Daily Picture

Flower petals can still have some form of longevity even after they have fallen off their stem, such as through being part of a dried pot pourri or a scented drawer sachet and yet there is a limit to their life. However, the essence of the flower, from which the petals fell, lives on through its seed being planted and a new flower appearing. Similarly, our essence, that is, our spirit lives on. Do...

God created us in His imagination before we were conceived in our mother's womb. "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:13). God knows every detail of our existence. "Indeed the very hairs of your head are all numbered" (Luke 12:7). God can join all the dots of anything that has ever happened to us and is going to happen. "..The Lord will watch over...

We can create a beautiful vase through God's gift of creativity but we cannot create the beautiful flowers that can go in the vase. God is our all surpassing creator who meets our needs and provides for our limitations, indirectly or directly. I felt this strongly as I flew from Lisbon to London in less than 3 hours, to see family and UK friends. As we increasingly recognise and acknowledge the co...

I saw a sheep wedged tight between a wall and metal wire fencing. The sheep was making no attempt to extricate itself but perhaps it had given up? After I requested help, the sheep was eventually released and she simply walked off as if nothing had happened. Then another sheep came and stood on the wall and could easily have slipped into the same gap. Are we like that? Are we unaware of our precar...

Just like a special cushion to alleviate pain is directly concentrated on the area of need, God knows our every need and wants to fully help us. 'And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid, ..."(Matthew 10:30-31a). It would be impossible to count all our hair and even more ridiculously impossible with it being shed continually. This is why this analogy is all the mor...

From above, we cannot see the contents in the back of a car, with the door open upwards. Similarly, if we have a spirit of superiority and judgement, we will lack understanding and love towards others. I remember inwardly criticising a woman who didn't seem to want to smile. I then discovered that it was too painful for her to smile as she had mouth ulcers. "Do not think of yourself as more highly...

I believe that this rock depicts a negative aspect in our lives such as an unhealthy relationship, a sickness, an addiction, a negative attitude, which He wants us to admit to having, bringing it to him for whatever is needed, victory and comfort. Admitting our need and declaring His perfect provision are both required. "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compa...

However intellectual and experienced we are we cannot comprehend, on our own, God's great mysteries which perplex us. We need God's Spirit to communicate with our spirit to reveal His great mysteries and Truths. We can only understand that He has saved us and brought us into eternal life without Whom we will perish, as revealed through His Spirit to us. "For the message of the Cross is foolishness...

My father had a metal silhouette of a black cat in his garden. It had glistening marble eyes and would supposedly scare off unwanted cats. The regular neighbourhood cats soon discovered that it posed no threat. Let us feels confident in the knowledge that Jesus has conquered the sin in our lives and "has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having...

Bar codes were invented in 1952 but were not used commercially until 1972. Twenty years is a long time to witness the fulfillment of a vision. Similarly, God may give us a vision which actually does not get fulfilled in the short term and maybe not even in the medium term. Let us not lose heart or be disillusioned. God has plans for you and His timings are perfect. "For I know the plans I have for...

There are different grass seeds available in order to cultivate lawns but they all need regular mowing and maintainance. Similarly, with all our different ministries, we need to consistently nurture the Holy Spirit residing in us. Wild and matted grass can be brought back to a manageable state but requires more work to be reinstated into that condition. Also, it is much easier to be discouraged, d...

Many of us know Aesop's fable of the arrogant hare who faltered in the end, with the moral that pride comes before a fall. You may have jumped to the conclusion that today's message, because of its title, is linked to that fable but, actually, it isn't and that in itself reminds us to be aware of different contexts and perspectives. Today's story has a completely different perspective to Aesop's f...

This picture reminded me of the account of Samson, an Israelite warrior and judge who, with immense strength from God, pushed down the two main supporting pillars of a temple dedicated to the Mesopotamian god, dagon, destroying the entire temple and all the people who had congregated in it. Dagon was not only their god of bounty, fertility and vegetation but was also perceived as the chief deity,...

Rugby has tall H shaped goal posts whilst football goal posts have a net lower down on the ground. Netball and basketball players score goals through hoops. Similarly, this diversity can represent the different goals we have. All Christians have the common goal to follow Jesus but we also have individual goals and aspirations given to us by God. We don't need to compare our goals with that of othe...

I believe that today's picture represents idle threats which we need not fear. However, there is a cautionary note here as our enemy is looking around for the vulnerable who either don't know they can have God on their side guaranteeing victory for them or indeed, don't want His assured help. The epistle of 1 Peter 5:8 in the Bible, tells us "...the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking...

Shooting rapids involves canoeing in rapidly flowing water, often contending with rocks and even waterfalls. This sporting activity can be scary and precarious, especially if we are not experienced and skilled. In the right hands we will reach our destination in good time and safely. This is what it is like in our lives if we allow God to be at the helm so to speak. I believe that the specific Wor...

Today's picture is a lovely reminder that when we let our lives be in God's hands so He is flowing through us in the direction for which He created us, we then have a wonderful sense of fulfilment. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me" (...

This picture led me to think on the incident recounted in both the gospels of Mark and Matthew, whereby a fig tree had a profusion of leaves and yet there was none of the expected fruit. Jesus is displeased with that tree for its false promise of fruit. In the same chapter of Mark chapter 11 with the incident of Jesus rebuking that fig tree, He also upturns the tables of the merchants in the Templ...

A brown nest may not necessarily indicate beautiful contents but natural eggs and birds are indeed part of God's wonderful living creation. In contrast, brightly wrapped Easter eggs only last for as long as they stay uneaten or are disposed of. Let us seek those places and people, however humble, which and who are home to God and His Spirit. "The Lord does not look at the things people look at. Pe...

Saturday's devotional referred to false prophets who are able to deceive many with their signs and wonders. Remember that God's power is far stronger than that of any magic. However, be aware that without God we can be vulnerable and weak in the face of magical power. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" {Romans 8:31). We cannot be defeated if we call upon God.

Poisonous toadstools are not always obviously toxic or distinguishable from an edible mushroom. Eating one may even take a couple of days to take effect and sometimes prove fatal. However knowledgeable we may generally consider ourselves to be, we all need discernment to differentiate between good and bad, right and wrong. In the Gospel of Matthew 24:24 we read of Jesus's warning, "For there shall...

Most of us recognise "scratched record" repeated negative experiences that may require us to have altered attitudes and different actions in order to achieve improved outcomes. This can be nerve wracking and we might need guidance. Let us remember that Jesus Christ is consistently there for us. He is "the same yesterday and today and for ever". (Hebrews 13:8). He can and wants to help us through a...

At first I wondered why I had a picture of a sundial arm, which casts a shadow to indicate time, but then I discovered that not only can this arm be termed a stylus but its original name from ancient Greek, is gnomon (pronounced nomon). It means one who knows or examines. There are many terms derived from this root word such as 'agnostic' without knowledge; :diagnosis' which literally means of dis...

We may look at a mole hill with concern and may even 'make a mountain out of a molehill". Have we considered that the reverse could hold true in that the mole is the one which is concerned as he is out of his comfort zone? We can use this picture as an analogy of our perspective towards an unusual or potentially disconcerting situation. Let us remember to look up to God for His perspective which,...

The picture I "saw" today was of a small rickety step ladder, reminding me that when we try to elevate ourselves, metaphorically, our lives are potentially in a precarious position. However, if we humbly wait for God to elevate us and direct our lives we can be assured that He is taking care of us and that His timing is perfect. "And God will exalt you in due time if you will humble yourselves und...