Banquet With The King

Monday, December 25, 2023

Glory Be to God!

Prayer – Lord God, thank you for the greatest gift in all eternity—and thank you Jesus for your radical obedience. No one else would have been willing to come from a perfect place like heaven to be born among smelly animals, glorified by smelly shepherds, and later give up one’s life as a sacrifice on a cross. Glory be to God!

"Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." Luke 2:14

Meditate. Consider God’s greatest gift—Jesus.

The Wise Men brought gifts to Jesus.
The King of kings
What gift will you give Jesus?

Is it your goal in life to be among those with whom God is pleased? You know what God has given you for Christmas. What have you given Him?

Verse of Salvation ~ Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. Jude 1:24-25

Merry Christmas Blessing

to one and all

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

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Sunday, December 24, 2023

This is Going to Be the Best Christmas Ever

Prayer – Lord, every Christmas is the best—the best day of the year…the best holiday…the best time with family and friends…the best time to worship and rejoice in Your love. Every Christmas is great…but some are better than others…and then there is the Best Christmas Ever!

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. Trust in the Lord.

This is going to be the Best Christmas Ever! That was a line that one of my granddaughters spoke recently in our church drama presentation. It was the best Christmas drama ever! What has been your best Christmas ever? Will it be this year?

Some churches use this Advent time to get ready for the Second Coming of Christ! I'm all for that! Jesus told us to be prepared. We won't know the hour nor the day, but we should be able to tell the signs of the times. There were people in Jesus' time who missed acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah because they didn't pay attention to the Prophets who gave specific predictions about Him. Look up these scriptures for yourself. More details and additional scripture can be found online. Google Bible prophecy.
Born in Bethlehem - predicted in Micah 5:2 and fulfilled in Matthew 2:1-6
Born of a virgin - predicted in Isaiah 7:14 and fulfilled in Matthew 1:20-23
The Messiah as a Prophet - predicted in Deuteronomy 18:15 and fulfilled in John 7:40-42
Messiah tempted by Satan - predicted in Psalm 91:10-12 and fulfilled in Matthew 4:5-7
Messiah enters Jerusalem triumphantly - predicted in Zechariah 9:9 and fulfilled in Matt 21:8-11
Messiah rejected by His own people - predicted in Isaiah 52:1,3 and fulfilled in John 1:10-11
Messiah tried and condemned - predicted in Isaiah 53:8 and fulfilled in Matthew 21:1-2

Messiah crucified - predicted in Psalm 22:14-16 and fulfilled in Mark 15:20ia
Messiah died as a sin offering - predicted in Isaiah 53:5-6, 8, 12 and fulfilled in John 1:29
Messiah's Resurrection - predicted in Psalm 16:10 and fulfilled in Matthew 28:5-7
Jesus Himself said that He would return. See John 14:2-3. Wait and see, but don't miss Jesus' return. Be ready spiritually. The Best Christmas ever maybe one ahead when we are all united with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself in Heaven. Celebrate this day…the eve of Christ birth in a way to honor Him and glorify our Heavenly Father.

Verse of Salvation ~ 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 1:11

Happy Christmas Eve

Revised and reused from December 18, 2019 “Banquet With The King” blog.

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

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Saturday, December 23, 2023

How to Endure.

The "sand" I've endured.
Kidney stones after lithotripsy.
Millimeter scale.
God is faithful.

Prayer – Lord God, there is always some struggle in life. I’ve heard it said that everyone is either in a conflict, just came out of a conflict, or headed into a conflict. That’s life. I thought I was struggling with this health issue of kidney stones--turned to sand—yet when I looked around me, my problem seemed pretty trivial. So many people are in so much more pain than I am—and without hope. There is always hope in You, Lord. Thank you for that promise.

If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Meditate. What do you have to “endure?”

Are you struggling to “endure” as you wait…for Christmas, for the end of the year, for solution to a health issue, for a new job…new home…new relationship, for Christ’s return, for escape from some temptation…or for whatever? God’s promise to show us a way so that we can endure is a great promise for many people this time of the year or any time. Consider Job and all that he had to endure. If you haven’t read the book of Job yet, dive in and read it. God allowed Job to be attacked by Satan and so much in his life was destroyed, but God didn’t forsake Job, nor did Job totally give up on God. Just like Paul tells us, God is faithful. Job’s friends and his wife even wanted him to curse God—but he didn’t. Can you say the same thing for yourself? Have you ever been so low that you just wanted to curse God and give up? We are taught in the Ten Commandments not to take the name of the Lord our God in vain. If you’ve watched much TV in the last few years unless you’ve been very picky on your choice of shows, you’ve undoubtedly heard a lot of cussing at the Lord—using His name in vain. I think that we get impervious to hearing it—but remember…input output. What you take into your body, hearing and seeing, is what you give off—or express verbally at some point. What does that have to do with enduring some situation? If you are taught through God’s word or other reliable teaching to carry on…to continue in the fight…to survive or persist…then if you do just that and apply what has been instilled in you, then you can successfully endure.

How do you focus on enduring? Begin with prayer—and put into practice the ideas and principles that have inspired you. When you use those same philosophies to encourage others—you’ll find that you’ve reached your goal. Be encouraged to encourage other to endure. We don’t have to go through things alone. As Christians we aren’t guaranteed that life will be easy, without temptations or trials, but we are assured that we are never alone. God has promised that He will never leave us or forsake us as in Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5. Here are a few verses to encourage you.

If we endure hardship, we will reign with him. If we deny him, he will deny us. 2 Timothy 2:12

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? Hebrews 12:7

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. 1 Peter 1:6

For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment. 1 Peter 2:19

Do you see a pattern here? God is for us, not against us. Hang onto God’s promises. That’s the best way to endure.

Verse of Salvation ~ So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. 2 Timothy 2:10

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

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Friday, December 22, 2023

Can You Look for God’s Word and Listen?

Prayer – Lord, it’s time to look for a “word” to focus on in 2024. Your word is always right. May your word…be my word.

For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. 1 Peter 1:23-25

Meditate. Consider God’s words and listen to what He is saying.

Our scripture focus for today repeats the verses from Isaiah 40:6-8,

A voice said, "Shout!" I asked, "What should I shout?" "Shout that people are like the grass. Their beauty fades as quickly as the flowers in a field. The grass withers and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the LORD. And so it is with people. The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:6-8 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Shout. How many times have you actually heard someone “shout” anything having to do with God’s word…unless it is a preacher speaking from the pulpit. Most of us talk about scripture in regard to prayer with friends and family—but we don’t “shout” at anyone or anything. We may talk about God’s word quietly in Bible studies. Has anyone ever challenged you to “shout” God’s word? I don't think shouting is part of our culture--except at sporting events or family feuds. That passage in the Isaiah scripture also tells us that God’s word is eternal…stands forever.

His word is true—and we can trust what God says. Do you? Are you looking and listening?

For the word of the LORD holds true, and we can trust everything he does. Psalm 33:4

So, search God’s word and see for yourself. There is an interesting passage in which the prophet Ezekiel was told to prophecy about the dead rising and listening to God’s word. Listening is important—and what are you going to do with what you hear? James teaches…do it.

Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, 'Dry bones, listen to the word of the LORD!'" Ezekiel 37:4

But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. James 1:22

Read it. Listen. Do it. No one wants to be a fool. You don’t have to shout…just obediently obey God.

Verses of Salvation ~ While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Hebrews 5:7-9

Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table

Don't be fooled by the serpent.
The pomegranate is good food--
--not one that will give you knowledge...
just healthy eating!

Christmas is almost here. What’s on your menu? Jesus’ birth was probably celebrated with a simple meal of hummus, bread, grapes, olives, and maybe pomegranate. I think I’ll add an appetizer of pomegranate to our seafood cioppino meal. Pomegranate has been grown in the Promised Land for centuries—actually millennium. Remember that the twelve spies brought back pomegranates when they were sent into the Promised Land by Moses to check it out. Jewish tradition has said that there are 613 seeds in each pomegranate, the same number of laws that God gave to Israel. That is a lot of seeds…and a lot of juice. Eat up and enjoy the vitamins, fiber, and taste.

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

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Thursday, December 21, 2023

Seek the Lord—to Live in His House Forever

Prayer – Lord God, I am forever seeking You. Joyful excitement fills my heart just to know that I have been “adopted” by You. I live to serve You in Your heavenly home…forever.

The one thing I ask of the LORD—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD's perfections and meditating in his Temple. Psalm 27:4

Meditate. Consider how perfect the Lord is.

Over and over we read about living in the house of the Lord forever. One of the most famous verses is at the end of Psalm 23..”

Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6 (Underlined for emphasis.)

To live with someone in their house forever you usually have to be “family.” So how do you become part of God’s family? You don’t have to be a Jew to be a chosen one and have a place in God’s family. Just believe in Jesus as your Savior. Repent and be saved. How do you know you “belong” to God?

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. ... But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. ... For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 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. Romans 8:1-2, 9-11, 14-16

Wise Men still seek Him.
Camel Crossing - Judean Desert - Israel

This is a good time of the year—Christmas—to seek the Lord. Wise Men following a star and some predictions of a King of the Jews were among those to seek and find that King of kings and Lord of lords. He may not have been the King or Messiah that the Jews were anticipating…but He is the Savior of all mankind—of those who search their hearts and find Him there. Are you looking…are you searching? Do you want to live in His home forever?

Verse of Salvation ~ Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:6

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

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Wednesday, December 20, 2023

How to Please God

Rise above the darkness...evil.
Do good.
Seek the Light of the Lord.
Prosser Balloon festival.

Prayer – Lord God, I want to live to please and serve You. Give me wisdom to see the things that please You and the things You hate. Help me to apply the good and avoid the evil in my life.

There are six things the LORD hates—no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family. Proverbs 6:16-19

Meditate. Consider what God hates and avoid that.

There is wisdom in God’s words…and only by knowing what pleases Him can we do that. Here’s a verse for each of the seven things that the Lord hates so that we can gain some wisdom and seek to please Him in our lives.

Haughty eyes:

LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother's milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Israel, put your hope in the LORD—now and always. Psalm 131:1-3

Lying tongue:

Don't let me be disgraced, O LORD, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave. Silence their lying lips--those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly. How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world. Psalm 31:17-19

Hands that kill innocent:

My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them! They may say, "Come and join us. Let's hide and kill someone! Just for fun, let's ambush the innocent! ... My child, don't go along with them! Stay far away from their paths. Proverbs 1:10-11, 15

Heart that plots evil:

Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God at all. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do good. They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their actions are never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil. Psalm 36:1-4

Feet racing to do wrong:

But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have confessed so well before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12

False witness:

You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand. You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice. Exodus 23:1-2

Person who sows discord in the family:

The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions. Hatred stirs up quarrels, but love makes up for all offenses. Proverbs 10:11-12

These are only a verse for each of the things the Lord abhors. Search for yourselves for other verses to gain more insight and wisdom. Leave a comment in the section below as to what scripture passages you discovered that were applicable.

Do you want to please God? Seek the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Be wise.

Verse of Salvation ~ But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. 2 Peter 3:13-16 (Underlined for emphasis.)

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

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Tuesday, December 19, 2023

How to Be Wise

Prayer – Lord God, help me to be responsible and wise with all that You provide. As it is written in Proverbs 30:8…“give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.” May all that I think, say and do reflect Your wisdom and draw people to the Way the Truth and the Life…to You, Jesus.

Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter. But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber. Proverbs 6:6-11

Meditate. Consider God’s wisdom and listen to what He is saying.

The ants are all sleeping now—sequestered underground, enjoying the fruits of their summer and fall labor. Did you stockpile a harvest for this winter? How about a spiritual harvest? Are you even now gathering the fruit of the spirit—sharing it with others? The ant doesn’t share with anyone other than the ants in its anthill. Remember the Aesop’s tale of The Ant and the Grasshopper?

The Aesop’s Fable about the ant and the grasshopper is one of my favorites. The ant is a wise, hard-working character. God Himself gave us this example—take a lesson from the ants. They collect what they need for their “family” or “community” ant hill to survive the winter. Are you like the ant? Out of necessity we all work to provide the food, clothes and shelter that are essential to life. Do you have a supply of food and water on hand for emergencies—or for use during a long winter when you are snowed in for several days? Be someone your family can depend on by planning ahead. Even just making menus for the month can be stress relieving. With a planned menu you can shop, knowing just what you need, and thus have everything on hand so you aren’t anxious during meal preparation time. Be like the ant—plan ahead.

Near where my family and I go camping there are a couple of huge ant mounds made of bits of bark and pine needles. We used to always like to check on those ant “hills” that are actually at least three feet tall. There are “highways” of ant trails that lead away from and back to the ant hills and we like to watch the ants go along those highways carrying their woodland treasures to their home. Once the kids put a marshmallow on top of their hill to see what they would do. It was still there a couple of days later. They are pretty wise insects—they want real food—not just sweets. No grasshoppers sitting around near our camp, but I’m sure they are not storing up food there the way that the ants were.

In a similar manner, watch the behavior of some teens especially during the late summer months.

A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace. Proverbs 10:5.

Young people need to be taught work values early in life. By the time they are teens their work ethics and habits have already been deeply instilled. Teach your children well. Remember that your actions speak louder than words. Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards. Proverbs 12:14. Hard work brings rewards, whether it is a cupboard full of food or a mind full of memory verses—God rewards those who work for Him. Learn from those hard-working ants as they planned ahead. Become wise.

Verse of Salvation ~ [Study the verses 1 Corinthians 1:18-31] But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:24

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