Daily Picture

I saw a picture of a muddy bedraggled rabbit which made me think of the classic book, Watership Down, about a group of rabbits, who are described with human traits, on adventures and fights for survival. I see many analogies with Christianity but on doing some hasty research this morning for the sake of this Daily Picture, I read no mention of God or faith. Whether or not there is an analogy, it h...

Today I saw a long taut string with the sense of a weight at the end which I believe represents the promises God has made us but we haven't seen yet. Hebrews 11:1 tells us : "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.". Don't let's lose heart or look at others with envy for what they have but we don't have. Hold on to the figurative string of God's promises....

Today I saw squirrels hoarding nuts, ready for winter. This is reminiscent of a story in Genesis 41 of the Bible whereby the Pharaoh of Egypt had a dream of 7 attractive plump cows being swallowed up by 7 ugly scrawny cows; he then immediately dreamt that 7 plump ears of corn were swallowed up by thin blighted ears of corn. Joseph (of Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat fame, for those who are familiar...

I had a picture of a very rough sea which was barricaded by a wall and railings to protect a coastal walk alongside that stretch of sea. We have one such walk in Cascais, where I currently live. Sometimes, if we walk too close to the wall, the waves can be rough and tall enough to spray or even drench us. The wall/walk is referred to as the Paredão in Portuguese and interestingly, a similar word "...

Today I had an imagery of a smiley faced moon. Of course this is just fanciful as the moon does not have a face and a personality. This has made me contemplate on how we consider God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Is it all fanciful to us? The physical attributes of God and Jesus are not described in the Bible. In one sense it is easier to relate to them because there is no bias towards any physical...

I saw a picture of a box of grapes which were clearly going mouldy. They certainly would not make good grape juice or wine however good a process we were to use or however much we would want a good production. This is not to do with starting with something which has potential for change and growth. This picture of mouldy grapes could be an analogy of choices and first steps which are simply wrong...

I saw two book ends that support a row of books on a book shelf. If one of the book ends puts too much pressure on the books then when one is pulled out the rest could topple over. Similarly, in relationships and partnerships, whether in love, fellowship or business, there needs to be equality. The Bible says, we need to be equally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:24-18). This implies having the same morals...

I saw a little girl enjoy having her ballet skirt billowing out around her as she twirled around with joy and spontaneity. Do we sometimes do the equivalent of that or do we miss out on those spontaneous enjoyable moments that Jesus wants us to have? Remember, He said that He came to give us life and have it to the full (John 10:10). There are many bible verses that tell us that God wants to give...

I had a picture of a bayleaf today. Apparently bayleaves are sometimes used in potions to ward off evil spirits. God does not want us to dabble in any magic even if it is to ward off evil. He simply wants us to trust in His Holy Spirit and to not get involved in any witchcraft, fortune telling, divination etc. (Deuteronomy 18:10-14). He wants us to be decisive and choose to be wholly in His Kingdo...

Today I had a picture of a child-like Chinese paper lantern which my mother had taught me to make when I was little. This makes me think of the Japanese art of origami, much of which is beautiful and intricate. As well as making use of one's hands there can be a therapeutic and meditative side to this craft. This has made me further think on the importance of a good balance between work and leisur...

I saw a screwed up eye today, reminiscent of last Tuesday's message reminding us not to view the world with a negative stance of mistrust and greed. We receive what we give out as 2 Corinthians 9:6 reminds us. Let's receive positively. Another caution today is to be decisive, not continuously oscillating between opposing opinions and beliefs. Our lives inevitably become complicated and messy as a...

It is more a reflection today than a picture. Aside from atheism and agnosticism, it is easier to believe in an all powerful God, who we might bow to, than to making a second step of also believing thatJesus is God and is our Lord and Saviour, believing His words - "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Then, a third step is even more outl...

Today's message is a sequel to yesterday's with the imagery of party balloons filled with hot air (representing words without truth and substance) floating in, and falling from, the sky. In today's sequel I saw a pair of white scissors popping some of the balloons. I believe that this is a reminder that we can call upon the Holy Spirit, who resides in us when we have received Jesus as our Lord and...

I saw an image of a balloon being blown up, then leaving the lips of the person exhaling, floating up in the air and eventually falling. I subsequently saw a host of other balloons rising with their hot air, cooling and then dropping out of sight. We use the expression "hot air" to describe words that end up being revealed as having little truth or substance. We are bombarded by supposed truths th...

Today I saw a picture of a white heart with a window inside which has made me think of the expression "the eyes are the window to the soul", whereby our eyes reveal what is deep within us. The whole of Matthew 6 gives an account of Jesus telling His followers to look at what is important to God and His Kingdom rather than focusing on self and what gives immediate pleasure and praise. I encourage y...

Today I saw a side image of a water slide so I couldn't see what fun was happening on it and then the slide went upwards so there was definitely no fun. I believe the point of the message is to remind us not to ignore fun times and play. Life is not just about work and being serious. There are various verses to choose from but I am choosing from a 5th century bc Jewish leader Nehemiah who helped s...

I saw a picture of a spanner. It can usefully loosen or tighten a nut or a bolt. We can liken this to words that encourage when needed as well as positively help in discouraging a wrong course of action. Both directions can be useful . However, we also have an English expression of "a spanner in the works" which indicates a person or thing which prevents the successful implementation of a plan. Le...

I saw an image of a salamander which, astonishingly, has the ability to regenerate some of its internal organs as well as its limbs. It has good defense mechanisms for surviving fires which has helped build up the myth that salamanders can totally withstand fires. It sheds its skin on a regular basis. Salamanders are not specifically mentioned in the bible but the characteristics of regeneration,...

I saw I an image of a tornado and heard the words, "Examine your life". We can reflect on our lives with Jesus as our benchmark, to see how we have improved and aim to improve more, with the Holy Spirit empowering us. Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:5 says to "Examine yourself to see if you are in the faith". I think the image of a tornado is to emphasise the seriousness of the need to examine ou...

I saw a long winding hose today with water eventually getting to the end but also there was a shower of rain coming down in the picture. This reminds me of the Holy Spirit which I described, yesterday, as the Power of God. He can flow through us at His discretion and can fall down upon us whenever He chooses. Apostle Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 2:4 how he has no eloquence or wisdom of his own...

I feel that this is a sequel of yesterday's message encouraging us to trust and obey. I had completely forgotten that I had been enamoured by the etymology of "obey" from the Latin, meaning to lean towards and listen intently. What a case in point that we can so easily forget a Truth if we don't meditate on it. Let's listen to the Word which issues from God. God's Word is God Himself (John 1:1). I...

I had words rather than a picture today - "Do what I say". Well, I can think of many reasons why, even as Christians, we don't want to follow Jesus's instructions - we are: scared; unconfident; doubtful that Jesus's reasons for what He has asked us to do are correct; do not consider the instructions to be wise and/or loving; not sure we heard correctly; have other priorities; would rather wait unt...

I saw the image of an ant. We all know them as hard-working and productive insects. King Solomon, in his book of wise sayings, exhorts us, "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its way and be wise! " (Proverbs 6:6). If God gives us an instruction - do it; if God opens a metaphorical door for us - go through. Let's not be idle, procrastinate or be fearful. God will equip us and we will have positi...

I saw a solid square or rectangular shape, while praying this morning, which brought to mind the fact that in the bible we are told that Jesus is the cornerstone of the Church. "Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord". Think also o...

I saw an image of a frog today with the word "versatility". Frogs engender varied emotions and connections such as slimy or conversely cute, useful, adaptable but, for sure, they are versatile. Despite our circumstances inevitably changing, even if it is just in the process of getting older with a life of monotonous regularity for some people, we are exhorted by apostle Paul to focus on what is tr...