Banquet With The King

Saturday, September 7, 2024

I Always Thank God For You

Prayer – Lord, I am so blessed to have You as my Savior and to know that You are a blessing to so many of my family and friends. Please continue to gather them under Your wings of protection, blessing them with Your grace and peace. Thank you…for those I’ve known now and who have gone before me into Your loving arms in Heaven.

May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. I always thank my God for you and for the gracious gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. Through him, God has enriched your church in every way—with all of your eloquent words and all of your knowledge. This confirms that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 (Underlined for emphasis.)

New Life
What are your spiritual gifts?

Meditate. Consider God’s faithfulness.

Do you feel that God has been faithful to you? Have He graciously given you gifts of the spirit that you can use for Him? What are those gifts…and how are you using them?

Gifts of the Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

It is useful for a person to assess their spiritual gifts so that they can use them to serve the Lord effectively. Maybe your church, pastor, teacher, mentor or friend has a Spiritual Gifts test you can use or there are tons of questionnaires out online to help you do just that. One that I’d trust is on the Lifeway’s site. Spiritual_Gifts_Assessmentpdf.pdf (scene7.com) Give it a try. It was interesting that several years ago my Small Group Bible study did such an evaluation and amongst the group we had all of the spiritual gifts. Amazing! God certainly provides—and then expects us to use the gifts that He gives us.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love. Ephesians 4:11-16

Paul points out that we become mature, that is spiritually mature by using these gifts. Isn’t that just what the Lord wants of us? To become mature and to do His work?

Are you choosing to discover your Spiritual Gifts and use them to serve the Lord?

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

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, September 6, 2024

What is Greatest?

Prayer – Lord, You are the greatest! And You’ve pointed out in Paul’s message to the Corinthians that above all else, faith, hope and love remain…and the greatest of these is love. Classic scripture passage. Thank you. Remind me continually that Your love for us was the greatest…and that same love can flow into me and through me to others. What a great plan! The greatest!

And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God's love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 AMP

Meditate. Consider God’s love.

Do you feel and emulate God’s Love?

God loved His creation…He still does. His loved us…everyone in the world…so much that He gave up His one and only Son as a sacrifice for our sins. That sinful state began when Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the fruit of the tree He had forbidden. That was the only thing He asked them NOT to do. Couldn’t they have followed His instructions? People all through the ages I’m sure have been wondering the same thing.

So, God had a plan then and we are still under God’s “plan” today. Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth from heaven to be the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind. Blood had to be shed in order for the sin to be removed, for people to be reconciled with God. That blood offering was done repeatedly for years with animals—but it had to be God’s son’s blood to finally wash away that sin. He did it for everyone, but part of God’s plan is that people had to “accept” Jesus’ sacrifice for their own sins. They have to repent of their own sin for the reconciliation to be effective. Everyone has a choice. Repent. Accept Jesus’ sacrifice. Or not. When people accept this resolution as the sin offering part of the plan, God chooses to make those people part of His forever family! The choice is yours and mine. I choose to be sorry…to repent. Now I live day by day seeking and serving Jesus as my Savior, continually thanking God, the Father, for His plan, and allowing God the Holy Spirit to guide my thoughts, words, and actions.

Love—God’s love for each of us and for His Son—is a wonderful and remarkable thing. I am anticipating exciting things to happen as we see God’s plan unfold in our future. Events in the future may be scary—but we don’t have to be afraid. I have to keep reminding myself about that! God is always with us and He keeps His promises. The greatest thing is still LOVE!

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

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

Start with storebought or homemade
Yogurt!
Create your own Labneh!
High protein Yogurt Cheese.

Remember a couple of weeks ago I posted a homemade yogurt recipe. There are lots of things you can do with yogurt, besides just eating it plain, like I often do. You can add fruit to it, skipping all the sugar that processed little cups of yogurt often include. You can use it in lots of different recipes, even using it as a substitute for sour cream.

Have you ever had Yogurt Cheese or Labneh? Here’s a recipe I found in a Mediterranean cookbook and on many online sites that turns regular yogurt into Greek yogurt, which becomes Yogurt Cheese. You can combine it with olive oil and herbs, honey and walnuts, or other ingredients to make a tasty dip.

Yogurt Cheese

2 cups plain yogurt (not non-fat)

Line a mesh strainer with a couple layers of cheesecloth or three basket style coffee filters. Set the strainer over a large bowl or measuring cup, allowing room in the container for about a cup of liquid to drain. Spoon the yogurt into the strainer, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 10 hours or up to two days. Squeeze out any additional liquid. The longer it drains, the thicker your cheese will be.

Transfer the yogurt cheese to another container. Discard the liquid, known as whey, or use it like buttermilk. There are a variety of ways to serve this thick yogurt cheese. Your imagination is the limit.

Roll the cheese into little one-inch balls and store in olive oil until ready to use in a salad, or as a snack or appetizer.

Swirl olive oil over the top of the yogurt and sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs of your choice. Use to dip with crackers, veggies, or bread.

Stir in chopped, toasted walnuts and honey for another dip for breads or veggies.

Stir in chopped fresh dill, a couple of teaspoons grated lemon rind, and season to taste with salt and pepper, before you serve.

Enjoy creating your own unique nourishing, gourmet foods with this high protein yogurt cheese.

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, September 5, 2024

Stay Alert!

Prayer ~ Lord, Peter tell us that we need to stay alert and watch out for our enemy, the devil. Open our eyes that we won’t be deceived by him, or take captive. There is evil out there—wherever there is an absence of God…there is evil. Please continue to surround us with Your love and guide us as we put on Your armor. Is spiritual warfare is part of our lives?

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. All power to him forever! Amen. 1 Peter 5:6-11 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate. Stay focused and alert.

Are you staying alert? What keeps you attention?

Peter is giving some great advice here…be humble. Give your worries and anxiety to God. Wake up—stay alert. Something—or someone, the devil, is out there watching you. He is wanting to catch you up and trip you. Stay strong in your faith—don’t stop believing in the power of God to help you in the difficult time. Everyone has challenging times in their lives…and around the world there are many who are facing persecution, trials, and tribulations greater than anything we can imagine. Yet, right within my own community there is a horrific situation with sex trafficking that is going on right under our noses…and most people aren’t even aware of the magnitude of it. Trafficking also includes forced labor and domestic servitude exploitation.

Keys take many forms.
What does the "respect" key look like?

What is the solution? I think ultimately, the key is respect. If people were truly loving one another, as Jesus taught, then this type of behavior wouldn’t be happening. If boys are not taught to respect girls and women, then as they get sexual urges, they seek any way to express that desire. Yet, it all comes down to financial gain. Someone, not those being exploited, is making money from these activities. Lust. Greed. Covetousness. People wanting for themselves what someone else has.

What can you do? Call 911, if you suspect that a victim is in an unsafe situation. Don’t put yourself at risk. Contact the authorities. In the Tri-Cities, Washington, there is an advocate group, Mirror Ministries, that can be called 24-hours a day on their hotline, (509) 212-9995. This group meets the needs of trafficking survivors, educates about human trafficking, and engages in outreach in our community.

In other areas, contact the Homeland Security Investigation Tip Line, where trained staff takes calls 24 hours a day, at 1-866-347-2423, or outside the US at 802-872-6199. Additionally, the National Human Trafficking Hotline can connect victims and survivors with local assistance no matter where they are in the US, also 24 hours a day, at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).

No one needs to suffer, if people can just be aware and care. Seek more information at the dhs.gov web sites. Can you choose to begin with prayer for these exploited people.

Verse of Salvation ~ "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD's favor has come." Luke 4:18-19

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, September 4, 2024

What Do Fools Say in Their Hearts?

Prayer – Lord, give us wisdom and understanding that we would never be corrupt and have evil thoughts or actions. As You taught Your disciples…Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one. Matthew 6:9-13

Do you consider gators evil?
Certainly dangerous--even fossilized ones.
Charleston, SC
Who is like the evil one without God?

Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! Psalm 14:1

Meditate. Consider good versus evil.

What do you say about God in your heart?

Personally, I say there is a God…He is my God, my Lord, my Savior. He is creator of the world…of the universe and everything that is in it, but He did not create evil. As Einstein wrote, evil is the absence of God. Full circle. Fools say there is no God…and thus their actions maybe evil—without God. They cannot see that without God they only have evil. Is it possible they think they are “good people” without God? For sure, there are some people who boast about being “good” and not needing God, yet corruption has overtaken them. David writes in this Psalm that not one of them does good!

Jesus said that only God is good. God is perfection…and we can only try to attain that which will happen one day in heaven.

"Why do you call me good?" Jesus asked. "Only God is truly good. " Mark 10:18

John wrote about an individual who was making evil accusations and banning certain people from church.

Dear friend, don't let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God's children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God. 3 John 1:11

Prove you are God’s child—an adopted, loved one—by your actions. People will know you are a disciple of Jesus as you follow His commandment to love. In His last teaching session with His disciples, He told them to love others—just as He had repeatedly taught earlier…love God, love others as you love yourself.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:34-35

Do you choose to love God and others?

Verse of Salvation ~ And now there remain: faith [abiding trust in God and His promises], hope [confident expectation of eternal salvation], love [unselfish love for others growing out of God's love for me], these three [the choicest graces]; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 AMP

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

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Be Strong

Prayer – Lord, help me to be strong in You and in Your mighty power.

world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate. Are you putting on your armor every day?

Is your spiritual armor too heavy for you?

We review this once more, as we are told to put on the armor of God so that we can stand firm against evil in this world. That evil is all around us…even when we cannot see it. I recently heard someone describe that cold is the absence of heat, darkness is the absence of light, and evil is the absence of God. Very good descriptions! Where there is no God recognized and acknowledged, evil abounds. Just think how some of the cities of the United States…and even throughout the world, have turned into scary places that you wouldn’t even want to visit in the daytime. Too dangerous. Sinister people control the streets and encourage vandalism, revolution, and treacherous acts of violence. We have promises of God that He will protect us and this message to put on His armor is a good place to start. Put on all the pieces: the helmet of salvation, the belt of truth, the shoes of peace, the shield of faith, and take up the sword of the Spirit. Don’t leave home without them!

Here are additional verses that should encourage you as you seek the Lord, stay away from evil, and continue to pray unceasingly. Consider it a personal note from God to you.

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Stay away from every kind of evil. Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Stay away from evil. That seems to be the key. Choose to be strong and in His mighty power.

Verse of Salvation ~ And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 1 Peter 1:5

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, September 2, 2024

Is Jesus the Sword of the Spirit...the Word of God?

Prayer – Lord, please give us wisdom and understanding to know about the Sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:10-17 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture. Read God’s word and listen to what He is saying.

Sword or knife?
Sharpen up your knowledge of the Word.

Have you ever wielded a sword—a real sword?

The Bible tells us, in this passage of Ephesians, that word of God is the sword of the Spirit.

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12

The word of God is alive. Lately I’ve heard and read a couple of articles on FaceBook about how people are putting the Bible ahead of Jesus, although Jesus IS the Word of God.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. John 1:1-5

As the Son of God, Jesus was identified as the word of God.

Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, If you know? Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Proverbs 30:4-5 NKJV

Jesus is a spiritual being; He is the Sword of the Spirit…who became a human being—to take upon Himself the sins of the world. His name is The Word of God.

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV

The verdict is in. Jesus is the Son of God. He is the Sword of the Spirit.

Verse 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

Happy Labor Day

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