Daily Picture

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...

Today I saw a zip being opened gradually from the other side of my vision. I believe this is a Word to us that God chooses to reveal Himself to us, rather than us choosing to do a formal study of Him so to speak. We need to position ourselves to receive from Him though. If we receive Jesus, we become children of God (see John 1:12) and we will get to recognise and know Him. (see Matthew 11:27). Hi...

Today I was reminded of the two main types of stitches when knitting (Knit and Pearl) which, whilst requiring different techniques and result in different effects, actually mimic each other when viewed on their reverse sides. This brings to mind the necessity sometimes of presenting a different face though we are the same person. (This is in contrast to being two-faced which means to be insincere)...

When you are faced with a challenge, not only is your faith in God tested, but also your faith, the essence of you, is being strengthened. Each time you discover that God makes good out of every situation, however dire it may seem, your trust in Him is being built up. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your fa...

Today I saw showers of God's golden blessings. God speaks through his prophet Ezekiel in chapter 34:25-26: "I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. And I will make them and the places around about my hill a blessing and I will send down my showers in season. They shall be showers of ble...

Today I saw an image of a black rat running across my field of vision representing, I believe, our dreads. Dreads are our perceived and anticipated, significant and fearful situations ahead. God does not want us to be in a state of dread. Instead, He wants us to be in a state of awe and anticipation in what good He has for us. It requires trust and faith in Him at all times, which also implies pat...

Today I have been contemplating on the fact that there are no physical descriptions of Jesus in any of the 4 Gospel accounts of Jesus's human life on earth because Who He is, how He behaved and what He taught on earth are what are of utmost importance. His outward appearance has not been considered. In John 6:29 we are told that Jesus said, "The work of God is this, to believe in the one He has se...

"All that glitters is not gold" (extracted from The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare). That is a good reminder to not be taken in by what might seem precious but actually is not. Apostle Paul advised his protégé Timothy and subsequent readers to have godliness and contentment with what we have even if it is only the basics of sufficient food and clothing. "Those who want to get rich fall...

Today I saw an image of a ceiling fan which we used constantly when I Iived in West Africa and in Asia, and sometimes we needed to make it rotate faster. This has reminded me of our constant need for God's Word in our lives and that sometimes we need to concentrate on it even deeper than usual. God's Word can come to us from within our being or from another person, or we can be that person passing...

Today's devotional continues from Saturday's where I had read 2 Timothy 2 verses 14 and 16, intentionally omitting verse 15, in order to concentrate on it today. It refers to rightly dividing the Word of Truth. For Paul to caution his young protégé in this, clearly indicates that there must be also be a wrong way of discerning the Truth. Often looking at the context of a verse is useful and of cou...

Today I am focussing on the word 'pettiness' in the sense of something of secondary or lesser importance. Sometimes we pay too much attention to something which really should take back stage whilst we could be concentrating on things of more importance. I know that I am guilty of sometimes having a critical spirit, of focussing on an irritating quality in or action from somebody else when they hav...

Today I got the sense of the symbolic passing on of a mantle in the sense of passing on ones authority and responsibility. I received a second confirmatory picture of a firmly blown up balloon with pressure applied to it, until it eventually burst. The air in a balloon will inevitably flow into the atmosphere it is in, whether it is released slowly or as a result of being burst. I believe that the...

Today I saw a little brown garden wren which in the UK is sometimes referred to as Jenny Wren with no regard to its actual sex. That has caused me to think on God. The Bible refers to God as The Father, with male pronouns used in reference to God. God is Spirit and does not have any genetic components to identify sex. If we choose to worship God, it is with our spirit connected to His Spirit (John...

Today I saw emeralds which are mentioned throughout the bible, for instance as being precious gems for trading, partial adornment of priestly robes and being an integral part of God's Kingdom as described in the Book of Revelation. In the process of being formed over millennia, real emeralds are known for their natural imperfections such as small cracks or microscopic inclusions which are cavities...

Today I am linking the words Consistent and Faithful with God. He is always there for us. He is patient with us and knows why we are the way we are and waits for us to listen to Him and follow Him. Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever". God speaks through the prophet Malachi in 3:6 and says, "I, the Lord do not change". Though we are to be consistently lovin...

Today I saw two large shapes next to each other from which peered out a shadow from between them, giving me the sense of hiding in cracks. In the bible there are various verses indicating the sense of hiding away in fear or in shame for safety. Isaiah 2:19 describes, "And men will go into cracks of the rocks and into holes of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and before the glory of His power, when...

Today i have been reflecting on seeking God's Kingdom and faith in His Kingdom. When we first seek we will indeed find it (Matthew 7:7-8) with our faith as just a germ of faith ready and waiting to develop. It requires a first step out to then grow. The opportunity is freely available to us throughout our life but don't leave it too late and, in fact, why leave it at all as there is such freedom,...

Sorry this is a repeat from 3 January, 8 days ago. I edited one word and it has appeared as today's devotional. I am about to record a fresh devotional for today. "Today I saw a belt. This is a timely reminder of The Belt of Truth (Ephesians 6:14), which is the first item of the spiritual armour the apostle Paul reminds us to put on, in defence against the devil who is trying to turn us from God a...

Today I saw a window frame, divided into four separate panes of glass which I believe represent the four perspectives we can employ in life - of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and our own. Even if we acknowledge God as our Creator, we can then completely ignore Him in our lives and ignore Jesus as God in the flesh and who then sent His Spirit to reside within us. Prophet Isaiah warns us: "Woe to those wh...

Today I saw a picture of a harp, which is often mentioned in association with praise and worship in the bible. I think of gentleness with a harp and I wonder if a harp can even be played loudly? As with the message yesterday of us being the fragrance of Christ which is clearly not a loud expression of Christ, similarly our worship and praise can be with sweetness and gentleness as represented by a...

Today I saw an image of a picture frame with an indiscernible photo. The frame seemed stuck to the surface on which it was positioned. I believe that this image is drawing our attention to our loved ones who have passed on or inevitably will do one day, but where to? By faith we can believe God's Word as to the Genesis creation of earth about 6,000 years ago or we can believe scientists who say th...

Today I had an image of a pictorial star with the usual 5 triangular points, reminding me of a popular children's story whereby a little girl befriends a star which had fallen from the sky. She learns that, in love, she needed to release the star back into the sky, where it belongs and where it is free. Galatians 5:1 tells us "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do...

Today I saw myself kneeling on the laser path of light representing God's Kingdom. Whilst figuratively kneeling to pray, we are less vulnerable to being pulled off by those in the surrounding darkness and we are calling upon God's Spirit to bring people into His glorious Light. In God's Kingdom all three persons of the Trinity are operating: God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Today I saw a straight horizontal laser light surrounded by lots of darkness. This is a good reminder of the small gate and narrow path that Jesus described as His Way which only a few find (Matthew 7:13). Jesus is recounted in Chapters 6 and 7 as explaining what is expected in His Kingdom such as not to be doing good deeds to be noticed by others, not to pray and/or fast to look pious and not to...