Daily Picture

Let us believe God for His promises to us, like gifts wrapped in a bright multi-coloured box, ready to be opened and and received. (Mark 11:22-24)

Whilst on earth Jesus said to his followers “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; ,and whoever lives by believing in me will never die". Jesus proceeded to raise Lazarus from the dead, a man who had already been lying in a tomb for 4 days, so beginning to decompose. Jesus wants us to believe that He can indeed bring life and hope to a...

Psalm 91:4 tells us that "He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge ...". The original Hebrew for wings in this imagery is depicting the outstretched extremities of outstretched wings or even of armies. The Psalmist in Psalm 91 describes many dangers that may occur in life but He gives the assurance that God is with us throughout them all.

As well as being The Shepherd of His flock, Jesus is also the gateway into His sheepfold of care and provision. (John 10:7-15). We can help Jesus in leading people to and through this Gate, imperfect as we are. What He requires of us is to believe in Him and to display that faith to others through our actions. (John 6:28-29)

Sometimes we need to look at the words in Scripture in the context and culture of the day it is written. What is important is the state of our heart in submission to God.

Proverbs 17:1 "Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting, with strife." It is wisdom to promote and value peace in our environment. Jesus gives us inner peace beyond what the world can give us. (John 14:27)

We all have different functions in God's family, to be done with sincere love and humility. (Romans 12)

We do not know with great certainty as to what lies ahead in our lives but we do know that God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. (Matthew 6:34; Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13:5)

Sunshine provides us with joy. Do we have constant joy in our relationship with God? (Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:5; Matthew 5:14-15)

We are all part of the Body of Christ, of equal importance and necessity in His Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 12-26)

Jacob a Hebrew Patriarch (the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham) saw a vision of a ladder with angels ascending and descending, with a promise from God to bring his descendants to what is now referred to as the Promised Land. (Genesis 28:10-15). We are encouraged to believe that there are indeed angels in the spiritual realm who are here to minister to us. (Psalm 91:11-12; Matthew 18:10; Hebrew...

As with the wind which we cannot see, so is God's Holy Spirit. We can see the wind's effects such as on a moving yacht and we can see the effects of the Holy Spirit on our lives. Jesus promised to send the Spirit when He left this earth. (John 14:15-18; Acts 1: 4-5)

God loves us but we sometimes miss His still small voice and the little love notes He is giving us. (1 Kings 19:12; Psalm 46:10)

In the same sense that with one knitting needle we cannot make a knitted garment, similarly we need to work with God, which requires our trust in Him in the first place. (John 6:29)

If we concentrate on Good then it will be easier to discern what is not good when it subtly appears, as it will be obviously out of place. ( Psalm 1:1-3; Philippians 4:4-9)

Let us enter each day knowing that God has new promises to fulfil for us. Lamentations 3:22-24

God wants us to be carefree (in contrast to being careless and irresponsible). We can cast all our anxieties upon Him because he cares for us (1 Peter 5:7)

We are to enter into God's Kingdom like a child (Matthew 18:1-5; Luke 18:15-17; Mark 9:33-36)

God is far greater than our limited understanding and experience of Him. God is the great "I am" (Exodus 3:14) as Jesus said of Himself. (John 8:58)

The author of Ecclesiastes is searching for the meaning of life. At the end (Chapter 12) he concludes "Remember your Creator ....The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails - given by one shepherd ..."

Who are we to judge others? In Matthew 7:4-5 Jesus says:  "How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye."

Often we make mountains out of mole hills with our worries and concerns. In Matthew 17:20 Jesus said “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Psalm 23:4 "Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me". The hooked staff pulls us from danger and leads us in right paths; the rod attacks our enemies and is a symbol of love as He counts all His sheep and knows us all individually.

A discussion on the difference between magic and God's miraculous supernatural power.

God loves us unconditionally. He has paid the price for our sins which we have made, are making and are still to make.