that God promised. Who will come with me into the eternal realm? Only those with pure hearts will see God, as Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount.

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. Colossians 3:12-17

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Hebrews 10:19-23

The Big Fish

We have so much to sing about since Jesus gave His life for our salvation. Along with others, from the Hebrew people after they passed through the Red Sea, from Jonah in the belly of a great fish, to Jesus’ followers at His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, to the churches along Paul’s journeys, and throughout the history of mankind, let’s sing praises to God.

Verse of Salvation ~ But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone. Jonah 2:9

Memory Verse of the Week ~ I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Make Your Face Shine Down Upon Us. Only Then Will We Be Saved.

Prayer – Lord, please make Your face shine down upon me. Only then will I be saved. I need the light—Your light—shining in the darkness, illuminating my path…and inspiring me in all that I think, say and do.

Light shining down from the face of God.
South Carolina beach

Please listen, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph's descendants like a flock. O God, enthroned above the cherubim, display your radiant glory to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh. Show us your mighty power. Come to rescue us! Turn us again to yourself, O God. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, how long will you be angry with our prayers? You have fed us with sorrow and made us drink tears by the bucketful. You have made us the scorn of neighboring nations. Our enemies treat us as a joke. Turn us again to yourself, O God of Heaven's Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. You brought us from Egypt like a grapevine; you drove away the pagan nations and transplanted us into your land. You cleared the ground for us, and we took root and filled the land. Our shade covered the mountains; our branches covered the mighty cedars. We spread our branches west to the Mediterranean Sea; our shoots spread east to the Euphrates River. But now, why have you broken down our walls so that all who pass by may steal our fruit? The wild boar from the forest devours it, and the wild animals feed on it. Come back, we beg you, O God of Heaven's Armies. Look down from heaven and see our plight. Take care of this grapevine that you yourself have planted, this son you have raised for yourself. For we are chopped up and burned by our enemies. May they perish at the sight of your frown. Strengthen the man you love, the son of your choice. Then we will never abandon you again. Revive us so we can call on your name once more. Turn us again to yourself, O LORD God of Heaven's Armies. Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. Psalm 80:1-19

Meditate. Consider God’s light from His Son, our Lord and Savior.

When God repeats something, you know He is trying to impress something special upon us.

Make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved. Consider how good it feels to have the sunshining on us—especially on a cool day, like today. The sun shine is always important and welcome to me. Gray days tend to be a bit depressing and can even trigger Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) that occurs for some people, sapping their energy and making them moody. It starts occurring as soon as gray skies begin in the fall and then winter days. For me, I have to look to the Lord—who gives me strength to face the gray days. He makes His face to shine down on me. He is the light in the darkness. Sometimes last winter I even used a full spectrum light by my chair as I was reading—its like a little ray of sunshine. God provides His light in different ways, spiritually enlightening us.

Fragile old clay jars as seen in Israel.

For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 2 Corinthians 4:6-8

I like that analogy that Paul used in Corinthians. We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. We can be so fragile—delicate, unstable, weak—but Jesus can give us strength. Jesus is the treasure within each of us when we repent and accept Him as our Savior. Salvation comes to each of us from the Lord, just as Jonah noted while he was in the belly of that great fish.

But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the LORD alone. Jonah 2:9

As these gray skies try to overpower the sunshine, think on God’s light from His Son. Then we can ask God to…make your face shine down upon us. Only then will we be saved.

Verse of Salvation ~ For you have rescued me from death; you have kept my feet from slipping. So now I can walk in your presence, O God, in your life-giving light. Psalm 56:13

Rescued as in saved, provided salvation.

Memory Verse of the Week ~ I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don't be troubled or afraid. John 14:27

All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.

Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories