Banquet With The King

Sunday, July 24, 2022

A Place is Being Prepared for Us

Prayer – Lord Jesus, I am so excited to think that You are having a place prepared for me…just for me…in Your Father’s home. Someday…wherever You are—I will be there, too.

Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:1-3

Meditate. Consider Jesus’ promises. This scripture is used frequently during memorial services or funerals to comfort or encouraged folks who are mourning. It is encouraging to know or be reminded that Jesus promised that He is preparing a place for us in His Father’s home. There is a kid’s song that talks about that Big, Big House with Lots and Lots of room. Room enough for everyone.

When everything is ready, I will come and get you…. Another great promise from our Lord! When will everything be ready? Only God the Father knows…and He doesn’t want anyone to perish—so we wait. If we were the unsaved, would we want God to wait for us to confess our sins and believe in Jesus before His return? Yes. So, we wait patiently for our Lord’s return and for that new home—that place that is being prepared just for us.

Verse of Salvation ~ Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch. Isaiah 62:1

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, July 23, 2022

Are You Ready to Know What God Has Prepared for You?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, people saw You—You are real. I am grateful that You were willing to die as a sacrifice for my sins…and I believe that You were resurrected. You were and are the visible God. I can hardly wait until I can see You face to face…in heaven one day—hopefully soon. Prepare my heart and soul for what You have prepared for me.

Jesus - Light of the World
Creator of all seen and unseen.

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. He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. 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. Colossians 1:15-20

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

Everything was created through him (Jesus) and for him. This is an awesome passage that gives us some specific information about Jesus—the creator of things seen and unseen. Imagine that—unseen. Creator of spiritual things that are beyond our finite comprehension. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we become spiritual beings, too—but we cannot visually see that realm.

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And we have received God's Spirit (not the world's spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can't understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others. For, "Who can know the LORD's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?" But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

The spiritual realm is not cute little angels with harps. Dig into God’s word. Ask Him for guidance, for wisdom, and for understanding. What will be revealed to you is the secrets that God want you to know. "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." Are you ready for that?

Verse of Salvation ~ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! Isaiah 52:7

Memory Verse of the Week ~ Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

Did you memorize this verse?

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, July 22, 2022

Is Peace Possible?

Prayer – Lord, guard my heart and please fill me with Your peace that passes all understanding.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

Meditate. Consider God’s promises in scripture.

Peace beyond what we can understand. Incomprehensible. That will be an awesome peace—one that only the Creator can give us. All other peace is just a reflection or imitation of real peace, that is God given peace. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. What a perfect promise. With God’s love, peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control—all things are possible.

Camel Crossing
Judean Desert in Israel

Verses of Salvation ~ Then Jesus said to his disciples, "I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I'll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!" The disciples were astounded. "Then who in the world can be saved?" they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." Matthew 19:23-26

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

Bitter pointy dandelion leaves.

What plants are edible? When I was in college it was popular with a couple of my friends to eat weeds. I’m not talking about cannabis weed that will rot your brain, but about dandelion weeds that are high in Vitamins A and C. Only the dandelion leaves with rounded tips were tasty—those with pointed tips were bitter. It was pretty easy to distinguish between those and everyone knows what a dandelion looks like. Over the years I’ve continued to eat a few dandelions when I know that no herbicides have been used in my yard. If times get hard, we all may be foraging for plants in our yard or in the local parks—just be sure that they have not been sprayed.

Next week we’ll look at some other edible plants we can find right in our backyards or nearby.

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, July 21, 2022

Have You Been Transformed into a New Creation?

Prayer – Lord, open my eyes and my heart to changes that transform me into a new spiritual creation for You. Spiritual transformation is what counts in life. May Your peace and mercy be on me.

Spiritual Transformation
A New Creation - like a Butterfly

As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died. It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. May God's peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. Galatians 6:14-16

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance and what He is saying.

Have you been transformed into a new creation? What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. A new creation means a new life. That is what happens when someone begins to believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior. A new spiritual life—in a relationship with Christ.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:16-17

New life. A new creation—a new spiritual life. God is a spiritual being—and as we accept Jesus as our Savior, we become part of that spiritual realm. Jesus is the beginning of God’s new creation.

Write this letter to the angel of the church in Laodicea. This is the message from the one who is the Amen—the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's new creation: "I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! Revelation 3:14-16

You must be born again. Have you been transformed into a new creation?

Verses of Salvation ~ Jesus replied, "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don't be surprised when I say, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can't tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can't explain how people are born of the Spirit." John 3:5-8

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, July 20, 2022

Are You Showing God’s Love for Others?

Prayer – Lord, reveal to me truths that I need to focus on about Your return. Give me wisdom and understanding that I would take that information to heart and share it with others.

Christ suffered for us.
He is no longer on the cross.
As our Savior, He was resurrected.
Crucifix at Holy Family Shrine, Gretna, NE

He will return for His followers.
Do you believe in Him?

So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won't spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit. The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:1-10

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

Don’t give up focusing on God’s word just since this is a long passage today. God is warning us…the end of the world is coming soon. Although Peter wrote this almost two thousand years ago, the message was relevant then and today. God wants us to always “be ready” for the return of Jesus…for the “end of the world” which could be at any time. Our time is not necessarily God’s time.

This passage reminds us that Christ suffered for us. We should be ready to suffer, too, just as Paul wrote to the church at Rome. If we are part of God’s family and share His glory, we must share suffering also.

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

When we think of God and the love of God, we don’t usually focus on suffering, but that is part of God’s plan and as we can see from the big picture—an overview of the whole Bible—there is a lot of suffering going on from the time of Adam and Eve. We can’t expect to have all rosy days. We are promised that there is love…but there is turmoil, tribulation, and terror ahead of us all. The promise that I claim, knowing about all that suffering, is that God will always be with us. He will never abandon or forsake us.

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you. Deuteronomy 31:8

Knowing that I don’t have to be afraid—I am not alone—is comforting. It gives me hope, security, and love. What more could I want from life…from my God? If God is for me…who can be against me? With that in mind…I need to serve others in a way that they can know that God loves them, too. How about you? Are you showing God’s love to others?

Verse of Salvation ~ My mercy and justice are coming soon. My salvation is on the way. My strong arm will bring justice to the nations. All distant lands will look to me and wait in hope for my powerful arm. Isaiah 51:5

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

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Be Full of Joy

Prayer – Lord, fill me with your joy—as well as Your peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and above all, love.

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9 (Underlined for emphasis as the memory verse for the week.)

Meditate. Consider God’s peace.

Morning Glories in Israel
Offering Peace

Then…when? Paul writes that “then” you will experience God’s peace…. When can we expect that?

Note that Paul writes that we should Remember, the Lord is coming soon. He gives some specific instructions:

Rejoice

Be considerate

Don’t worry

Pray

Be Thankful

Then you will experience God’s peace. What more could we desire from life? God’s peace. It is a peace that passes all understanding. It is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. God’s peace is definitely something to think about and to desire in our lives. Think about things (including God’s peace) that are excellent and worthy of praise. We have the hope of the Lord returning soon. So many things point to Christ’s return, beginning with the creation of the nation of Israel in 1948, regathering the Jews from around the world. Read God’s Word concerning peace. Seek understanding and the truth of what Jesus has done for us already…and what He will do in the future. As you believe in Jesus as your Savior, always be full of joy.

Verse of Salvation ~ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! Isaiah 52:7

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

Monday, July 18, 2022

The Will Be Many Dark Days

Prayer – Lord, open our eyes and hearts to understand your word and apply it to our lives. I’m relying on You…knowing that dark days are ahead…but You are the light of the world…of my world. Thank You. I praise You.

Sunrise or sunset...Light is sweet.
Sunset on the Columbia River.

Light is sweet; how pleasant to see a new day dawning. When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember there will be many dark days. Everything still to come is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture.

The Teacher, Solomon, warns us that there will be many dark days—but although there will be dark days and meaningless time—we still can count on the light and pleasant days. Jesus is the light of the world. He tells us that Himself.

Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life." John 8:12

Not having to walk in darkness is comforting. Darkness is scary…but I continue to claim God’s promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. We can anticipate chaos, suffering, and darkness—but that will not take the love of God away from us.

Everything still to come is meaningless. Meaningless. Apathy is the enemy of Christians. The Holy Spirit gives us life. Look at First Fruit Feast days and the one to come is Feast of Tabernacles. This will be special for not only Christians, but especially for the 144 thousand Jews that are mentioned in Revelation chapters seven and fourteen.

And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel…. Revelation 7:4

Enjoy the joy that you are experiencing now. We’ve been warned. There are dark days ahead.

Verse of Salvation ~ But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. 1 Thessalonians 5:8

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

Biblical search from Blue Letter,, Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.

Books by Mickey M. Hunacek

Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com

Parenting Day By Day -

Daily Devotional for Building Character

God wants us to be like His Son, Jesus.

What are Jesus' characteristics...

and how can you incorporate those into your life?

Coins in the Bible:

New Testament Stories

Who do you serve?

God or money?

Matthew 6:24