Banquet With The King: December 2025

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

Are You Blessed to be a Blessing?

Blessed with full silos
after the grain harvest.
Eastern Washington state.

If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the LORD your God: Your towns and your fields will be blessed. Your children and your crops will be blessed. The offspring of your herds and flocks will be blessed. Your fruit baskets and breadboards will be blessed. Wherever you go and whatever you do, you will be blessed. The LORD will conquer your enemies when they attack you. They will attack you from one direction, but they will scatter from you in seven! The LORD will guarantee a blessing on everything you do and will fill your storehouses with grain. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. Deuteronomy 28:1-8

Meditate. Count your blessings.

Blessed. Blessed. Blessed. That’s me.

I am blessed to know God and to be known by Him.

I am blessed to live in a country with such freedoms—although with freedom comes responsibility.

I am blessed to live in a community that is clean, safe, friendly, and compassionate.

I am blessed to have a loving and nurturing family that shares my values, love, and concerns.

I am blessed to have friends who truly care about each other.

I am blessed to have a good husband and a home where we are comfortable and content.

Above all—blessed is the name of the Lord, for He is worthy of our praise and adoration.

Are you blessed to be a blessing? Blessed is an expression of good wishes, as in showing favor, providing for, endowing, rejoicing, hoping, giving God thanks for what He has done, or asking for God’s mercy. What is a blessing to you?

As we look back at this past year of 2025, may we see all the ways that God has worked in our lives--blessing us. As we look ahead, let us look forward to the feasts we’ll have at the Lord’s table with each other, savoring His word. My hope is that your joys be overflowing and your love abound in God’s grace. May He have mercy on us as we live to obey His commandments, to seek and serve Him. This year 2025 is over…and I have reached my goal of blogging this devotional for another year. I will continue blogging—so please do keep reading. Blessings and love to you all.

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You are the best blessing we can ever have. Thank you for all the ways…small and enormous that have blessed us. Please continue to have mercy on us…to forgive our sins daily, and to stand before the throne of our Heavenly Father, interceding for us. You are awesome. We praise Your name.

Verse of Salvation ~ But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.' Matthew 25:31-34

Goodbye 2025 – Hello 2026

Just finished 14 years of blogging Banquet With The King.

Happy New Year!

Reused portions of December 31, 2012, Banquet With The King blog.

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

Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Heavenly Bodies?

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it's not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee, he has given us his Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 5:1-5

Meditate. Read God’s word in context and listen to what He is saying.

I chose this scripture passage weeks ago to use at the end of 2025—now here we are and I’m wondering why I chose these verses. I'd love to have a new body—this earthly one is starting to show its age! But am I really ready to die? A lot of people I know really have a fear of dying. Not me. I’m prepared to go…especially if it is the rapture. A couple of YouTube end time prophesy teachers were just sure that we’d be raptured this past fall—but we weren’t. God has a plan, and as we search His scripture, we find little hints of the coming future. But no one knows the hour or the day…or even what year…of Christ’s return. We just look forward to new bodies, no sin, no tears, and the joy of being 24/7 with the Lord.

And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. Romans 8:23

New bodies, as described by Paul in his first letter to the church at Corinth, will be heavenly and will be instantaneously obtained. Remarkable. What a great plan that God has devised—just so we can come join Him in Heaven, and we can live eternally with Him.

But let me reveal to you a wonderful secret. We will not all die, but we will all be transformed! It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For when the trumpet sounds, those who have died will be raised to live forever. And we who are living will also be transformed. For our dying bodies must be transformed into bodies that will never die; our mortal bodies must be transformed into immortal bodies. Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: "Death is swallowed up in victory. (Isaiah 25:8)" 1 Corinthians 15:51-54

We will be transformed. This will be exciting; I can hardly wait! How about you?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, are You as anxious for this transformation to start…like many of us Christians are? You told us…"So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34.

Verse of Salvation ~ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matthew 6:33

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

Monday, December 29, 2025

What Were Your Goals for 2025?

So then, being always filled with good courage and confident hope, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight [living our lives in a manner consistent with our confident belief in God's promises]—we are [as I was saying] of good courage and confident hope, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth] or away from home [and with Him], it is our [constant] ambition to be pleasing to Him. For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities]. 2 Corinthians 5:6-10 AMP

Meditate on your goals.

We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and we will be held responsible for our actions. Did you note those statements? Some people say that Christians will never have to face judgment, but Paul is saying to the church at Corinth—hey, guys, you are going to have to be accountable for your actions, purposes, goals, motives, and how you spend your time. Nothing has changed. We will be held accountable for our actions, too.

Archeological dig at Capernaum in Israel.
Looking back.
Does knowing the past help build the future?

Sometimes we must look back to look ahead. What were your goals for 2025? Where are you at with the Lord now? Have you repented of your sins…up to today? Is your purpose for your actions, your goals, motives, and use of your time worthy of the Lord? Think and plan. Make it your goal for 2026 to be pleasing to the Lord in all that you think, say, and do.

Prayer – Lord Jesus, help me to see my life the way that You do. I want to please You in all that I think, say, and do—so please give me wisdom and courage to do the right thing ALL the time. I can do all things through You as You give me strength. In Your grace and mercy—please do give me strength. Thank you.

Verse of Salvation ~ For the Scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil." 1 Peter 3:10-12

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

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP),

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

Sunday, December 28, 2025

Are You Truly Glad?

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:6-9

Meditate. Consider trials and tribulations.

Life can be like a rose--
Beautiful and joy-filled....
but watch out for the thorns.

Peter writes about the wonderful joy ahead and enduring many trials. We can see those in our lives. Life is tough. Few people have an easy life. As we get older, there are more disappointments and tribulations we have to go through that are just part of life. Unmet expectations and the loss of jobs, of loved ones, of general frustrations and defeats during our existence. Our bodies just wear out. Those are just some of our trials. Keep on going. Persevere. God wrote to the church of Philadelphia in the book of Revelation about persevering and the protection He promises those who keep going.

Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. Revelation 3:10

Paul also wrote to Timothy, in the book of First Timothy, concerning pursuing righteousness, and about trials, in the book of First Thessalonians.

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12

Finally, when we could stand it no longer, we decided to stay alone in Athens, and we sent Timothy to visit you. He is our brother and God's co-worker in proclaiming the Good News of Christ. We sent him to strengthen you, to encourage you in your faith, and to keep you from being shaken by the troubles you were going through. But you know that we are destined for such troubles. Even while we were with you, we warned you that troubles would soon come--and they did, as you well know. That is why, when I could bear it no longer, I sent Timothy to find out whether your faith was still strong. I was afraid that the tempter had gotten the best of you and that our work had been useless. 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5

So, keep on keeping on. Christmas is over, but let the joy remain and grow in your heart. Don’t be discouraged by the daily troubles of life. Endure and overcome! Trust in the Lord—with all your heart.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

As you trust in the Lord, letting Him guide you through each hour and each day, may you be truly glad. Glad to have Jesus as your Savior. Glad to be part of God’s family. Glad that the joy in your life doesn’t have to be left behind at the end of this year. Take it with you into 2026.

Prayer – Lord Jesus, joyful, joyful we adore You, Lord of Glory and King of kings. Our hearts are full of praise for You. Today and always.

Verse of Salvation ~ But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, "God is great!" Psalm 70:4

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

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Saturday, December 27, 2025

Time for New Goals

Obviously, I'm not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. Galatians 1:10

Meditate on your goals.

Where are you going?
Signpost in Israel.

This year is drawing to a close. What is ahead for next year? In some regards, life is what we make of it. If we fail to plan…we plan to fail. What are your plans for the coming year? For the rest of the winter…for spring…for summer…for next fall? How about just your goals for January, for the first week, or the first couple of days of 2026?

So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:9

Goals are important. We need goals in lots of areas of our lives to challenge us—at work, at home, with physical fitness, and with diet or nutrition (how many pounds or inches do you want to lose this year?). Without goals, we have no vision, and we are more likely to be tossed about, wishy washy. That could be an opportunity for sin to enter. Keep the temptation of sin away by having Godly goals and concentrating on them. Once you have a goal, then there must be something done monthly, weekly, or daily to achieve that goal. When you reach your goal—celebrate. Party! Then set a new goal. Don’t let any joy in your life be taken away by sin.

What spiritual goals have you reached this past year? What spiritual goals are you considering or making plans for in 2026? Here are some things to consider when setting Spiritual Goals for the New Year:

1. What would you like to accomplish spiritually this year?

2. What attitude or habit needs to change?

3. How would you like God to use you?

4. What ministry could utilize your unique gifts?

5. What ministry could benefit from your leadership?

6. What level of intimacy would you like to have with God?

7. What friend or relative would you like to lead to Christ?

8. Who do you want to be your mentor…and who do you want to mentor?

As you consider these questions, think about what steps you can take on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis to attain these goals.

My goals include more writing…continue this blog for another year, another children’s book and beginning my Legacy—which is not just the story of my life as told for my grandchildren, but the story of God working in my life…drawing others to Himself. Other goals are doing a watercolor painting each month and decluttering my home! I will continually remember…For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13.

Let me challenge you to seek to set some spiritual goals for 2026. Without a goal, we fail to attain anything. As Lawrence J. Peter said…

If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.

Is your goal to please God?

Prayer – Guide me, Lord, to see what You want me to accomplish for You in the coming days, weeks, months, or years until You call us to be with You…forever!

Verse of Salvation ~ So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:6-9

Reused and revised from December 27, 2021, Banquet With The King blog.

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, December 26, 2025

Christmas is Over

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. 1 John 1:5-10

Meditate. Consider your fellowship with God.

Sin...knowing what to do and NOT doing it. Do we need to face sin right after Christmas? Some of Jesus' first words were "Repent" after He spent time fasting in the desert—facing temptation.

From then on Jesus began to preach, "Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Matthew 4:17

When the star...and fireworks...are gone.
The work of Christmas begins.
What are you doing for Jesus today?

Repent—turn from sin. That is important every day of the year. After repenting, it is a good time to begin serving God with the work of Christmas. This poem or litany, "Now the Work of Christmas Begins", was written by Howard Thurman, an African-American theologian, educator, and Civil Rights Leader, to mark the end of the Christmas Season. May that work begin now…in our hearts.

Now the Work of Christmas Begins

When the song of the angels is stilled,

When the star in the sky is gone,

When the kings and princes are home,

When the shepherds are back with their flocks,

The work of Christmas begins:

To find the lost,

To heal the broken,

To feed the hungry,

To rebuild the nations,

To bring peace among the people,

To make music in the heart.

These actions are all things that Jesus did. Think about what you need to do on a daily basis to keep Christmas alive, not only in your own life, but in the lives of those around you, all year long. Keeping Christmas alive allows God to work in our hearts—filling us with His love—so that we can love others for Him. From that list above do you see something that you can make for a goal for next year, next month, this week…today? Having a goal motivates us to put our hearts’ desires into action. Now the choice is up to each of us.

Prayer – Holy Spirit, help me to find the lost in the community around me, to assist in healing those with broken spirits, to feed the hungry—spiritually and physically, to release those who are prisoners within their emotions or homes that they would be rebuilt physical or spiritually, to bring peace to those nearby and to make music within my heart—that it may flow out to others around me. Let Your love shine.

Verse of Salvation ~ Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy. Ephesians 4:21-24

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

On a cool—probably rainy—winter day it is nice to have something warm and healthy to drink. For a great anti-inflammatory beverage try a cup of Golden Milk, also known as Turmeric Milk or Haldi Doodh.

Golden Milk

Ingredients for two cups.

2 cups milk of your choice: cow, oat milk, or coconut milk

1 tsp ground turmeric powder

½ tsp ground cinnamon powder

½ tsp ginger powder, or fresh ginger grated

½ tsp cardamom crushed, or powdered

¼ tsp black pepper

4 tsp honey, or to taste

2 tsp ghee, optional, but it enhances the pepper absorption

Splash of vanilla extract, optional

Instructions

Warm the milk: Add milk to a small saucepan and place over medium heat.

Add the spices: Whisk in turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and black pepper.

Stir in the ghee and sweetener: Add ghee and your sweetener of choice (jaggery, maple syrup, or wait to add honey later). Stir to combine.

Simmer gently: Heat the mixture until hot but not boiling, about 3–5 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Add vanilla: If using, stir in a splash of vanilla extract for extra flavor.

Strain: Pour mixture through a sieve to catch pieces of ginger and course pieces of black pepper or cardamom.

Cool slightly if using honey: Remove from heat and let the milk cool for a minute or two before adding honey.

Froth if desired: Use a milk frother to get that latte-style foam on top

Enjoy anytime of day—but especially relaxing at bedtime.

Recycled and reused from December 26 from several previous years Banquet With The King blog..

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