Daily Picture

Today I saw a cloud dropping something down and not necessarily obvious rain. I am reminded that Jesus left this earth on a cloud and He has said He will return on a cloud (Mark 13:26). In the book of Job chapter 37 one of Job's friends expounds on the fact that no one can query the hand of our awesome creator God or match Him. In verse 24 he says "Therefore, people revere him, for does he not hav...

Today I am focussing on Jesus saying "I am the Light of the World. He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life". (John 8:12). What does Jesus mean? If you look at the very beginning of the Bible when the earth was empty and dark, the first thing God said was "Let there be light" and then there was Light. (Genesis 1:3). It wasn't until later (Gen 1:16) that God created...

Today I saw an evergreen tree which, when rooted in correct conditions, can prosper season after season, year after year. Similarly, but to an even greater degree, if we are planted in God's Kingdom we will flourish into eternity, that is, forever! When on earth Jesus told us about His Kingdom - that it is of Spirit (John 3:5); that it is not of this world (John 18:36); that His Kingdom is availab...

I saw a duck's footprint which caused me to reflect that we see a footprint after the foot has stepped. Jesus stepped on this earth for 33 years but we have continued to have His footprint for over 2000 years in the form of the Word. The poem entitled "Footprints" is a beautiful poem in which the writer had questioned Jesus as to why He could see his life as withJesus walking beside him, with both...

Today I saw an archway into 2025. We don't know why December 25th was chosen as the date to celebrate Jesus's birthday but I have been reflecting on the good timing of celebrating the Peace and Joy which Jesus brought on to this earth at his birth, which we can take into the New Year a week later. I have a friend who is entering into 2025 with the recent death of his wife, another friend has just...

Today I saw a cattleshed and, of course, in this Christmas season I can't help but think of the shed that Joseph and Mary were reduced to sheltering in, in order to give birth to their first born son who they wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a feeding manger ( Luke 2:7). Perfect lambs were sometimes similarly placed in the stone feeding troughs for protection, before they were sacrificed...

Today I saw a picture of a dandelion clock which is the white fluffy seeded orb created after the yellow petals have fallen off the stem of the plant. The seeds fly off and create more dandelions. They are thought to have been in existence for about 30 million years and all of it is edible. They represent resilience and ongoing life. However let us also reflect on the fact that God has created us...

Today I had a picture of an anchor which is a good description of how God looks after us. We may go slightly off course or endure a storm but God keeps us safe and secure by His side if we go on board with Him. Hebrews 6:14, 19 " ...I will surely bless you ...We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure ...".

Today I have the two simple but crucial words of Trust and Obey. Adam and Eve did not trust that God had their interests at heart when He gave them everything in the Garden of Eden except access to the tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil, warning Adam that they would surely die if they did. Instead they believed Satan when he said that God was in fact wanting to deprive them. Through their lack...

Today I saw some beautiful green leaves reminding me of the assurance in Psalm 1:1-3 that when we follow God's ways, we are like "a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither - whatever they do prospers". In the first book in the bible, in Genesis 3, God banned man from access to the Tree of Life after Adam and Eve had decided not to trust and...

Today I saw a picture of a large external rubbish receptacle, as a good reminder of the amount of rubbish and wastage that will inevitably be thrown out after Christmas. What a contrast this is to God's Kingdom where nothing need go to waste. He can make good out of any situation as the Epistle to the Romans 8:28 tells us. Also, with the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 people with just 5 loave...

Today I saw a needle and thread, bringing to mind the eye of a needle mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. When a rich young man/ruler asked what he could do to enter heaven, Jesus said he would have to follow the commandments, quoting 6 of the 10, signifying the impossibility of even following only 6 of them, and that he was also to sell his wealth and give it to the poor. The rich...

Today I was focussing on the few words within The Lord's Prayer of "Give us today our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). God wants us to trust Him for His care and provision every day. Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a feeding trough, being a vulnerable dependant newborn human baby. In those times perfect lambs were swaddled and placed in the stone feeding troughs, protected and ready to be gi...

Today I saw a picture of a large bible sized book which was lying open and I was aware of the words, "Be an open book". This means that we are not to put on a false image, a façade, in order to achieve a goal. We are to be the self, the personality that God created us to be and to use the skills He has blessed us with. This is the only way that we will be able to lead the life He wants us to serve...

Today I had a picture of dried spaghetti. There are so many other varieties of pasta such as penne, fusilli, lasagne, ravioli, gnocchi, linguine, macaroni etc. Many Italians read the packaging well as, in fact, it is important to check that the wheat quality, milling, processing and drying methods are of the highest standard. How am I going to relate that to today's message? Christians are part of...

Today I had a picture of a cinnamon stick. Cinnamon was a rare spice in ancient times and was one of the ingredients God had listed, amongst other spices and aromatic reeds, to be mixed into olive oil to create the sacred anointing oil for His tabernacle. (Exodus 30:22-25). Anointing with oil is a centuries old biblical practice used to symbolise God's power, presence, healing, consecration and ho...

Today I saw an undressed unisex rag doll, representing all of us. The understanding is that though we are all God's beautiful creation (Psalm 139:14-16; Genesis 1:31) we all put on dirty clothing when we do wrong. Jesus has cleansed us of this dirty clothing so we can be in right standing with God but also His Holy Spirit can, as with a naked rag doll, clothe us with kingly robes and all that repr...

Today I had a picture of a laundry basket full of dirty clothing, inside a black bubble. Then I saw the same clothes washed and folded, smelling of the beautiful aroma of fabric softener. I believe that this is a reminder of our naturally imperfect nature having been cleansed by Jesus's perfection whilst He was here on earth as a man, having sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. "And you know th...

Today I had a picture of internal scaffolding, like a skeleton upon which something can be constructed rather than external scaffolding. This makes me think of how careful we need to be with our words, particularly for 2 reasons. Firstly, let's ensure our words are not empty promises etc and secondly, that our words are not mean, nasty and accusatory etc. Those words could cause damage to the reci...

Today I saw a picture of a deep silver kitchen container with a handle on either side and a very small amount of essential oils swirling at the base of it. The container was so deep that the beautiful smell was confined to it. In the bible, prayers are sometimes likened to incense (Psalm 141:2; Revelations 5:8, 8:3-4) rising up to God. Let's not confine our prayers to a possibility swirling within...

Today I saw a whale spouting out what I thought was water from its blow hole though in fact, as the name suggests, it is air that the whale is expelling with great force, creating a misty spray. Being mammals, whales and dolphins have to do this on a regular basis. In the bible we read of the breath of the Holy Spirit. Soon after Jesus had died He came back and visited his disciples who had been h...

Today I saw a person having reached the pinnacle of a tall icy mountain. Then I saw the ice melt away, leaving a beautiful green mountain, laden with beautiful flowers. I believe that God is telling us that though we will have mountainous challenges in our lives, He will help us scale them and we will gain from those circumstances. Romans 8:28 tells us, " And we know that in all things God works f...

Today I saw a pick axe being used to try and smash through hard slabs of ice. It was a tough job. Then a heater was used which easily melted the solid ice. This is a good reminder that it is not our responsibility and our efforts which will change a person who needs changing, but prayer. We can ask the Holy Spirit to intercede on our behalf and to actually give us the desire to pray for particular...

Today I saw a food heating pad for the table. What a good reminder that after receiving His Holy Spirit, Jesus wants us to keep our passion towards Him and His Spirit, hot. He doesn't want us to be lukewarm, which is how he described many of his followers in the church in ancient Laodicea (Turkey). He went on to say, "You say, 'I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing'. But you ar...

Today I saw a picture of a lit dynamite fuse, reminding me that the word dynamite comes from the ancient Greek word 'dunamis' meaning power, potential or ability. This same word was used in Acts 1:8 to describe the power of the Holy Spirit - "But you will receive power when the power of the Holy Spirit comes on you;...". Jesus had given an instruction to all His followers to wait and receive the H...