Daily Picture

It might seem unlikely that a tree stump can regrow but, actually, sometimes sprouts can appear out of the roots and develop into a new tree, under the right conditions. Similarly, it is not impossible for a seemingly lost life existing on this earth to be saved by God through Jesus Christ's shed blood. His life was swapped for our life on the Cross. At the Cross God made a new promise with mankin...

Boules is a collective term for ball games whereby the objective is to roll or throw heavier balls as close asaÀA possible to a small target ball, with opponents trying to move your balls or the target ball to ensure they win. I believe that this imagery is to reassure us that this game is not representative

If we are likened to wheat being threshed and winnowed to eradicate the dry outer casing to then have the seeds crushed into flour, we may not relish the comparison. However, if God is putting us through "threshing" and "winnowing", let us rest assured that we are being prepared for greater works, with God as our equipper and partner. "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowi...

There are choices to be made in life whether they are insignificant or significant. Unless we are in total bondage, we can choose to "Go with the flow", that is be carried along by events and others' choices, without trying to alter things or be in control, or we can make our own choices. It is a significant choice to go with the flow in God's Kingdom and to trust that He is looking after us. Prov...

Jesus said it was easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than a rich man. (Matthew 19:24). Various explanations have been given for this statement, one being that there was a gate in the wall of Jerusalem which required the camels to bend their knees to go through it; this they refused to do. Another view is that it was commonly taught in those days that ones wealth was an indication...

The words lonely and alone are not necessarily synonymous as one can feel lonely when in a crowd of people. Once we have a connection with God through Jesus and His Holy Spirit, we realise we have a tangible relationship. God created us and knows we need physicality and He will provide that for us, such us with that timely call from a friend and a lovely chance encounter with a stranger. Life with...

I had recently mentioned to a friend that I think I have increased wrinkles on my face and she very sweetly said she only noticed my ready smiles. It has made me think that we truly can decide to focus on positives. Let us "set our minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Colossians 3:2)

The snarling slobbering dog I saw in my mind's eye was chained up so, however threatening, could not attack me. We can have that safety if we call upon Jesus to help us when we are feeling under attack. The apostle Paul reminds us that we "can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13).

Jesus promises to support us in our times of need, however small or big, but accepting this offer is sometimes perceived as weakness and displaying a need for a crutch. We need humility to accept that sometimes in life we do need support, especially for those unexpected circumstances and those out of our control. The popular Psalm 23 written by King David, reminds us that the Lord is our shepherd...

This morning I was reminded of how beautifully the sun sparkled like jewels on the sea yesterday. How much more precious are those moments than "treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal".(Matthew 6:19). Proverb 23:4 also counsels us "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone...

We do not really know what lies ahead for us, despite our plans on paper or electronic devices. However, God does have secure plans for you, to make "you prosper, not to harm you and to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11). These words had been specifically addressed to the exiles from Jerusalem, who had been carried into Babylon. God instructed them to settle in their place of exile and "...

I saw a rugby goal post in front of a dream house however it might look to any of us. Whilst on earth Jesus promised His followers that He would be preparing a house for them and would take them there when the time comes to do so. I love the thought that that home with God is our ultimate destiny. In the meantime we can be in His assigned playing field of life for us to abide in our destiny where...

It has been said in what I think is an apt description, that everyone has a God shaped hole in them. This implies that only God can fill that particular space. I would suggest that many of us instinctively recognise that there is a gap in our lives without God who is higher than us. It is in times of desperation that many of us first call out to Him. Sometimes it is not until we fill that gap, tha...

We cannot prove that coincidences are from God but one Godly man observed that only when he prayed did wonderful coincidences occur. Let's give God the opportunity to answer our prayers by approaching Him in the first place. His answers can be likened to a traffic light system. As with a red light, He may say no, which will be for our ultimate good though we may not recognise it at the time. He ma...

Today's image of a white telephone reminded me that we can all access the hotline to God. He is available to all of us at any time, as many verses in the Bible tell us. "Seek and you will find ..." (Matthew 7:8) is an assurance of receiving a response when we call out to God. We were created by God for communion with Him and He is delighted when we start to do so. There are no conditions attached...

Birds wake up with the light, happily chirping away. Jesus encourages us to similarly and simply trust that God is with us, is providing for us and, as such, we are not to worry. However, God's Word also provides wise counsel on the balance to be made with that simplistic approach in that we also carefully consider and reflect on God's Truths so we are not ignorant of them. We will thus have guida...

It is such a wonderful truth that Love can be multiplied without any limit, as can be attested by parents when they have more than one child. Love doesn't have to be divided and shared out. Father God loves all His creation unconditionally. When we understand and receive God's Love, realising we are the beloved of an amazing King, we find we can increasingly give out love limitlessly even to the s...

There is an anecdotal account of an ancient king wanting a bath created for him and provided his hand span measurement as the measurement to be used. However the creator of the bath translated the king's hand span for his own smaller hand span, resulting in the bath being too small. This anecdote was for the purposes of indicating the need for universal measurements but actually for the purpose of...

I initially saw the capital letter T in the clouds which I felt was representing Jesus as part of the Trinity, both when He was recorded in Acts 1:9 as going up behind a cloud 40 days after He had been crucified, to reside in heaven, and also when He is recorded in Revelations 1:7 as coming back to earth with the clouds. Whether low or high level, clouds can be seen from earth. This can be a remin...

I saw a baby crib being rocked with a sense of fulfillment, a birth, so to speak, of a promise. I believe that this is a prophetic message to the listener or reader of this message that God wants you to receive a promise from Him very soon. This is a prophetic word, with the prophetic ministry being one of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the First letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12. First Cori...

At first I thought I was seeing a sheep hanging upside down to be roasted as a sacrifice. The reality of the sheep being the right way up, alive and walking had initially escaped me. This is a good reminder that we sometimes need each other to remind us of God's perspective of life and truth. "... so that we may work together for the Truth". (3 John 8b). This helps us to not veer off in negative t...

Happiness is often connected to our happenings whereas the essence of joy is connected to a deep awareness of something beyond our circumstances. The apostle Paul exhorts us in repeated fashion to "Rejoice in the Lord and again I say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4). As our minds and hearts think more on goodness we will develop that wonderful sense of joy, enveloped in peace. As Paul continues to say...

In the gospels of Luke (23:44), Matthew (27:45) and Mark (15:33) the accounts of Jesus's crucifixion describe the complete darkness on earth from noon to 3.00 p.m. whilst Jesus was dying. Jesus cried out in Matthew's account, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" as He felt utter separation from God as man's sin fell on him. From Luke we learn that then the curtain of the temple was torn in t...

In Psalm 42 David's soul is downcast and his dire situation is depicted like a thunderous waterfall, with his mind filled with negative thoughts. But then, interspersed within his soul's negative thoughts and emotions is his spirit which rises high with hope. This is what we also have when our spirit connects to God's Holy Spirit. "Why, my soul are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put you...

I saw a carpark being pulled down. With just the posts left in the ground it looked like a derelict place. Actually, it was being prepared for restructuring to a larger and more efficient carpark. Often we may feel despondent when a situation in our lives seems to be going backwards or be in a bad state. Trust God to renew it to a better state. "See I am doing a new thing. Now it springs up. Do yo...