Banquet With The King

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Even the Angels Stand in Awe of God

Prayer – Lord, I stand in awe of You—well actually I fall on my knees…and then on my face. You are too awesome for me to just sit and chat with—but I long to spend time with You. Please accept my humble life—cleanse my very heart, soul, and mind that I would be pure before You. You are mighty, awesome, powerful—all knowing, all caring, and all loving to those who love You. I love You. I am Yours—You are mine. All that I have and all that there is on earth…and the universe…belongs to You.

Who in Heaven can compare
with the Lord?
Can you image the awe of God?

All heaven will praise your great wonders, LORD; myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness. For who in all of heaven can compare with the LORD? What mightiest angel is anything like the LORD? The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God. He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne. O LORD God of Heaven's Armies! Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O LORD? You are entirely faithful. You rule the oceans. You subdue their storm-tossed waves. You crushed the great sea monster. You scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. The heavens are yours, and the earth is yours; everything in the world is yours—you created it all. Psalm 89:5-11

Meditate. Consider God’s power and might.

What is the picture of God in your mind? Is He birdlike as described to Ruth by Boaz?

May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done. Ruth 2:12

God is so powerful that I certainly can’t get my mind around how great He is. Can you? The scripture focus for today asks who in heaven can compare with the Lord? The answer—no one. Even all the angels stand in awe of God. They recognize His power and majesty. Few people have ever seen God Himself. To think that one day we will actually see Him face to face is mindboggling. Just to see Jesus, who is in a human form, will be spectacular! Have you read in Revelation how John describes Him?

When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lampstands. And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. Revelation 1:12-16

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses. From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a winepress. On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords. Revelation 19:11-16

Jesus is powerful—but note that He yields to the Heavenly Father, as does the Holy Spirit.

So the Jewish leaders began harassing Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules. But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God. So Jesus explained, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him." John 5:16-23

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three-in-one, but God the Father is above all. Jesus and the Holy Spirit operate on the words and guidance of God the Father.

Now he (Jesus) is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God's right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. Acts 2:33

At one time I prayed only to Jesus—then I began humbling praying to the Father…and even started praying specifically to the Holy Spirit. Three in one—yet distinctively separate. We are so blessed to have such an awesome, multidimensional God. Loving, kind, generous, considerate, compassionate, mighty, creative, powerful—and the list could go on forever. He wants us to be obedient to Him…and yet He lets us choose. The punishment—being cast away—for disobedience is a great motivator. Personally, I choose to be obedient—and to recognize and acknowledge His power and might. Like the angels, I stand in awe of Him. Do you?

Verse of Salvation ~ Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I (Paul) was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:12-13

For what are you thankful today?

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, November 11, 2024

It’s a Wonderful Secret - Be Transformed into Immortality

Prayer – Lord, reveal to us this mystery of transformation. It is so exciting that we have this promise for our mortal bodies to be transformed into immortal bodies—just like Yours was, Jesus. Immortal! We will live forever—forever serving You. What can I do to get ready? I feel like I’m ready now. Come quickly, Jesus. Glory be to the Father...and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The Scriptures tell us, "The first man, Adam, became a living person." But the last Adam--that is, Christ—is a life-giving Spirit. What comes first is the natural body, then the spiritual body comes later. Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. What I am saying, dear brothers and sisters, is that our physical bodies cannot inherit the Kingdom of God. These dying bodies cannot inherit what will last forever. 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. 1 Corinthians 15:45-53

Meditate. Are you looking for a wonderful secret?

Transformed...from a caterpillar to a butterfly.
Will you be transformed,,,
in the blink of an eye?
Believe in Jesus as your Savior.
Prepare to be changed.

Transformed! Changed from mortal to immortal. No more dying. How can that be? With God, all things are possible. How and when this transformation will take place is still a wonderful secret. God has revealed to us that we will be changed…in the blink or twinkling of an eye. So fast that we won’t even know it is happening, but we will know that we are changed. Even the dead in Christ will be transformed to immortal—raising first. Will we see them? Probably, since we will perhaps be living still. God has told us—promised it. The twinkling of an eye is just a moment of time. From mortal bodies that will die or are dead—to immortal bodies that will last forever.

Will transformation happen without any planning or preparation for all the believers? Jesus told His disciples and us to…be prepared for we don’t know just when exactly all this will happen. Read Mark 13 to obtain more clues as to the end times that Jesus described.

And since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! Mark 13:33

When we are changed, will we be just like Jesus was after His resurrection? I think so. God requires purity—to come before Him. Even the priests in the earlier Temple days could not touch or go near a dead body. As immortals we will be pure, like those priests and like resurrected Jesus. We will also have the righteous character and eternal qualities of Jesus Christ—with the pure and blameless lives that we strive for now.

Do you picture Jesus as He was described by John in Revelation recognizing how Paul portrayed Jesus as the visible image of an invisible God?

And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance. Revelation 1:13-16

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. Colossians 1:15-16

We are definitely visible, and Christ was visible even after His death and resurrection. We can assume that we will have the same visible body after Christ resurrects us—and calls us to heaven. First, we will be transformed…in the blink of an eye. That is pretty fast! Are you ready to be transformed? We don’t know just when that will happen…but we need to be ready—all hearts clear—repented of all regrets and associated sins. Jesus told His followers that to even think of a sin is to commit it—like putting other things before your relationship with God, dishonoring your parents, murdering someone’s character, adultery, stealing, lying, or coveting. Sins just to think about such actions. Purity and obedience are what God wants…what He requires. Are you living in a way that pleases the Lord? Our mortal bodies won’t last forever—in fact God won’t allow sinful bodies in His glorious Heaven. We will be transformed.

Paul gives us a great discussion of mortal and immortal bodies in his first letter to the Corinthians. It is good to read that book for yourself. Immortal bodies. Will we be able to enter rooms without going through a door? Will we need or want to eat? Remember how Jesus just appeared to the disciples after His resurrection? See Luke 24:36-43. There is so much to discover and learn. This wonderful secret will one day be a reality.

Obedience and purity. These are choices we must make for ourselves. What is your choice for today?

Verse of Salvation ~ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Philippians 1:9-11

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

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Obedience is a Choice

Prayer – Dear God…You made me; You created me. Now give me the sense to follow Your commands. Psalm 119:73. You have shown me again that the key is to OBEY. Jesus was obedient…and that is how I should life, too. A life of obedience. I praise You for so wisely revealing that to me, again.

But everyone knows that you are obedient to the Lord. This makes me very happy. I want you to be wise in doing right and to stay innocent of any wrong. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:19-20

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance throughout scripture.

Do you see a connection between wisdom and obedience?

I have been impressed over and over in the last few months about the relationship between obedience and wisdom.

Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! Psalm 111:10

Cross from Medjugorje
Depicting Jesus' obedience

Obedience is the key. Jesus was obedient to the Father to the point of death on the cross. Can we be that obedient? I once heard on a radio program concerning the importance of children’s obedience to their parents. There were three rules to obedience:

1. Do what you are told.

2. Do it immediately.

3. Do it with a good attitude.

Those are pretty important rules. It looks to me that these are the same things that God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have been teaching and instructing all along. Even the Hebrew people as they wandered in the desert with Moses were told to follow the Ten Commandments that were given to them. As they went into the Promised Land, God’s message remained the same. The Israelites were continually told that if they obeyed God’s instructions they would be blessed and rewarded.

If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops, and the trees of the field will produce their fruit. Leviticus 26:3-4.

Jesus spoke to Judas at the Last Supper…go now—do it quickly (John 13:27).

In Romans we are encouraged, by the Holy Spirit, to have a good attitude.

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. Romans 14:17-18.

Those three rules to obedience are good ones to teach to children at an early age…so that by the time they are teenagers, they will have obedience ingrained in their character.

My children, listen when your father corrects you. Pay attention and learn good judgment, for I am giving you good guidance. Don't turn away from my instructions. ... My father taught me, "Take my words to heart. Follow my commands, and you will live.” Proverbs 4:1-2, 4.

Good advice to pay attention and follow commands or instructions. What is your choice today? Listen and obey?

Verses of Salvation ~ But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-17

Give Thanks for family…past, present, and future.

We are the family of God.

Happy Birthday Blessings Joe!

Recycled and revised from July 27, 2016 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

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Love is…Walking in Obedience

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You want us to be like You…obedient. Reveal Yourself to us in ways we don’t expect it…and help us to walk obediently in Your footsteps…even if it means we have a cross to bear.

Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them. John 14:21 NLT

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. 2 John 1:6 NIV

Meditate. Consider God’s love and your obedience.

How’s your walk with the Lord? Along a narrow path—with a few conscientious people or a wide road crowded with others mindlessly hurrying along.

Walk in obedience as you travel along your life’s path. Where are you walking? It does matter where we go and it is imperative that we go in obedience to the Lord. God wants us to walk in love…and to be headed towards Him, not away from Him. Not every path will lead us to live, prosper and prolong our days here in God’s land…where we are until He returns or we die, but the choice is our—where we walk, with whom we walk and why we walk at all.

So Moses told the people, "You must be careful to obey all the commands of the LORD your God, following his instructions in every detail. Stay on the path that the LORD your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives in the land you are about to enter and occupy." Deuteronomy 5:32-33

How joyful are those who fear the LORD—all who follow his ways! (who walk in obedience to him.) Psalm 128:1

The key word seems to be obedience. Obey is listed 338 times in the NLT Bible. That is a word that Jesus was not only personally familiar with in His relationship to our Father, uses it to encourage those who follow Him. Obey…

Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them." John 14:21 (Underlined for emphasis.)

How are you walking…where are you going…with whom do you walk? The choice is yours.

Verse of Salvation ~ Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2

Walk in a grateful way—giving Thanks to God.

Revised and recycled from May 1, 2019 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, November 8, 2024

Listen…Do You Want God’s Blessing?

Prayer – Lord, I want Your blessing on my life. At meal time my family and friends always thank you and ask for your blessing on our food. Health and good decisions are priorities as well. I’m listening to You—I hear You speak through Your Word. I hear You say…”the time is near.”

God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near. Revelation 1:3

Meditate. Consider God’s timing and blessings.

Do you want God’s blessing on your life? Do you expect Him to bless you because of what you’ve done for Him…because you go to church or take food to the homeless?

Listen and obey. How many times do we hear that? There are at least 22 verses in the New Living Translation that address listening and obeying in the Old and New Testaments. It’s a pretty important command. God expected His chosen people to listen and obey…from the time of Moses. He promised them that they would be blessed if they obeyed and cursed if they didn’t. That should have been great motivation. Do you hear that message?

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: ... But if you refuse to listen to the LORD your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you….The LORD himself will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in everything you do, until at last you are completely destroyed for doing evil and abandoning me. Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15, 20

The list of curses is long—go read it for yourself. I wouldn’t want any of those curses, confusion, or frustration. Life is full of trials and tribulations enough without being cursed by the Lord Himself. I personally choose to listen and obey…but not to be legalistic. Trying to follow the Ten Commandments and other directive to the letter is just what the Pharisees were doing—and yet they were not considered obedient. Jesus had particularly strong criticism of them.

What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people's bones and all sorts of impurity. Matthew 23:27

They did not receive a blessing. Their choice of not believing in Jesus sealed their fate. What is your choice for yourself today? Listen and obey?

Verse of Salvation ~ Finally, believers, we ask and admonish you in the Lord Jesus, that you follow the instruction that you received from us about how you ought to walk and please God (just as you are actually doing) and that you excel even more and more [pursuing a life of purpose and living in a way that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation]. 1Thessalonians 4:1 AMP

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

When the Israelites returned to the Promised Land from their exile in Babylon, they rebuilt the wall around the city and the Temple. Then Ezra brought out the Law and read it to the people, most of whom had never heard it.

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10

What did they feast on? Rich foods and sweet drinks. This is a time for feasting with healthy foods—in giving thanks for the bountiful harvest. That was the roots of Thanksgiving. What’s on your menu for Thanksgiving Day? Most people traditionally serve turkey, which is a healthy meat. Here’s the menu I’m considering for that special day coming up in almost three weeks. Let me know what you are thinking and planning for this Holiday.

Gobble - Gobble
No Turkey - Hurrah!

Holiday Menu for Two

Apple Butternut Squash Soup

Grilled Salmon with a fresh cranberry sauce

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Waldorf Salad

Homemade Sour Dough Whole Wheat Rolls (maybe)

Pumpkin Pie

Sweet Herbal Tea & Expresso

Thank God - Gratefully

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

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Staying on the Path?

Prayer – Lord, open our eyes that we would clearly see Your path and follow it. Help us guide those around us—especially the younger generation—to follow Your path, too. As always…listening is the key to obedience. Open our ears to hear You loud and clear and may we be alert to make the right choice of obedience…moment by moment. Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice for each of us.

Can you follow a
straight and narrow path?

Follow the steps of good men instead, and stay on the paths of the righteous. For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted. Proverbs 2:20-22

Meditate.

What path are you following?

The land. THE LAND! The land flowing with milk and honey that the Lord had promised to the Israelites? But they were already in that land. Is it THE LAND of heaven…a spiritual land? It seems to me that that is the land to which Solomon is alluding. A place we all want to go someday…heaven. Stay on the straight and narrow path—the righteous path. God has plans for us…

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NASB.

"With weeping they will come, and by supplication I will lead them; I will make them walk by streams of waters, on a straight path in which they will not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn." Jeremiah 31:9 NASB.

This is clarified more in the book of Hosea…

Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the LORD are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall. Hosea 14:9.

Be wise and discerning. As always LISTEN. If we don’t listen, we won’t hear the Word of the Lord—those wise words of wisdom given to us to guide our hearts, thoughts and mind to do the right—the righteous—thing. Be warned and listen up. Of course, it is the younger generation that really needs to listen—but it is never too late for someone to change their ways and follow Jesus. He has done so much for us. It is a simple act—a choice for each of us to make to follow Him. Where are you going today?

Verse of Salvation ~ Repent, all of you who forget me (God), or I will tear you apart, and no one will help you. But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. If you keep to my path, I will reveal to you the salvation of God. Psalm 50:22-23

Give Thanks to God…Forever

Recycled and reused from February 11, 2016 Banquet With The King blog.

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

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®,

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