Banquet With The King

Thursday, December 25, 2025

Merry Christmas!

The Lamb of God...
who takes away the sins of the world.

That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger." Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. Luke 2:8-17

Meditate. Don’t be afraid.

Did you unwrap your presents? What was the best Christmas present you got this year? Is that what Christmas is all about for you? Presents? Snow? Religious activities? What is your priority with your time? Do you put Jesus first in your life?

Jesus was placed in manger for His bed—there was no room in the inn when Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem for the census. He was born in that town near where the lambs were born in the spring and raised for use as sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem. Those lambs were wrapped in swaddling clothes, then laid in a manger or carried by their shepherd to keep them safe, pure and spotless, until their time of sacrifice. Our Lamb of God is Jesus, who takes away the sins of the world. He was sacrificed at Jerusalem, just as the year-old lambs were. Was he born in the spring as other lambs? The shepherd were out in the field keeping watch over their flocks—as would be necessary in the spring birthing time. There is debate about the true date of Jesus’ birth. Spring or Winter? The Jewish New Year begins in the springtime. Does it matter if we celebrate Jesus’ birth in December or in March? Consider how you honor Him today…on His birthday and all through the coming year.

Prayer – Lord Jesus, You are the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world—You have taken away my sin. Redeemed me from an eternal life of sin and evil desires. For that I am eternally grateful.

Verse of Salvation ~ After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!" Revelation 7:9-10

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

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Merry Christmas Eve!

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven's Armies will make this happen! Isaiah 9:6-7

Meditate. What makes your Christmas special?

Camel Crossing
Judean Desert in Israel
Wise Men and Women Still Seek Him

Countdown to Christmas…one more day! What makes your Christmas special? What will you do to make today and tomorrow special days for others? One of my most profound reminders this year has been that “it’s NOT about Me.” Life. Actions. Attitudes. It is not about me. So, all the holiday gatherings, gifts, and adventures are not about me. My life is to serve others. It is not about me. It is my goal—my focus—to make life…even today and tomorrow special for others.

What makes your Christmas special? Do you go to a Christmas Eve Candlelighting Service? Do you spend quality time with family or friends? A special meal? Do you stay home or have a destination vacation for the holiday? Do you have room in your schedule for a change of plans? Can you put others’ needs or wants before your own? Paul wrote about taking care of others in his letter to Titus. Seek and learn to do good for others.

Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos with their trip. See that they are given everything they need. Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive. Titus 3:13-14

Paul wisely wrote in his letter to the Romans about putting others first, about caring and loving others.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don't think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. ... In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don't just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. ... When God's people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Romans 12:3, 6-10, 13

So, what gifts has God given you? What makes Christmas special to you and thus to others around you?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you again, and always, for Your obedient dedication to our Heavenly Father—and to us. You’ve been such an example—always putting others first.

Verse of Salvation ~ But He gives us more and more grace [through the power of the Holy Spirit to defy sin and live an obedient life that reflects both our faith and our gratitude for our salvation]. Therefore, it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD and HAUGHTY, BUT [continually] GIVES [the gift of] GRACE TO THE HUMBLE [who turn away from self-righteousness]." James 4:6 AMP

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

Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Have You Finished All Your Shopping for Christmas?

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy grain and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost [simply accept it as a gift from God]. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight in abundance. Incline your ear [to listen] and come to Me; Hear, so that your soul may live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you, according to the faithful mercies [promised and] shown to David. Isaiah 55:1-3 AMP

Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture.

God’s gift cannot be bought. See Acts 8:20. We can only simply accept God’s gift. No gift shopping necessary. Does that make your last minute shopping list shorter? The best gift ever is God’s gift of Salvation. No cost. No strings attached. Simply accept God’s gift. Can you do that so that your soul may live forever?

Prayer – Lord Jesus, thank you for your obedience to the Father God to be the sacrifice for mankind. You ended the guilt burden. You opened Heaven’s gate to the freedom of forever—eternal life—with You, the Heavenly Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Verse of Salvation ~ For it is by grace [God's remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation]. Ephesians 2:8-9 AMP

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

Monday, December 22, 2025

Faith – Hope – Peace - Love

Remember that Christ came as a servant to the Jews to show that God is true to the promises he made to their ancestors. He also came so that the Gentiles might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote: "For this, I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to your name." And in another place it is written, "Rejoice with his people, you Gentiles."(Deuteronomy 32:43) And yet again, "Praise the LORD, all you Gentiles. Praise him, all you people of the earth."(Psalm 117:1) And in another place Isaiah said, "The heir to David's throne will come, and he will rule over the Gentiles. They will place their hope on him."(Isaiah 11:10) I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. I am fully convinced, my dear brothers and sisters, that you are full of goodness. You know these things so well you can teach each other all about them. Romans 15:8-14 (Emphasis underlined.)

Meditate on hope, peace, joy, and love.

Hope, peace, joy, and love are the elements of the Advent celebration.

Jesus is the Light of the World.
He is our Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.

Hope. Our hope is depicted in knowing that Jesus is the light of the world—so we don’t have to be in the darkness. Darkness hides or perpetrates evil. Jesus delivers us from evil (Matthew 6:13) and protects us. He is the great light. Shine, Jesus, shine.

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. Isaiah 9:2

Peace. Beyond a feeling in our hearts and lives, peace is a desire of people around the world. Peace on earth. This was a declaration at the birth of Jesus.

Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." Luke 2:13-14

Joy. Another year-round emotion that is evoked at the mere thought of our Savior. He came for all people.

Love. God is Love as noted in 1 John 4:7-8.

So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son. John 1:14

Love, joy, peace, and hope are provided by Jesus at His birth for all mankind.

Prayer – Lord Jesus…Thank You for being the ultimate sacrifice. We look forward Your return. “We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. We continue to praise You—day by day until we see You face to face.

Verses of Salvation ~ [For my hope is] that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in [unselfish] love, so that they may have all the riches that come from the full assurance of understanding [the joy of salvation], resulting in a true [and more intimate] knowledge of the mystery of God, that is, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge [regarding the word and purposes of God]. Colossians 2:2-3 AMP

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

Sunday, December 21, 2025

Do You Want God’s Free Gift?

When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death 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. Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Romans 5:12-19

Meditate. Consider the gift of righteousness.

Righteousness. Someone defined that to me early on in my Christian life as living right before God. The Blue Letter Bible online gives us some additional insight as it is an attribute of God; a virtue of being ethically right, or the quality of truthfulness. It can also be associated with prosperity and with vindication leading to justification and salvation. This is a huge study in itself and may I challenge you to dig deeper and study it for yourself? For the time being, let’s just consider this gift of righteousness is just that –a gift. We don’t have to DO anything. God gives it to us freely. Oh, yes. We do have to “repent”—give up our sins, but we don’t really want to hang onto those forever—so why not give them to God?

Jesus Christ was the obedient one—the one who obeyed God. Because of Him, many will be made righteous. We each have the option to be like Jesus and “obey” by receiving God’s gift. Then, hurrah! We’re able to live in triumph over sin and death. Rejoice! You have just received the best gift ever! Enjoy!

Prayer – Lord Jesus—You are the best gift ever…Christmas and every day! Thank You for your sacrifice to be our Savior. Your obedience has saved all of mankind who are willing to accept You—the gift of forgiveness and love!

Verse of Salvation ~ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12

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

Saturday, December 20, 2025

Who Doesn’t Want to Open a Christmas Gift Early?

Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: "Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us. He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live. And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace." John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. Luke 1:67-80 (Underlined for emphasis.)

Meditate. Consider sin and forgiveness.

Even before Jesus was born it was foretold that people would find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. This focus scripture today was Zechariah speaking to his son, known later as John the Baptist. Zechariah was Mary’s cousin’s husband, making John a cousin of Jesus. Small world.

God’s love revolved the mercy that He was showing to mankind—forgiveness of sin. That forgiveness began with God’s covering Adam and Eve after they disobediently “sinned” by eating the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Paul wrote about forgiveness in Romans that extends to all men and women.

But there is a great difference between Adam's sin and God's gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God's wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:15

Read more of Romans, especially Romans 5, for further understanding of this sin-forgiveness-gift relationship.

Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Romans 5:18

Note that Christ's one act of righteousness, His death and resurrection, was new life for everyone. That everyone is just that…everyone. Jews and Gentiles. Everyone is offered the gift of new, eternal life—not just at Christmas time…but every day, always. Do you accept God’s gift to you today? You don’t have to wait until Christmas. Who doesn’t want to open a Christmas gift early?!

Prayer – Lord Jesus, Thank You for being the “Open Me Early Christmas Gift” that is offered to everyone. I’ll accept Your gift today…and every day. Help me share it with others. That’s how some gifts are…meant to be shared.

Verse of Salvation ~ You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins. Luke 1:77

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