Daily Picture

I had an imagery of briers which are prickly scrambling shrubs, reminding me that Jesus had a crown of thorns pressed onto his head at the time of his crucifixion as the arresting soldiers wanted to give him painful mockery as a ridiculous king, not believing in the Kingdom He spoke about . (Matthew 27:29). Then there is the verse in Isaiah 55:13 which I read very recently, as to God replacing the...

Today I saw a picture of a soft cuddly monster with his mouth open, pretending to be scary. This makes me think of how we can forget that the devil is a real enemy who is out to get us. He roars to scare us (1 Peter 5:8) and tries to make us think that we have to carry our guilt and shame but we can put on the armour of God, part of which is the shield of faith, and we can pray in the Spirit on al...

Today I saw a safety pin which made me think of a recent incident at school whereby a little girl had had no clue how to use one until I had shown her. This is a good reminder that we are all learners in one way or another and that God is very patient with all of us, however basic our learning. We are often our harshest critics. Also, as is often cited, we could be given 9 compliments and only 1 n...

Today I had a picture of a lemon slice cut in half which caused me to think of how it can grace a plain glass of water. When two things, two people complement each other, they enhance the other. Dance partners and partners in relationships are to complement each other. What sort of relationship do we have with our bridegroom, Jesus? He is The Word (John 1:1, 14). Biblical Words can support our liv...

I have a question today. Jesus has given us His life but does He have ours? Do we trust and obey Him? They go hand in hand in that you cannot obey what you do not trust and you are not trusting if you do not obey. For instance, you won't sit on a chair which you don't trust can bear your weight and if you daren't sit on it, then you clearly don't trust it. It is a process to learn to give our whol...

I saw beautiful pink cherry blossoms which actually last only about 2 weeks, which could be a poignant reminder of the brevity of our lives. However, in the context of eternity it is one of many beautiful love notes that God loves to give us. "Instead of the thorn bush will grow the juniper and instead of briers the Myrtle will grow. This will be for the Lord's renown, for an everlasting sign that...

Today I saw a picture of a hand held folded fan which clearly has no effect until it has been opened up. Even then, however beautiful the fan, it is still only effective if we move it back and forth. Can you see the analogy with us only being effective in God's Kingdom, if we are active? However, there is a final condition for an effective fan and that is that there is air. Similarly, we need the...

Today's is a continuation of the message on angels. They are mighty messengers of God who come to serve us. "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14). Our focus is on these good angels but let us be aware that in the spiritual world there are battles between good and evil, as described in Ephesians 6:10-17. We can be so thankful for the...

Ever since I sang Chris Tomlin's beautiful song 'Holy Forever' with the initial words of the chorus "And the angels cry Holy", last Sunday, the words have been ringing in my ears. The Bible is full of examples of throngs of angels declaring God's Holiness and Glory. For example in Revelations 4:8 and 7:11-12 Apostle John has visions of all Jesus's followers, with the angels, worshiping God and Jes...

Today I saw a picture of a snail, reminding me of an analogy I had heard years ago of our, as yet, unanswered prayers being likened to snails. The answers to our prayers, and God's promises that we are holding onto, may seem very slow in reaching us. As a result we can sometimes lose heart and stop believing - like a snail which stops walking and retreats fully into its shell. Instead, God wants u...

I saw an imagery of pebbles in shallow water, with the understanding that thousands of years have elapsed to create these smooth pebbles. We are similarly undergoing beautiful transformations by the power of the living waters of the Holy Spirit residing in us. Jesus is recounted in John 7:38-38 as saying; "Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living waters will flow from within...

I think on the phrase "Feedback is a gift". Being told I have a heart problem did not initially feel like good news but as a good friend recently told me, being told in advance is a gift. I can take stock of my eating habits and my exercise routine; I can follow the medical prescriptions and advice of health experts to improve my life chances ahead. Similarly, when we follow wise advice, as to our...

Today I saw a lizard, more a house lizard like a gecko. They can spontaneousky lose their tail at specific joints, with no pain or bleeding, as a defence mechanism against predators. Not only can this enable them to physically escape an attack on their tail, it also creates confusion whilst the amputated tail continues to wriggle for a little longer. The tail does grow back. I believe this losing...

I saw a kite flying free, reminding me that when we feel burdened and entrapped, don't forget to look up at God. He frees us. The letter to the Colossians (3:2) tells us "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things". This is not suggesting we live an airy fairy life. We are to be grounded and to consider those around us, as we are to clothe ourselves with "kindness, humility, gentleness...

Today I saw an ironing board which seemed to be a strange theme until I thought of the metal - iron, and then further thought on this Bible verse: "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another". (Proverbs 27:17). Strong people in the Lord can mutually help each other to be challenged, encouraged and to rise. It may not always seem comfortable but it will be of consequential benefit.

Today I saw a paper plane which has brought to mind the Wright brothers who invented the first flying aircraft over 100 years ago. Apparently their research and approach differed significantly from other experimenters of flying machines of that time. The Wright brothers focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as opposed to an emphasis on powerful engines. A paper plane relies enti...

Today I saw a 'picture' of a person covering their ears and screwing up their eyes at the barrage of discordant sound (a cacophony) coming their way, representing a medley of differing and sometimes confusing, unhelpful advice. It also makes me think of platitudes which are common expressions used which sometimes have lost their authenticity such as, possibly, "Have a good day". In contrast to all...

Today I saw a large beautiful leaf which still hadn't completely unfurled and yet could still be a worthwhile addition to a floral display. This is a wonderful reminder that before we have achieved a perfect state we can still be beautiful. I think of the Japanese art of kintsugi whereby gold, silver or platinum lacquer is used to repair broken pottery creating an even more beautiful piece. It is...

Today I saw a seemingly idyllic view of paradise with a beautiful meadow interspersed with beautiful little flowers and me running through it with my arms outstetched, rejoicing in my pure freedom. I have to confess that I felt a pang of panic at the thought of leaving this earth and being in paradise. A current situation in my life has poignantly reminded me of the fragility of my life here on ea...

Today's message is a sequel to yesterday's when we considered that a disciple learns as well as follows his leader. We are blessed when we follow and learn of Jesus. In Psalm 119 which has 176 verses, written by King David a man after God's heart, it is packed with the truth of the blessings we receive when following God's ways. David's son Solomon in his book of Proverbs (6:23) tells us, "For the...

I saw some goats reminding me of the fairytale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. They followed each other, one by one, with the youngest and smallest actually leading first, into greener pastures, with the strongest one butting an evil troll out of the way. We have each other to follow and help each other in God's Kingdom, in humility, most importantly with Jesus as our absolute lead and head. As Hi...

Today I saw a vision of paper currency of large denominations reminding me that there is the temptation to focus on amassing wealth for money's sake. Matthew 6:19 " Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break...

Today I saw a thick black horizontal line with a rectangular block in the way and then a recontinuation of the line. Suddenly I saw the block being explosively removed. This is a good reminder of the "road blocks" in our lives which the power of the Holy Spirit can obliterate. That word "power" translates from the Greek "dunamis", from which the words dynamite, dynamo and dynamic originate. Exciti...

Today I am focussing on the words Continual and Continuous which seem so similar but actually have a distinct difference. Continual implies stops and starts whereas Continuous has no stops but has a continuous flow. God wants us to have his peace on a continuous basis. How often do we jump in and out of peace with the inevitable minor and major trials of life? Continuous peace requires practice an...

Today I am thinking on acute illnesses which last for a relatively short length of time and, hopefully, are treatable, as compared to chronic illness which is a continuing condition usually requiring treatment for life. How often do we look at the short term "acute" problems in our lives and get into a state of thinking our lives are in a chronic continuing condition of misfortune? However, if we...