Daily Picture

Birds have to flap their winds to gain momentum and altitude. Then they are able to glide for some time with the moving air, with the wind. If God creates change in your life, although there might be a need for some active adjustment from you, you will be more at ease with the change if you can but learn to "go with the flow". Sometimes the wind of change can be quite dramatic as when Jesus sent t...

Do we thank God with expectation, as Jesus exemplified when He was here on earth? For instance Jesus thanked His Father on the two separate occasions before He abundantly fed the groups of 4000 and 5000 people with a little bread and a few fishes. "Rejoice always, pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's Will for us in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Thanking i...

I saw stones on the Lisbon waterfront being painted in beautiful vivid colours. What a good reminder of the "colours" that God wants to inject into our lives and for us to pour out to others and in praise to Him. "Vivid" comes from the Latin root word vivere, to live. The bible is alive with descriptions of colours. For example the Old Testament priests in the Tabernacle, where God met His people,...

This picture is reminiscent of our lives which are in God 's hand. Yes, we have free will to make our own choices but think on the many significant people who, and occasions which, have impacted our lives without our planning. "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that f...

Man has an amazing capacity for vivid imagination and we love hearing myths and legends which inspire us with their mystery and adventure. However, we don't want to be taken for fools for believing in fantasy. Jesus is so far removed from fantasy. Until we experience Him personally in our lives, it is difficult to have Him explained to us. He touches deep into our soul, filling a gap that we may n...

The Lord is wanting to bless you in a positively explosive way. This is along the lines of the last message with a dandelion clock, whereby when we sow liberally and joyfully into God's Kingdom, we will receive abundantly. "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need you will abound in every good work. As it is written, 'They have freely sc...

In the same way that the white fluffy seeds on one dandelion stalk can be scattered over a vast area to be re-seeded, let us live a life of giving out. In so doing, without expectation of specifically receiving, we will find that our lives are enriched. "Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered". (Proverbs 11:25).

There is nothing wrong in helping yourself feel good by keeping yourself erect, stretching arms up high and wearing something special, whether it be items of clothing, some make-up or a new hairstyle. God wants us to project from our hearts the confidence of His love for us and the fact that each and everyone of us is beautiful to Him. There is nothing wrong in heightening that sense of inner pers...

In the past I have seen two white rainbows, for the purposes of these Daily Pictures, but today the emphasis is on a white fogbow which is created when the sun hits micro fog droplets which are one hundred times smaller than rain droplets. What a lovely reminder of God's light impacting minute aspects of our lives as well as the big. The very hairs of our head are numbered (Luke 12:7) and "the Lor...

Most of us know the value of tangible momentoes to bring to mind worthwhile and important memories. God encouraged the use of rocks of remembrance so His people would remember the good things He had done for them. Wouldn't this be a worthwhile practice for all of us? Today's audio message has a medley of comments which go off at tangents from this main message but, predominantly, let us not rely m...

The word "mouse" may engender fear, repulsion or even a sense of sweetness. Our different thinking and responses to cues from words and pictures etc are often associated to our past experiences and sometimes are simply irrational. We can neutralise a lot of our negative thinking by concentrating on Jesus and Goodness associated with Him. Yesterday we were encouraged to focus on what is honest, jus...

Let's s not waste time which, as we know, we can never regain. Time has value in so many different contexts - such as the realisation of the effects of a year of no studies by a student who could have been studying and achieving, down to the minutiae of a crucial millisecond in an Olympic race. Also, why waste time on repetitive negative thinking? Instead, as we are counselled in Philippians 4:8,...

Jesus said, 'By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another' (John 13:35). Uniformity is an attempt to impose a state of no change or difference in any one under any circumstances. Being a follower of Jesus is not like that. Unity, meanwhile, suggests an acceptance of those who are different, loving each other and being as one unit. 'There is neither Jew nor Gentile,...

I "saw" a person jumping without purpose or control on a pogo stick into a beautiful and refreshing river and discovering that that jump was a good idea after all! This is a good analogy of any of us when we may be happy or otherwise, as we aimlessly go through life. We may accidentally, or with purpose, jump into Jesus's arms and discover how liberating it is to know His love for us and that He i...

As parts of the Body of Christ we are similar but not identical, with different purposes in life. Think of potatoes, which can serve so many different culinary functions, such as for being mashed, baked, roasted, cut into thick or thin slices, grated etc. All the flesh and the skin can be used. The potatoes need to be clean for use. Jesus similarly cleanses us and "Now to Him who is able to do imm...

Like flies knocking into a window pane, are we also constantly trying to follow a direction which seems obvious and attractive to us and yet our persistent attempts are constantly thwarted? Have you considered that when Jesus beckons you to follow Him in the way of light, truth and life, that actually it is the best way to go? Jesus says "I am The Way, The Truth and The Life. No one comes to the F...

We may just be starting our journey into the discovery of Jesus. As we draw nearer we will see that He is The brilliant Light who sets us free. (John 8)

If we have a cavity the touch of our tongue on it invariably exaggerates its size. This reminds me that we can use our tongue to enhance, aggravate and even manufacture negative circumstances. We have 2 ears and one mouth. Let that be a gentle reminder to ourselves to be more careful to listen than to speak into our lives and those of others unless we are being positive and encouraging. Proverbs 2...

I saw a cross in the dawn sky with a wavering vertical line going up to the horizontal intersection, representing our indecision as to whether we should trust God to completely help us with a decision we have to make. The horizontal line is going to the left and the right. Which way should we go? Finally the unclesr vertical line continuing upwards represents our unknown future but not its directi...

Do you take advantage of the fullness of Jesus's pure light? He is there for us at all times. For instance, why not put Him first in your thoughts when you wake up for the day? That will make such a positive impact on the circumstances of your day and in your mind as you manage your day. Then think of Him at the end of your day and thank Him. Have Jesus fully in your day and not half heartedly and...

God wants us to enter into His rest "for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from His" (Hebrews 4:10). We receive our rest from trusting in Him and His finished work on the Cross. If we don't entrust our lives in God's hands, they will be full of unresolved complications and worries by the end, however good they seem to be over a period of time. Whatever we ar...

If someone is described as wanting their pound of flesh, it means they are ruthlessly legalistic in all they do however heartless and cruel. This expression is coined through The Merchant of Venice, written by the brilliant English play writer William Shakespeare. The threat of a pound of flesh being cut off an unfortunate debtor by his creditor, through a contract they had previously agreed upon,...

In the Old Testament account of Moses leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, having been slaves in Egypt for hundreds of years, they started turning against God. This was in spite of the success they were having in destroying enemies, because of God's help, in order to get full control of the Promised Land. They were also complaining that their provisions weren't ample enough. Are we ever...

The antidote to being in a barren land, metaphorically speaking, is to be a giver, a reflection of God and His love. We cannot out give God. This is what God is basically saying through the prophet Malachi. 'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this says the Lord Almighty and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so m...

Some people do seem to have a series of events which they feel indicates a curse on their lives. We are told in the Bible that when Jesus hung on there cross He took our cursed. This applies to any curses, whether caused by our wrong doings, the wrongdoings of others connected to us or others wishing ill on us. All curses are obliterated by Jesus "by becoming a curse for us, for it is written, 'Cu...