Banquet With The King

Saturday, October 25, 2025

Think About Heaven

But if you don't believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. John 3:12-13 NLT

Meditate. Think about heaven.

There are 437 verses that mention heaven in the New Living Translation and 459 in the English Standard Version. What do you think of when heaven is mentioned in a discussion with family, friends, or co-workers? Will we be sitting or standing around the thrones of God the Father and Jesus Christ, singing, praising, and playing harps? Will we walk on clouds?

After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, "Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God. ... Then the twenty-four elders and the four living beings fell down and worshiped God, who was sitting on the throne. They cried out, "Amen! Praise the LORD!" And from the throne came a voice that said, "Praise our God, all his servants, all who fear him, from the least to the greatest." Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a vast crowd or the roar of mighty ocean waves or the crash of loud thunder: "Praise the LORD! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Revelation 19:1, 4-6 NLT

So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. Hebrews 9:11-12 NLT

Name seven things we’ll see…or won’t see…in Heaven.

God.

I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.” Revelation 21:3

2. We won’t see anything evil or those who don’t believe in Jesus as their Savior.

Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Revelation 21:27

3. We won’t see any oceans.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. Revelation 21:1 (The sea refers to the place of the dead.)
4. No tears, death or sorrow.

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Revelation 21:4

5. No Temple.

I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. Revelation 21:22

6. Walls around Jerusalem are made of precious stones and the streets are made of gold.

The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass. Revelation 21:18-21

7. No sun or moon.

And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. Revelation 21:23

Are you prepared for Heaven? Have you told anyone about your experience becoming a Christian? Have you encouraged others to know Jesus Christ? Do you believe that the only way to the Father (in heaven) is to know, to believe in Jesus Christ as your Savior?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you for opening my eyes and heart to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is encouraging and inspiring to have some facts about Heaven. Like a kid at Christmas time, I can hardly wait to go there. We are told…Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. Colossians 3:2 NLT. So, I am digging through my Bible to find out more about Heaven. Please enlighten me with additional information about this wonderful place.

Verse of Salvation ~ After this, I heard what sounded like a vast crowd in heaven shouting, "Praise the LORD! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God." Revelation 19:1 NLT

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

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Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

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Friday, October 24, 2025

Bee Sweet! or Be Sweet?

Kind words are like honey—sweet to the soul and healthy for the body. Proverbs 16:24

Meditate. Consider sweetness.

I grew up with honeybee hives…several supers…on our farm, so we always had lots of honey. The bees were a necessary pollinator for our alfalfa crop and fruit trees. My Dad had the bee keeper’s outfit with a netted wide brimmed helmet type hat and thick leather gloves that he wore with long pants and long-sleeved shirt or coveralls. He had a smoker that he used to pump smoke into the hives to stun the bees before he opened the hives up to check on them…or to collect the honey. Yum! Nothing better than chewing a chunk of fresh honey comb filled with sweet honey. Dad would cut the comb off the racks and put in new combs for the bees to fill up. It was much neater than the bees making their own comb. You’d think that they would be organized about that, but in reality, they were messy builders. We slowly heated the honey comb in a big canning pot to melt the honey out of the comb and poured into large glass jars to store all year long. It keeps forever. Later in life I had friends who spun their honey out of the comb. Things change. Farmers now use leaf cutter bees which are even better pollinators for alfalfa, but there is no bonus of the sweet honey.

God’s words are as sweet as honey to me. They last all year—actually like the honey, forever. I savior their flavor…and love to share them with my family and friends…and readers of this blog.

Oh, how I love your instructions! I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments. I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word. I haven't turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me well. How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life. Psalm 119:97-104

Kind words…the kind that you want to hear and speak to others. If we apply God’s word to guide our lives in obedience to Him then we will be blessed with wisdom and understanding. Are you seeking and using God’s words to influence your choices in life? Choose His sweet words—they are even sweeter than honey.

Prayer ~ LORD, accept my offering of praise, and teach me your regulations. My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions. ... Your laws are my treasure; they are my heart's delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end. Psalm 119:108-109, 111-112 Thank You, Lord. I rejoice in discovering new truths about You.

Verse of Salvation ~ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

My favorite cookie of all time is my Grandma Caroline’s Buttermilk Cookies. My cousin found a recipe that we think was Grandma—and I’ve changed it a bit…because I think that Grandma used honey instead of sugar as often as not in her cookies…because we used to take her jars of honey from Dad’s bee hives. She used some of that honey in her cookies. I’ve also updated it using coconut oil and added more spices. I remember Grandma’s cookies as being flavorful. She always stored them, while they lasted, in a cookie jar with a slice of fresh apple to keep them soft.

Grandma’s Buttermilk Cookies

1¼ c. honey (2¼ c. sugar)

2 c. coconut oil, butter or lard

4 eggs

1¾ c. buttermilk

1 t. vanilla

2 t. lemon juice

1¼ t. baking soda

3 t. baking powder

1 t. cinnamon

2 t. ground ginger

6 to 6½ c. flour

Whip or melt coconut oil. Mix with eggs, honey, and vanilla. Mix the dry ingredients together. Stir dry ingredients together with the egg mixture, alternating with the buttermilk and lemon juice. Roll out dough and cut--usually heart-shaped. Bake at 350 for 7-10 minutes.

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

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Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

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Parenting Day By Day - Daily Devotional for Building Character

Coins in the Bible: New Testament Stories

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Captive Thoughts?

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage battle according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NASB20

Meditate. Consider obedience.

Do you know what this is?
The flower of an artichoke!
Beautiful--but unknown.
Are your thoughts
...beautiful. encouraging, worthy...
bringing glory to God?

How do we become obedient to Christ? One way is to respond is to take every thought captive. Surround your thoughts and evaluate if they are appropriate or not. Are they helping you to be obedient to Christ? If not…rethink your thoughts and actions until they are in line with God’s intentions for your life—to live according to His Commandments. Is there anything that cannot be applied to His Commandments? I think not. As Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), to think an action is to do it. Thinking or saying something that is against someone’s character is the same as murder. Keep a close guard on your tongue—as well as your thoughts.

Prayer ~ Jesus, help me to “take every thought captive” because I want to live to please You—to be obedient to You as You were to Your Father.

Verse of Salvation ~ When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

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

Wednesday, October 22, 2025

Have You Heard the Good News? Have You Shared the Good News?

For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it. Colossians 1:19-23

Meditate. Don’t drift away…even in your thoughts.

Don't drift away.
Stay the course. Paddle hard.
Don't let Satan deceive you.
Family kayaking on the Columbia River.

Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. Don’t drift away—don’t be deceived. Nothing would make Satan happier than to deceive a Christian—one who loves the Lord.

The Good News has been preached all over the world…the known world at the time of Paul. Now there are areas of the world which still have not heard the gospel. Mostly these are within an area known as the 10/40 window that covers the Middle East, part of Africa and Asia at the 10 degrees North to 40 degrees North Latitude. Even if you don’t live in the 10/40 Window, have you heard the Good News? If so, have you shared the Good News with others? Does your life reflect the love, joy and peace that is yours in Christ? Are you compassionate, as Jesus was? Do you realize that God lived in Jesus Christ—as a true human being. Yet God the Father allowed His Son Jesus to die for the sins of mankind. He died and was resurrected from the dead—to live again, forever. That fact allows you to do exactly what Paul was writing about in the focus scripture today…to stand blameless—totally faultless—before God. Believe it! Stand firm in your faith—don’t be deceived—don’t drift away. Keep focused on the Lord and what He has done for you. Then share the Good News—you are saved by Jesus’ sacrifice.

Prayer – Lord God, help us to share Your Good News with others—that they might believe and be saved. We praise You—it is so good to be reconciled to You.

Verse of Salvation ~ In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God! We trusted in him, and he saved us! This is the LORD, in whom we trusted. Let us rejoice in the salvation he brings!" Isaiah 25:9

Recycled from September 25, 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

Tuesday, October 21, 2025

How To…Read God’s Word

When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy for himself this body of instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. He must always keep that copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives. That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of these instructions and decrees. This regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens. It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way. And it will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel. Deuteronomy 17:18-20

One of the ways to improve any relationship is by really knowing that person—that goes for knowing God, too. How do we know God? Know a person by reading what they’ve written. I’m part of a writers’ group—STORYWRITERS—and it is true that you learn a lot about people through listening to or reading their stories—whether fiction or memoirs.

Read God's Word in a language you understand.
Hebrew script at the Yardenit Baptism Site
Jordan River, Israel.

What does it say?

God wants His word read…by leaders, kings, and anyone who can read. Additionally, He wants His word read to those who cannot read it for themselves. When the Israelites wanted a king to rule their nation, God gave them guidelines for their king. That included knowing God’s word by copying it for himself and frequently reading it. Note that knowing God’s word would give the king respect for God and prevent him from becoming too conceited and self-reliant. God had a plan for those kings.

Can you read? You must be able to if you are reading this. Are you willing and able to read God’s word? How about copying it for yourself as God required of His king? Considering that this is recorded in the book of Deuteronomy, the portion that they had at that time would only have been the Pentateuch—the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses. Can you at least read those books? I’ve read them, but it has been a few years since I read through the entire Bible, so I am challenging myself to begin reading it again, beginning two weeks ago. Actually, a Bible Study Group I belong to is reading through the New Testament, chronologically, using “The Bible Recap” on the YouVersion app. It is a great study—joining all the gospel text in order, so far. Why wait until January 1^st? Will you join me in this challenge? Put a comment in the box below.

Prayer – Lord, I love to read Your word. Please give me wisdom and understanding…to know not only what You mean, but why and how it is applicable to my life. Let me understand You at a deeper level and share an appreciation of You with others, just as Joshua did.

Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction. Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them. Joshua 8:34-35

Verses of Salvation ~ How long, O God, will you allow our enemies to insult you? Will you let them dishonor your name forever? Why do you hold back your strong right hand? Unleash your powerful fist and destroy them. You, O God, are my king from ages past, bringing salvation to the earth. Psalm 74:10-12

Recycled from November 19, 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

Monday, October 20, 2025

Fall is Here. Winter is Coming?

Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. ... "Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? ... Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? ... Where does light come from, and where does darkness go? ... Have you visited the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of hail? ... Where is the path to the source of light? Where is the home of the east wind? ... Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? ... Does the rain have a father? Who gives birth to the dew? Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes." Job 38:1-4, 12, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28-30

Meditate. Consider God’s challenge to Job.

Autumn is here. The trees changed colors as we had a frost last week…and now the wind is blowing and the trees are losing their leaves. The colors are so beautiful on the trees. I love the fall colors—golden yellows, rusty oranges, burgundy reds, and browns, mixed in with the green leaves.

Where I grew up we didn’t have many trees—except the poplar, elm, and fruit trees growing in our yard. There were tumbleweeds anywhere they could sprout—so on the farmlands around us, we saw lots of tumbleweeds. Amazingly, in the fall those green weeds turned golden and red. They have chlorophyll in them, just like trees. When the chlorophyll breaks down in reduced light and cooler weather, the pigments of carotenoids (yellow and orange) and anthocyanins (red and purple) become visible as the chlorophyll fades. Are they there all the time and we can’t see them over the bold greens? Hmmm. Spiritually, is there some correlation? Are the love, joy, and peace in our lives sometimes hidden?

God challenged Job to consider a few questions about His wisdom and creation. Have you ever considered why the dawn rises in the east, where the gates of death are, where is the home of the east wind (or north or south winds), who makes the rain fall in the desert, who gives birth to the dew, who is the mother of ice, who gives birth to frost, or turns water into ice in the winter? How does all this happen? There are scientific answers to some questions…but why, how, when does God do this? Where does He get His wisdom? So many questions. Ponder all that, as Job must have. Job had time as he lay in his mournful situation. Do you have time, or take time to focus on God?

Autumn is here and the days are getting shorter. The leaves are falling from the trees…and blowing away. Soon winter will be here—and we’ll be spending more time indoors. Will we take time then to contemplate God, His wisdom, and creation?

Prayer – Lord, as we watch the seasons change, it reminds us that You have a plan. If we were to divide up the lifespan of Your creation and history…would we be in Autumn or Winter? Things happening around the world look like they are following Your plan. Israel is back in their land—Your Promised Land—and countries are fighting against them. There are certainly wars…and rumors of wars, earthquakes, violent storms, hunger, pestilence…and people falling away from You and each other. Is the end near? We’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the Autumn scenery and remember to bask in Your love. My mission is to Love You, God, and to love others. I praise You—for You are worthy of praise and honor. Thank You!

Verse of Salvation ~ Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God's law. 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 13:10-12

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