Daily Picture

Today I saw a gravy jug or gravy boat as it is sometimes referred to. Jugs/pitchers can be from many materials, of different sizes and for many purposes. We have all been created by God in all our diversities. This fact is often depicted in the bible with God as the potter and we as the clay. For instance, Isaiah 28:16b says: "Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, 'You did not make me...

Today I saw the bow of a shjp in the water. Then I saw an imagery of Jack and Rose in the film "Titanic" with the iconic scene of Jack holding Rose around the waist, instructing her to trust him, to climb up on to the apex of the ship's bow with her eyes closed and her arms outstretched. When she opens her eyes her breath is taken away by the beauty of the expanse of sea ahead of her. She proclaim...

I saw a tangled forest undergrowth with briars, thorns and thistles. This is a good reminder of one the humiliations Jesus endured on the cross, of the crown of thorns the Roman soldiers pressed into his skull. For the soldiers, they were adding insult to injury as they were mocking Jesus as a ridiculous king (John 19:1-3). Every verse has significance in the bible. The soldiers weren't aware that...

The following verse has been buzzing around in my head: Psalm 119:35 "Direct me in the path of your commands for there I find delight". Does it really seem credible that we will find delight when choosing to be led by God along His path which is the one in which He is our Commander? Why not? It has to be our choice to be led by God. In doing so we are trusting that God's path of Love will delight...

Today I saw a strange picture of a tall tree at the sea's water's edge. Of course it is impossible for a tree to grow and survive on a soggy sandy foundation where the roots have nothing to anchor onto. Similarly, using the analogy of a house, Jesus told his disciples, as recounted in Matthew 7:24-27, that our lives need to be anchored in His Word and we will not be overcome by proverbial storms....

Today I saw a picture of a casual game of tennis on a tennis court. Then I saw a tennis match being seen on a large screen which ended up being turned off for whatever reason, such as no electricity. I believe that Jesus is telling us that He wants a personal interaction with us as with the players face to face on a tennis court, rather than with us having a distant knowledge of Him. Not only does...

Today I saw a magician's black hat from which he traditionally pulls out a long string of tied-together coloured silk scarves and a white rabbit etc. Magicians make use of science and sleight of hand to perform conjuring tricks. Magicians can be entertaining and clever but today's picture serves as a good reminder that we can be deceived into believing what is not real. Jesus warns us "For false m...

Today I had a picture of Jesus hanging on the cross and before He dies He asks God to forgive everyone who has put Him on the cross "as they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). All of us who need Him to lead us into Heaven (and that is all of us!) need Him to have died on the cross on our behalf. I believe that this verse reveals an interesting truth about the word submission. Most of us are like...

Today's picture seemed like a sequel to yesterday's in that I saw a simply dressed man in a cap looking undecided as to whether he should follow Jesus or follow the masses in the opposite direction. As Cristians who know Jesus, we have a responsibility to tell people, like this indecisive man, as to what it is like to talk to Jesus and be heard by Him. We know we can openly tell Jesus our deepest...

Today I saw a picture of a throng of silent, unheard people walking to an unknown destination to the right. On the left of the picture I saw fewer people than those on the right but they were relaxed and happy, listening to Jesus and their inner thoughts were being heard by Him. God wants us to have our identity in Him and for us to have an intimacy with Him. This is exemplified by Jesus and His r...

Today I saw a fir tree on a snowy mountain and then, surprisingly to me, in the tropics. This reminds me that we can hold on to inaccurate truths and fallacies such as my assumption that fir trees are always in cold climes. Some species can indeed survive in the tropics. This a good reminder that cultures and people of influence in our lives can so easily impact our interpretation of God's Word. T...

Today I saw a picture of a burr. Burrs are little spherical seeds or dried fruit which can cling persistently to fur or fabric because of their many tiny hooks. These burrs inspired a Swiss engineer into spending about ten years in developing the very useful and strong nylon fastener, with many small hooks, called velcro, which latches on and never spontaneously falls off. Nature has so much to te...

Today I sense that God wants us to learn to be alert to having spiritual sight and having His perception of people and matters. There is a wonderful account in the Old Testament describing the prophet Elisha praying for his servant to stop fearing and to see the spiritual army defending them against a seemingly mighty physical army. "...Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and sa...

Today I very much got the sense of an Exchange of positive energy when we are in God's Kingdom. This is an extension of the recent theme of us being part of one body, the Body of Christ. That positive energy exists whatever the circumstances, indeed, despite our circumstances. We can share our trials for others to pray for us and to support us, both of which are a privilege in both parties' direct...

Today I sensed the word Community. As devoted Christians we are all part of the one Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:13 tells us "For in one Spirit we were all baptised into one body". In other words we are emersed in Him and Him in us. (Anyway inadequate but, hopefully, a sufficient analogy is that of a sponge in water which also has the water in it). We equally need each other and no one is more...

Today I saw a picture of a fairy which we know is fictitious. How about Jesus?! Our Western calendar relates to Him and people who profess to having a personal relationship with Him has never waned. He has more than 2 billion followers in the world today. The Bible is the most published book ever. However, above all these facts is the invitation to seek Jesus earnestly, with the promise that you w...

I feel that today's Devotional is a sequel to yesterday's regarding God getting our attention through our pain which, note, He does not give us in the first place. God can turn any situation round for good. It is more difficult for God to get our attention when all is going well for us and we seemingly don't need Him. He has so much more to offer us than we can provide for ourselves - an abundant...

Today I saw an image of a chrysalis emerging into a butterfly. What an awesome transformation! God's transformative creative powers are also there for us and our situations, however seemingly impossible. Luke1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible". That requires faith to hold on to God's promises which haven't materialised yet, as Mary did when Angel Gabriel told her that she would bear Go...

Today I saw an image of a megaphone which brings to mind British writer and theologian C. S. Lewis's comment that God "shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world". God does not give us pain but I believe that CSLewis is telling us that if we don't listen to God and don't feel our need for Him when all is going smoothly in our lives, then pain is God's way of really trying to get...

Today I saw a feast on a table with a white dove flying above it, signifying the Holy Spirit. In Revelations 3:20 the risen Christ tells His church: "Here I am! I stand at the church and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me ". Jesus, the face of God, wants to eat with us, expressing love and intimacy. This is an echo of His w...

Today I saw a trampoline with a security net surrounding it. That is a good reminder that in the same way that we don't need the actual net to be able to use the trampoline well, we don't need God for a lot of what we are capable of doing. However, how wonderful it is to have God's protection for all eventualities. Psalm 91 offers a good description of God's wonderful protection. He is our refuge...

Today I saw an old fashioned chimney sweep brush which pushes soot and debris up.and out of the chimney flue. I am reminded of the verses in Matthew 12:43-45 which, to be honest, actually I usually don't want to consider. In those verses Jesus cautions that though we can call an evil spirit from a body, it can return with more spirits if we are not careful to replace it with good. Let us fill ours...

Today I saw a picture of a regular ballpoint pen with an opening and closing click at the opposite end to the nib, which moves the ink cartridge. If the ink cartridge is not out the pen cannot be used to write. This is a good reminder that though God equips us to do His work, we are not operative unless we are switched on to willingly serve Him, and to do so whilst trusting Him. There are many ver...

Today I saw starfish and baby turtles on the beach. Starfish have no brain, no central nervous system and have many sucker feet on the underside which fill up with fluid alternately so the feet without the fluid are the ones that move with the shifting weight and balance. Turtle mothers lay their eggs in warm sand and then abandon them as they return to the ocean. When the baby turtles hatch they...

Today I saw a window with an inky black sky behind. When Jesus was on the cross, from 12 to 3.00 p.m., there was utter darkness which must have been terrifying at that time of the day. Then, at Jesus's exact point of death, the thick temple curtain amazingly tore in two from the top to the bottom making the Holiest of Holies accessible to all, instead of just to the High Priest. There was a dramat...