Daily Picture

Today I saw a nest, reminding me of Jesus's parables in the Gospel of Matthew 13 in which He draws analogies between flourishing seeds and the Kingdom of God. In Verses 31-32 we read, "He told them another parable: 'The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants a...

Today I saw the water pipes under a kitchen sink. I don't think I would be good at plumbing and it has never interested me as a career but clearly it appeals to some people. I love teaching but it certainly wouldn't suit everyone. Recent devotionals have highlighted the vast arrays and variety in God's Kingdom with the connections and complementary aspects of everything and everyone. In acknowledg...

Today I saw a bee flying around whilst resting occasionally on a selection of beautiful colourful flowers, reminding me of the quaint English reference to the "birds and the bees" as a way of introducing reproduction to a youngster. I then pause to think on Aposte Paul's reminder to us that we are all equally part of the church of Jesus Christ, otherwise known as the Body of Christ, with "those pa...

Today I saw an image in my mind's eye of a very unusual shaped leaf which I had seen yesterday whilst out walking. This has caused me to reflect on the vast array of green leaves of different sizes and shapes, green trees, green grasses and shades of green. How awesome that we don't just simply have one species of tree and grass, all of the same green, as a young child might draw. I reflect furthe...

Today I saw an image of a baby board picture book. This has made me reflect on the fact that whilst it is wonderful to introduce infants to books and writing, as they get older they do need to progress to more advanced reading matter. Similarly, we need to progress from the wonders of receiving Jesus as our Lord and Saviour to a maturing relationship with Him. We read along these lines in Hebrews...

Today I saw a picture of fluffy white sheep lying down together relaxing, directing me to Isaiah's prophecy of Jesus coming to save us through His human life when He would be born in Bethlehem with the Spirit of God upon Him. This did not occur for about another 700 years. In Chapter 11 Isaiah refers to Jesus coming back to earth to reign in justice and peace, with even the animal kingdom at peace...

Today I saw a (non Bluetooth) tape recorder, or suchlike, with the buttons for play, rewind etc. Of course, in order to function, it needs to have an electricity source in existence, to which we need to choose to plug our device into and switched on before even the play button is pressed. Similarly, none of what Christians say they do in the name and power of Jesus can be attributed to Jesus unles...

Today I saw a low railing surrounding a little playground and then the exit from this playground led onto a huge green pasture. In my imagery, my first thought was to run and skip, with freedom, in the meadow. I cannot think of a bible verse relating to this other than Psalm 23:1-3a "The Lord's my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in pastures green, he leads me beside quiet waters,...

Today I saw some cricket stumps so I decided to look in a search engine as to their significance and possible connection to a bible verse. Well, there were a lot of cricket terms which made me feel ignorant but actually, it is simply because I have not been exposed to cricket. We can so easily fall into the trap of undermining ourselves because we aren't as knowledgeable or we don't sound as knowl...

Today I was reminded of Matthew 6:19-21 "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 ...". Moths, vermin and thieves do not generally conjure up good associations, which emphasises Jesus's point that earthly riches are only of a temporary good nature. However, riches amassed...

Today with my phone in my hands with all my Contacts, it caused me to reflect on the fact that when we are God's, He has our names engraved forever on the palms of his hands. "Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; ..." (Isaiah 49:16). It is our choice to be on His hands or not. God is not going to let go of us. We are safe. He is committed to us. It is not about what we do and who...

Yesterday I read a prayer request, from one of our little children at school, to look after the sun. Well, we are living in the solar system where literally everything revolves, literally and metaphorically, around the sun, so maybe that is not such an unusual prayer! If we believe that the sun is the centre of our solar system and believe that God is our Creator, then let us not forget to stop an...

Today I saw a drum being beaten with a victorious marching rhythm. This is a wonderful reminder of the account in 2 Chronicles 20 of KingJehoshaphat, one of the Godly kings who ruled the Kingdom of Judah andJerusalem in Old Testament times, who, as soon as he heard that 3 camps of enemy armies were coming to invade his kingdom, immediately sought the Lord. God spoke through one of his prophets to...

Today I saw a pair of tongs which, of course, would be totally ineffectual if not being used in a hand. This makes me think that though it is lovely to have two people in fellowship, partnership or relationship, without the hand of God where would we really be? With this thought, Ecclesiastes 4:12 in the Old Testament declares, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of t...

Today I saw a table place setting with mat and cutlery, indicating the expectation of a guest. Jesus would love to be invited into our presence and into our hearts. "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20). Recently we were reminded that the resurrected Jesus cooked breakfast on the sh...

Today I was reminded of an incident at school whereby I had decided to laminate some text I had written on some A4 paper, using a special pen. Its ink can be easily erased with a little warm rubbing pressure from the end of the pen. However as the A4 paper in the laminating pouch was automatically pushed through the heated machine, all the writing was erased, using the pressure and heat! That has...

Today I saw an angel wing reminding me of the many times angels are mentioned in the bible, as messengers or to help, in the form of men or as huge winged beings. We are individually helped too. "For he wil command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways" (Psalm 91:11). "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" (Heb...

Today I saw a picture of a serving spoon reminding me of the joy of serving people, we appreciate, at our table. Of course, serving others can take many forms such as encouraging, being there for someone in their time of need etc. Jesus emphasised to His disciples the importance of serving others in His Kingdom as opposed to wanting to be served. Two wonderful aspects immediately spring to my mind...

Today I saw an image of a sweet non-threatening soft cuddly toy spider. However, it has made me think of the genuine phobia some people have towards spiders, attributed to various reasons. It could be a primal protective response to perceived danger even though only a small percentage of spiders are poisonous. It could be part of one's family or community's culture to fear spiders. It could be an...

Today I saw a marble kitchen counter top that was immune to cuts and scratches. This image has directed me to Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another". This is enlightening us as to the importance of being accountable to another, in mutually strengthening each other and maturing our characters. Are we willing to receive and to give advice with integrity and in love?

Today I saw a shoe lace with the emphasis on the hard ends, which I subsequently discovered are called aglets should you be interested (!), which of course we know give ease to the threading of them. Sometimes we need precision and honing to give direction and ease. God directs us not to clip our wings but to give us the freedom to follow the way that is best for us and makes us most fruitful. "Fo...

Today I was reminded of the pillar of salt that the wife of Lot (nephew of Jewish patriarch Abraham) was turned into when she didn't run for her life, and not look back, as God's angels had advised her to but instead was shrouded in the fiery sulphur which God rained down on the evil towns of Sodom and Gomorrah. (See Genesis 19). Jesus is recorded as also warning us, with reference to Lot's wife....

This morning I, unusually, was dreaming when I naturally woke up. That dream is the basis of today's message. A good friend who cannot read music came to sing in the music group I recently joined. As we sang in harmony, hopefully reading the musical notes correctly, my friend simply improvised and added notes here and there. It sounded good! What a good reminder that there are times to keep within...

Today I saw two hands in a firm handshake, not in the sense of sealing a deal or being deceptively friendly, but of a genuinely joyful and sincere greeting. Apostle Paul encourages this throughout the whole of Romans chapter 16. Sometimes this requires effort with a reminder to ourselves that we are all part of the Body of Christ, His bride, as one, in unity. As I was subsequently reminded today,...

Today I started off with a perplexing imagery of pieces of wood on a shore, ready to form a fire, but the wind twists them to the left and then picks them up, leaving a swirling patch of empty sand. This seemed to represent despair but then I was reminded of the fishermen disciples of Jesus who, after Jesus's crucifixion, went out fishing one night with what we can perceive as with sadness and des...