Banquet With The King

Wednesday, April 20, 2022

You Can Do All Things!

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, thank you for a positive attitude. You showed us how when You prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, “If it be Your will, let this cup pass from me.” But we know that it wasn’t God’s will. It was His plan…and You fulfilled it. You finished the task that He sent You to earth to do. You can do all things…and it was God the Father who gave you the strength to do it. Now, You give us that same strength…to do all things. Thank you for loving us enough to finish the task that God the Father gave You.

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Meditate. What do you think you cannot do? With the strength that Jesus Christ gives you, can you do that?

This verse is my granddaughter Amelia’s favorite verse. She has had some health issues over the years and yet she has claimed this verse and does great things with strength from the Lord! May He continue to bless and strengthen her.

Do you identify with the memory verse this week? Do you feel that you can do everything through the strength that Jesus Christ gives you? Remember that Jesus said that whatever you ask for in His name, the Father will grant.

At that time you won't need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name. You haven't done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. John 16:23-24

Abundant joy! What more could we want in life? Joy! It is one of the characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit—Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It is the Spirit that gives us that abundant life—everlasting life with joy.

Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. Galatians 6:7-10

Our relationship with God and with others is what is important in life. Paul reminds us in this portion of scripture from Galatians that we should do good for our brothers and sisters in God’s family. That may take some strength from Christ—but build good relationships with other Christians. You can do all things!

Verses of Salvation ~ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10

Memory Verse of the Week ~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

Amelia
Self-portrait a few years ago.
I can do all things...

Happy Birthday, Amelia!

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!

Love you so much!

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, April 19, 2022

How’s Your Friendship?

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, thank you for not only renewing my friendship with You but giving me new life…spiritually…and hope for the future. An eternal future with You will be glorious—and I long for that day! I am willing to serve You—and I treasure our friendship…and my relationship not only to You but to our Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit, too.

For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:10-11

Meditate. Think about friendship.

How’s your friendship…with old friends or new friends…with Jesus? Some of our friendships and relationships have been stressed by the COVID pandemic or plandemic. We couldn’t visit each other…or gather in large groups for such a long time. Sure, we could talk on the phone, text message, FaceTime, or Zoom, but there is nothing like seeing someone in person and hugging! Since the mandates have been relaxed or lifted, we can restore those relationships. Hug!

God in His infinite wisdom allowed our relationship with Him to be restored, renewed and rekindled with the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through God’s grace and mercy, Jesus had to die ONLY once for the sins of everyone. He was sinless—so He had no debt to pay. We all have sinned and can never attain a sinless state so that we can stand before our holy God Almighty—but Jesus paid for us—for our sins so that we can come to God the Father—and have a relationship with Him, as well as with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. That very fact deserves a Hallelujah! Jesus paid it all…all to Him we owe. Now we can declare that we are friends of God. What a great and awesome realization. Because of Jesus, now we can be friends with God. Friends. Friends forever. No pandemic can ever separate us from God. Nothing can separate us from God, just as Paul wrote to the church in Rome.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

How’s your friendship?

Verses of Salvation ~ But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. Romans 5:8-9

Memory Verse of the Week ~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

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

What does money mean to you?

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

Monday, April 18, 2022

What Can You Do?

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, I’ve been feeling a little weak, weary lately, but I can do all things—with the strength that You give me. Thank you!

For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure. Deuteronomy 7:6

Meditate. Do you feel special since you belong to God?

Knowing that I belong to God gives me such assurance and joy. Yes, actually joy. I am humbled to think that I could even be part of God’s family—and yet He promises that His followers will not only be part of His family but also priests and kings. God instructed Moses to tell the Israelites how special they were. The message is the same goes for those on this side of the cross—after the resurrection of Christ.

The Earth belongs to God.
Are you part of His kingdom?
Are you holy?
Will you be a king or a priest?

Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.' This is the message you must give to the people of Israel. Exodus 19:5-6

We are called by God to be like Him…holy.

You must be holy because I, the LORD, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own. Leviticus 20:26

Being His adopted children sets us apart.

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

A child of God—a child of the Lord God Almighty. What could be better? As a child of God, what can you do?

Verse of Salvation ~ Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. Jude 1:3

Memory Verse of the Week ~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

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

God wants us to be like His Son Jesus.

This devotional will help you discover Jesus' characteristics and suggest ways to incorporate those qualities into your life.

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Sunday, April 17, 2022

Joyous Resurrection Sunday

Prayer ~ Hallelujah! Christ My Lord is risen today! He is the Savior of the world! Thank you, Jesus, that You were willingly obedient to the Heavenly Father—allowing Yourself to be the sacrificial Lamb for the sins of mankind since that original sin of Adam and Eve.

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day." Luke 24:1-7

Meditate. Consider the forgiveness offered to you by the sacrifice of our risen Lord.

The Empty Tomb
Jerusalem

He is risen. He is risen indeed! Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice and be glad. The tomb is empty. He is risen from the dead!

Verse of Salvation ~ Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. Psalm 79:9

Joyous Resurrection Sunday to Everyone

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, April 16, 2022

God is Fair and Just

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, as You spent those nights and day in the tomb—in the depths of the earth—You knew that You would not rot in the grave (Psalm 16:10). Your obedience is amazing—knowing the pain, the rejection, the isolation—and choosing to live up to God the Father’s expectations—His plan—anyway. God is fair and just. We deserve the punishment that You took. Without Your obedience mankind would be doomed to eternal life in Hell. Thank You.

Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:24-26

Meditate. Jesus was sacrificed for you—punished instead of you.

Jesus Paid It All
Crucifixion sculpture - Holy Family Shrine
Gretna, Nebraska

Remember the song…Jesus paid it all/All to Him we owe/Sin had left a crimson stain/He washed it white as snow. On that cross, Jesus did “pay it all” as a sacrifice for our sin. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Believe! Do you believe? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Savior. Do it today. If you haven’t already repented—turn from your sin. Do it today. God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. God is fair and just.

Verse of Salvation ~ Help us, O God of our salvation! Help us for the glory of your name. Save us and forgive our sins for the honor of your name. Psalm 79:9

Memory Verse of the Week ~ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Luke 12:34

What is it you treasure? Did thinking about that help you memorize this verse this week?

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, April 15, 2022

Were You There When They Nailed Him to the Cross?

Prayer ~ Lord Jesus, You hung on the cross in agony—for me—for my family, my friends…and for all of mankind. I humbly offer You, thank you. You were the sacrificial lamb for us all. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Your sacrifice is the only way for us to ever be able to stand before our holy God. I humbly offer You, thank you. Your obedience to the plan that God the Father had is amazing. I humbly offer You, thank you.

Modern-day - Place of the Skull - Golgotha
Jerusalem, Israel
🕇🕇🕇
Imagine the crosses at the top of the hill.

Carrying the cross by himself, he went to the place called Place of the Skull (in Hebrew, [Golgotha]). There they nailed Him to the cross. Two others were crucified with him, one on either side, with Jesus between them. And Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." … Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, "I am thirsty." A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" Then he bowed his head and released his spirit. ... Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus' body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus' body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. John 19:17-19, 28-30, 38-42

Meditate. Consider the cross. What was its significance for Jesus? What does it represent to you?

If you had lived at the time of Jesus, would you have believed in Him as your Messiah? Would you have gone to Golgotha to see Him nailed to the cross, then hanging there and dying on the cross? It is finished. Would you have helped wrap Him in linen cloth and carry Him to the tomb? Even now…were you there? Did a part of you die with Jesus on the cross?

Verses of Salvation ~ So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it's all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength. 1 Corinthians 1:23-25

Memory Verse of the Week ~ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Luke 12:34

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

We can’t live on bread alone. Jesus declared that He was the Bread of Life.

Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

Humble yourself. How can you even consider eating at a time like this? Jesus, the Savior of the World, has just been crucified. Crucified for your sins. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) but Jesus Christ in His obedient mercy allowed Himself to be sacrificed for our sins. He loved us enough to go to the cross—to die—so that our sins could be eternally forgiven. Because of Him, we will one day be able to stand before the holy God, spotless and pure—just as Jesus Himself. So, for today—eat only of the spiritual bread that Jesus provides—for He is the Bread of Life. He is the Word of God. Feast on the Bread of Life—and share the magnificent Word of God with others.

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, April 14, 2022

Maundy Thursday - Remembering His Last Passover Supper with Friends

Prayer ~ Lord, help me to understand all that You taught Your disciples on this last Passover. You were about to be the greatest sacrifice ever offered for sins—the ultimate sacrifice—yet You had a servant's heart. How can I ever thank you enough? I humbly bow before You—repentant, thankful, and filled with Your peace. Only You can give that peace—peace that passes all understanding. Did You feel that peace at that last Passover meal?

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and said, "Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together." "Where do you want us to prepare it?" they asked him. He replied, "As soon as you enter Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the house he enters, say to the owner, 'The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?' He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal." They went off to the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there. When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, "I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. Luke 22:7-15

Reenactment of the Jesus' Passover Meal
Richland Nazarene Church
This is my body, broken for you.

Meditate. Consider the Passover meal.

The Passover Meal has been celebrated since the exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt. God sent plagues on Egypt so that Pharoh would let the Hebrew people go, but it wasn’t until the final plague—the death of the firstborn—that Pharoh relented and released the Hebrews who were enslaved there in Egypt. The ten plagues were turning the water…all the water in Egypt…into blood; frogs; lice or gnats; flies; pestilence of livestock; boils; hail; locust; darkness for three days; and death of the firstborn. The Lord instructed the Jews to put lamb’s blood on the doorposts of their homes so that the angel of death would “Passover” their homes. Even today the Jews remember those ten plagues as part of their Passover meal.

Did Jesus recall the ten plagues as He reclined and enjoyed the meal with His disciples? We don’t have an account of that, but we do know that He offered unleavened bread and wine during the meal and that was the beginning of our tradition of communion. Jesus commemorated the suffering with which He would be afflicted only a few hours after His Passover meal. He took the bread—which had been pierced…just like His body would be pierced during His beating…and He offered the wine—symbolic of His own blood…which would be shed on the cross. He actually gave thanks to the Father for that bread and wine. Could you have thanked the Father for such a thing as the anguish of crucifixion? Jesus did—even before His suffering began. Paul called the church at Corinth to remember Jesus’ suffering. Likewise, we remember Jesus’ Last Supper with His friends.

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me." In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it." For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Is the desire of your heart to know the Lord…and to remember the sacrifice that He made for you? He was the Passover Lamb—sacrificed for your sin. From the beginning of time…with Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden, blood had to be shed for sin, but those animal sacrifices had to be continually repeated until Jesus’ blood was sacrificed for all mankind’s sin. He paid it all.

Remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for you. Recall the Last Passover Supper Jesus had with His Friends.

Verses of Salvation ~ The LORD says, "I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation." Psalm 91:14-16

Memory Verse of the Week ~ Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Luke 12:34

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