Banquet With The King

Monday, August 18, 2025

Is Your Faith Stronger?

There is power in waterfalls.
Faith has power.
How is your faith today?
Niagara Falls, New York

Has your faith in God become stronger over the past year? Paul writes in his letter to the Romans that Abraham believed and trusted God. His faith grew stronger. The purpose of our spiritual lives is to glorify God—that is just what Abraham did. Abraham did all this without the benefit of a Bible, other Christians with whom to fellowship, or corporate worship. We have so much—but is our faith strong? Is it growing? I’m sure Abraham had distractions. We have so many due to technology advances—phones, TV, internet, video games, hobbies, sports, and a proliferation of books. We have to focus on God to put Him first in our lives—to allow our faith to grow. Does God count us as righteous? Paul said that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. If we believe.

At what point are you in your spiritual life? If you believe? Believing in God…in Jesus…is the basis of our faith. Faith grows stronger as it is tested. Consider Abraham’s faith in being willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God provided a ram instead of Isaac, but would Abraham have sacrificed his son? Paul gives an interesting challenge to the church at Corinth.

Although he was crucified in weakness, he now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with him and will have God's power. Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know that Jesus Christ is among you; if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith. As you test yourselves, I hope you will recognize that we have not failed the test of apostolic authority. 2 Corinthians 13:4-6

Test yourself. Paul also writes an encouraging letter to the church at Thessalonica that mentions their faith growing abundantly.

Dear brothers and sisters, we can't help but thank God for you, because your faith is flourishing and your love for one another is growing. 2 Thessalonians 1:3

Faith. Faith is the assurance of truth in what we cannot see. We just have to trust and learn more about God to experience a deeper relationship with Him. That is a step in trust.

The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7

Has your faith in God, or Christ Jesus, grown in the past weeks, months, years?

Abraham never wavered in believing God's promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn't just for Abraham's benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. Romans 4:20-25

Prayer – Lord Jesus, I believe in You—You are my Savior, my Lord, and my King. Glory to You…and to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. May You find me faithful. Create in me a clean heart. I ask that You open the eyes of my heart to understand more about You every day and that I declare You with boldness to those around me. Thank you for faith. Increase mine day by day.

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

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. 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. 1 Peter 1:5-7

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, August 17, 2025

Did You Get the Free Gift?

Is anything really “free”?

God assures us that His gift to mankind is free.

But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought dweath to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God's gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man's sin. For Adam's sin led to condemnation, but God's free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15-17 (Underlined or emphasis.)

God gives His gift—His Son Jesus—forgiving sins through Jesus’ obedient sacrifice. It is “free” for us—but look at what Jesus gave—His human life. Resurrection is a gift to us all, since we will one day experience that resurrection, too. That is part of God’s promise. We must have faith.

Faith is believing without seeing. Faith like Abraham, who left his homeland at God’s command. He trusted God to provide him with a land and a family. He was obedient—like our Lord, Jesus. Abraham was known as a friend of God. We can have the same relationship with God. Be His friend. To know Him, we can read and study His words in scripture. We cannot see Jesus now—but one day we will see Him…and every knee will bow before Him. All humanity throughout history will be bowing. It will be a glorious day.

Have you or will you be accepting God’s free gift? It really is free to you, but obedience is the key or the price that anyone pays who wants to be a true friend of Jesus…of God. Simply put…Jesus commanded this to His disciples.

You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:14

Do you want to be a friend of God…a friend of Jesus? Can you obey Jesus’ commands?

So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham's. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing. Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, "That's how many descendants you will have!" And Abraham's faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah's womb. Romans 4:16-19

Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you for Your tremendous sacrifice. I am in awe of You.

Meditate. Think about Jesus’ sacrifice for you.

Verse 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

Saturday, August 16, 2025

Every Knee Will Bow. Yours, too?

Of course, we ALL will bow before Jesus. That is a promise. We are told in Isaiah 45:23 that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess allegiance to Jesus. This is repeated in Romans 14.

Consult together, argue your case. Get together and decide what to say. Who made these things known so long ago? What idol ever told you they would happen? Was it not I, the LORD? For there is no other God but me, a righteous God and Savior. There is none but me. Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me." The people will declare, "The LORD is the source of all my righteousness and strength." And all who were angry with him will come to him and be ashamed. In the LORD all the generations of Israel will be justified, and in him they will boast. Isaiah 45:21-25

Reenactment of the Last Supper
Richland Nazarene Church
Jesus said..."This body broken for you."
Will you accept what Jesus did for you?

Jesus told His disciples, particularly Thomas and us, that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. That is eternal life—forever. Those who believe in Him as their Savior will have the opportunity and responsibility to live forever with Him. What a great promise.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

Do you believe? If you are a believer, there is an opportunity to encourage other Christians, not to put them down. If you don’t yet know Jesus, then search the scriptures for Him…and you will find Him. He is waiting for you to believe in Him as your Savior. Savior from what? Sin. For everyone has sinned and not met God’s expectations. Jesus died on a cross just for our sins—to reunite us with God the Father. We cannot do this on our own. Only a pure and spotless (lamb) person could be the sacrifice for mankind’s sin. That was Jesus. You can bow your knee and accept Jesus as your Savior. The choice is yours. Yes, or No?

For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer? Remember, we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For the Scriptures say, "'As surely as I live,' says the LORD, 'every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess and give praise to God.'" Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let's stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. Romans 14:7-13

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You are an awesome God—may all the world know that, for one day we will all bow to You…Jews and Gentiles alike. I bow before You today…recognizing that You are God, Creator of everything, Judge, Savior, and Friend. Thank you for being who You are—especially our Lord and Savior. Without You, we are lost forever. With You, we are redeemed, forever. Help us not to condemn others—for You have no favorites and have given Your very life for all mankind. Thank you.

Meditate. Consider God’s purpose.

Verse of Salvation ~ (Spoken by Jesus.) Let all the world look to me for salvation! For I am God; there is no other. I have sworn by my own name; I have spoken the truth, and I will never go back on my word: Every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess allegiance to me. Isaiah 45:22-23

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, August 15, 2025

Are You Dead or Alive?

So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 NLT

Death or Life?
Spikes nailed Jesus to the Cross.
Jesus gives us life.
Eternally.

We have all sinned and are dead in sin and fall short, but God is giving you a chance to make things right. This is my favorite verse because we have all sinned and are dead in sin, but are alive through Christ Jesus.

Prayer – Lord –Thank you for giving me a chance to make things right. Please help me to trust You in everything. Amen

Meditate. Think about Death. Think about Life.

Verse of Salvation ~ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

Zucchini Time! Gardens are overflowing with zucchini at this time in late summer. Enjoy some of this bread soon.

Zucchini Bread

Mix:

3eggs

1 c. oil

1½ sugar

2 c. grated zucchini

2 tsp vanilla

Mix and add:

3 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

3 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp baking powder

1 c. nuts and or craisins (optional)

Bake in 2 (9x5) loaf pans at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pans while still warm and cool on a wire rack—if you can wait before you have a warm slice! Enjoy with coffee or a tall glass of cool milk.

Guest writer – Granddaughter Lydia

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, August 14, 2025

Are You Following Good…and Following God?

Follow Good...Follow God.

Follow good…follow God. John tells us 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. Yes, the good know God and belong to Him…but are they good on their own…or are they good because they know God? That is a good question. Will they enter the Kingdom of God…will they ultimately enter Heaven…because they are good?

Being good on our own is not enough—we need faith. With that faith, we believe in God and have a relationship with Him. We cannot love Him, unless we know Him. Know Him by knowing His word—and then obediently following it. Follow the good…follow God.

Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way. For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. ... Clearly, God's promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God's law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith. If God's promise is only for those who obey the law, then faith is not necessary and the promise is
pointless. Romans 4:1-5, 13-14

Prayer – Lord God, I know that just being good doesn’t make a person Your child—only believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior—the true Son of God allows one to be “adopted” into Your family. I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God! Thank you, Jesus for Your obedience and sacrifice.

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture.

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. Romans 13:11

Are you putting God first today?

Repeat portions of February 22, 2023, 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

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Can We Boast?

May God's glory be new every morning.
Morning Glories in Jerusalem, Israel

Share in Christ's glory--Share in His suffering.

Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No. We are set free by our faith in Jesus as our Savior…by believing in the salvation that God offers mankind. Just obeying God’s law or by doing good deeds isn’t going to take away our sin…and remember that everyone is a sinner (Romans 3:23). We can’t smile enough, genuflect enough, give enough money, time, kindness, works or efforts to get us into Heaven. It is only by the grace of God and our belief in His Son that we will ever see Heaven—and God will open the gates wide for those who believe.

Once again, we realize that God shows no favorites—no partiality (Deuteronomy 10:17), as Paul writes here, includes people throughout time, even before Jesus came to earth. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Jesus has our back…He is our advocate before the Father. Additionally, Jesus told His disciples…and us…that the Holy Spirit would also be our advocate. It is so terrific to know that we have such encouragers and supporters standing up for us. God can surely see that we are purified by the blood of Jesus…and recognize us as His children—adopted into His very family.

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. 1 John 2:1

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. John 14:16

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, "Abba, Father." For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. Romans 8:15-17

So, as children of God—sharing in glory with Christ—brace yourself. Paul tells us that we will have to share in his suffering. Is your love for the Lord, your relationship with Him, your hope of eternity in Heaven, worth suffering for alongside Christ? How will we have to suffer? Consider the Christians around the world who are suffering persecution right now. Thousands…perhaps millions…of Christians experience oppression, torment, harassment, discrimination, and execution daily. Search the internet for details of persecution, but be sure to have a tissue handy. Life is not easy for these dear brothers and sisters in Christ…and it will bring tears to your eyes. Pray. Pray for the persecuted church.

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. Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. Romans 3:25-28 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Prayer – Lord God, in Your mercy, please give strength and hope to those brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering persecution. Help us to be prepared…to stand up for Christ…and to endure any persecution with which we are faced. I praise You, Jesus. You are worthy of any suffering.

Meditate. Do you suffer for the Lord?

Verse of Salvation ~ And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. Hebrews 9:27-28

Are you putting God first today?

Reused from August 8, 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