Daily Picture

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...

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...