Daily Picture

Psalm 91:4 "He will cover you with his feathers and under His wings you will find refuge ...". Not only is that a picture of refuge, God is also taking the penalty of all our sins. There is not one human who can say they are completely sinless. Whatever the degree of sin all of us can be covered by God's protection over our lives. He did this by sending His Son, Jesus, to die for us as a sinless m...

There are amazing changes in nature such as a tadpole into a frog, a caterpillar into a butterfly. We are told a leopard cannot change his spots as an indicator of impossible transformations. But we are assured that God can change us and our circumstances. Let us remember that God wants good for us and can execute seemingly impossible changes in our life. 2 Corinthians 5:17. "...look, new things h...

When John the Baptist's disciples told him that more people were going to Jesus to get baptised than to John, his immediate response was to say that "He must increase; I must decrease". (John 3:30). Do we put Jesus first, and thus love and understanding towards others first, or are our first re-actions when we are figuratively hurt, to think about ourselves? That is certainly a tough call. I may c...

Do we listen intently to what others are saying to us? Or are we first reacting with our agenda before hearing them out? In the book of James 4:19 we read that we are to be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to show anger.

The title of today's episode were the words uttered twice by a woman in the Old Testament after her young son had just died. She knew God had used Elisha, His prophet, to give her her son, through the power of His Holy Spirit, so she also knew that all must be well despite the seeming tragedy of her dead son. Elishah did indeed raise her son from the dead. (2 Kings 4:8ff). As believers, we also ha...

A hammock needs two posts, often two trees, to hang between. Similarly we need the support of others, even if just two others, to be truly functional. Ecclesiastes 4:12 "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken". As an aside, this image of a cord with 3 strands is often used to encourage couples in a relationship to include God as thei...

However strong and tall we may feel, we all need some form of support along the way. As soon as we let go of that knowledge and/or judge others for faltering, we are at risk of falling ourselves. (Galatians 6:1)

God loves to guide us with His Truths but there is a lot that masquerades as truth which can lead us unwittingly along wrong paths. Before the use of ballpoint pens, blotting paper was regularly used to dry the wet ink of traditional fountain pens. A copy of the original writing might then appear, back to front and possibly smudged, on the blotting paper. Similarly, there are deceivers who masquer...

David ensured his sheep were in safe hands before he obeyed his father's instructions to take provisions to his older brother who were on the battle ground where the giant Goliath was taunting them to come and fight

Hummingbirds are beautiful birds, with amazing and unique attributes. They have been on this earth for millions of years. This imagery is a reminder to praise the Lord continually. In Psalm 96:1-2 King David exhorts us to: "Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.". Also, Paul reminds us to "Rejoice in the...

During the Israelites' 40 year exodus from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan, God provided them with quail every evening and bread (manna) Monday through to Saturday. There was always the perfect amount for each day and if anyone didn't trust God, and collected too much, it became rancid. However, double provision of manna was given on the 6th day, to be used towards the 7th day as w...

The bible has a continuing thread regarding the Tree of Life. In the first book Genesis, Adam and and Eve, representing mankind, were banished from the Garden of Eden with its access to the Tree of Life (Eternal). In the last book Revelation, the second Adam, Jesus, also representing mankind, has restored our access to the Tree of Life. Revelation 2:7 "Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen to wh...

We have a limited perception of people and places even when more light is shed, but God knows absolutely everything about us. He created us and assuredly knows what is best for us. Let us trust Him in whatever and wherever He leads us. Psalm 139 is a wonderful declaration of this.

We might think that a guaranteed eternal life could lead to us following any sort of life. However, we are so grateful to have the free gift of eternal life from Jesus that actually we want to lead a life pleasing to Him. When we realise He is committed to us it feels right to be committed to Him. A life with the smallest of imperfections does eventually perish. A sinless life goes on into eternit...

The Earth's surface comprises 71% water, with 96 % of that water in the oceans. We know comparatively little of the teeming life in the very depths of our oceans and even less of our Creator God. He is awesome and beyond our full knowledge and understanding. Job 26:15 "Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can u...

God is a God of excellence and precision. The more you focus on Him and the more you expect from Him, you will see an increasing amount of coincidences, Godincidences, serendipity etc, however you might refer to these experiences. It truly is an exciting life when we acknowledge God. We won't even end on this earth. We will go on into eternity. Isn't that the best gift ever? (Philippians 4:8)

We cannot avoid external pressures in this life. They come in a multitude of forms, assailing ours mind, emotions, body etc. We do not need to be broken and destroyed by any of these pressures if we recognise and allow the power of God to be exercised in us and through us, once we have received Him. 2 Corinthians 4:7 "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power...

As with a sperm and an ovule uniting, when our dreams align with God's Will for us, there will be the birthing of the dream if we wait patiently and are prepared to possibly suffer some labour pains beforehand. (John 16:21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her tine has come, but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world ").

There are so many wonders in nature, in Creation. For instance, look at the sunrise and look at the DNA and the repairing power in our bodies. However, this earth also has a lot of destruction such as earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis, destruction of our bodies through catastrophic accidents and disease etc but God wants to restore all this. Witness goodness around you and believe Him for full r...

Each day we can look at our blessings and our abundant provision for that day. God's perspective is to provide for us daily in a perfect way though we may not always recognise its perfection at the time. Hindsight sometimes helps! God surely does give us His Daily Bread (Matthew 6:11). It is no coincidence that Jesus was born in Bethlehem which means House of Bread and was lain in a manger - a fee...

Today's picture is based on a story written by the prolific children's author, Julia Donaldson. This tiny snail travelled around the world on this mighty whale. One day the snail is able to repay the whale's immense kindness. Similarly, even in our puniness, compared to our mighty God, He can use us and do mighty exploits through us, if we are willing. He even equips us fully to do these tasks for...

God is creator of all our nature so he is super-natural. Many verses in the bible declare this. One mentioned, amongst others, in today's DAILY PICTURE podcast, is Job 12:7-10 "But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the L...

I believe that God wants us to have delight in believing ahead for the blessings He has in store for us. Children have such joy in their pretend tea parties which will one day materialise into the real thing. As we stick close to God, He will show us what He wants to give us and they will start off as seeds of desire in our hearts. Psalm 37:4 tells us"Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you...

As a continuation to yesterday's podcast, we can see that Jesus, as the Light, provides illumination and guidance for our life ahead. Jesus is also known as The Word. The Gospel of John tells us that "In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God and The Word was God ... The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us". (John 1:1; 14). God spoke the world into existence with His Wo...

Most people love to see the beautiful coloured lights in rainbows. When coloured lights merge, they create a white light. In the creation account in Genesis, God said on the first Day, "Let there be light". He created the sun and moon for light on the fourth day. While on earth, Jesus proclaimed that He is the Light (John 8:12). He is Creator of the sun and moon for light and beautiful rainbows.