Daily Picture

I saw an image of a rocking chair. We all instinctively know the calming benefits or a rocking chair, with a lullaby effect for young and old alike. It apparently stimulates the brain's vestibular system which manages our balance and relaxation. It may also help with general recuperation and rehabilitation and with the rocking motion taking pressure off the spine, it encourages better blood flow....

Today I have the single word LOVE to share in today's Devotional. We all know that that word can be bandied around insincerely and has different nuances of meaning and significance, such as 'I love my children' in contrast to 'I love strawberries and cream'. The Greeks have many different words for different types of love, such as for brotherly love, unconditional love, romantic love etc. Today, I...

Today I was reminded of the micro climate of the beautiful area of Sintra, near Lisbon, Portugal. It is often shrouded in a thick sea fog making it appear magical, because of all the abundant majestic foliage and picturesque palaces it engulfs whilst, meanwhile, everywhere nearby could be baking under a cloudless sky. I may sound like a marketing leaflet but it truly can be stunning. It sometimes...

I am reminded of a Christian allegorical story, "You are Special", about a wooden community, in which the wooden people cover each other in golden stars when they think they have a talent or look good. If someone has seemingly failed or is not looking good, they are given grey dots. One female wooden character had no stars or dots and the protagonist in this story learns that it is because she mak...

Today I feel that the Holy Spirit wants to remind us to relax, not necessarily in the context of putting our feet up but more to loosen our mental hold on what could potentially stress us. We need to learn to relax in the Lord, which requires complete trust in Him. There are many verses that remind us of this. For instance, Mathew 11:28-29 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I wil...

Today I saw a picture in my mind's eye of a soft bulldog clip. Usually this type of clip is a hard metal device for temporarily, but firmly, binding loose sheets of paper together. I believe that this soft clip is a reminder that God wants to bind us all together to Him in love, in a soft, comfortable but committed way, of our own free will. "Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his...

Today's picture is of seeds. This has caused me to think on the seeds of inheritance. Mary was the natural mother of Jesus upon whom the Holy Spirit descended (see Luke 1:35). In Mathew we explicitly read, "She was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit". Joseph heard from Angel Gabriel and was willing to adopt baby Jesus, making Him an official descendent of his lineage which was of King Dav...

Yesterday (I am a day late uploading this) I had a picture of barbed wire, which can be seen along the top of a periphery wall of a high security enclosure. It keeps out intruders and also may be preventing the inhabitants of the enclosure from escaping, such as of a prison. This barbed wire could represent us preventing anyone getting close to us and, most significantly, preventing God. Jesus as...

I have been continuing to reflect on the need for our personal connection with God. He is never changing (see Malachi 3:6; James 1:17); He exists beyond time throughout eternity and whilst His character is consistently the same towards each one of us, we can all choose to have our unique connection with Him. "May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy...

Today my early morning prayer time focused on the words Religion and Truth. There are debates on the etymology of the word Religion, one suggesting an origin of to mean to bind or tie fast which is the meaning I had heard - to be bound to certain practices in order to know God. As a result, I say I am not religious even if I do like to pray and attend church. I do what I do for God in free will so...

Today I was reminded that God told Moses that He is "I am who I am" and to tell His people that (Exodus 3:14). Whenever we say that God is 'I am' we are declaring that He is not only of the past, He is not just a promise for the future but He is ever present. In John 8:58, we read, " Very truly, Jesus answered, I tell you, before Abraham was born, 'I am". The religious leaders were angry at what t...

I reflected recently that our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20) and indeed, Jesus said He is preparing a place for us in His Father's house (John 14:1), with the final book in the bible describing the awesome new heaven on earth Revelation 21 and 22). In Hebrews 13:14 we read, "For here we do not have an enduring city but we are looking for the city that is to come". The context of that...

Today I saw the imagery of a tooth with a long root which led me to think on the old English idiom, "to be long in the tooth", often humorously suggesting someone is getting old. This has further made me reflect on my 97 year old Auntie Tessie who died 2 days ago. She had had dementia for 25 years, and returned to living in her memories of childhood, but she never forgot God. This was a similar si...

Whilst praying today I was reflecting on the fact that often we don't recognise God's promptings to contact another person, or to specifically do something, but I would guess that there are many of us who have experienced the delight of perfect timings when we have responded. If God is speaking to us constantly and He certainly is listening at all times (as there is not a single verse that says we...

Today I saw a picture in my mind's eye of a partial white globe rising. I believe the Holy Spirit is looking at mankind, with so many people not believing that He has so much to give us and that He loves us so much. Let us read these words of encouragement from Old Testament prophet Isaiah 40:28-29 "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of th...

Today I am extending yesterday's reflection of us exuding the pleasant aroma of Christ. What is of utmost importance is what is emitted from our hearts and that of others. We might initially be attracted to outward appearances but let us follow God's example, in both our attitude and behaviour. In 1 Samuel 16:7 we read, "But the LORD said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or his stature, b...

Today, I continue contemplating yesterday message on the grinding of coffee beans and the appealing aroma that that brings. That leads me to thinking on the pleasing aroma of Christ that we exude, as followers of Christ, as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 2:14-15:"But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of h...

Today I have been reflecting on how a coffee grinder needs to have its handle turned in a clockwise direction, where it meets resistance, in order to effectively grind the coffee beans. Similarly when we receive Jesus with His Holy Spirit residing in us, we may feel resistance to corrections and/or changes being encouraged in us, to develop the fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience...

Today I have been excitedly thinking about the gifts that the Holy Spirit delights to bestow upon us and does so when and how He wishes, to bless us and others (see 1 Corinthians 12:7-11). There are the Revelation gifts (when you know that you know) , the Utterance gifts (when God speaks through you into others' lives) and the Power gifts in which God's supernatural powers operate - the Gift of Fa...

Today I am reflecting on the verse in the Lord's Prayer, "Your Kingdom Come, Your Will be Done". God's Kingdom is His spiritual Kingdom. In Philippians 3:20 we are reminded that we are citizens of heaven where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. This does not mean we are to lose the reality of us living on this earth as one Body, encouraging and supporting each other with the various gifts God's Holy Spi...

Today I saw a very small tight flower bud, indicating that there is a flower to come but not imminently. If we keep close to the Lord we will see His workings in our lives and others' lives, even if the fruit are still a way off. As recorded in the gospel of Matthew 24, Jesus told us that only God the Father knows when Jesus will return again but, just like the fig tree which when it grows leaves,...

I continue to contemplate on yesterday's picture which I took of a beautifully cultivated plot of land. It absolutely does not do it justice, partly because I have limited vision, limited imagination and I honestly do not have photographic skills, and of course I could not show the life within, such as the root system, the seeds, the potential growth etc. Isn't that the same with us? We, similarly...

Today I saw a bright yellow hose in my mind's eye, bringing to mind the little farm at the Montessori school where I work as a teacher, in Cascais, Portugal. A few weeks ago a new gardener started assisting the kids and two existing part time managers of the farm. One of the heads of the school had got to know a homeless man who used to be a horticulturalist so invited him to work on our school fa...

Today I see a stack of full marmalade jars depicting 'plenty' which also makes me think of the opposite - 'lack'. Sometimes we only associate God with plenty and, even then, we could forget to communicate with Him and thank Him. However, in times of lack, these are times when God particularly wants us to ask Him to be close to us, as we need Him all the more. In 1 Kings 17 we hear of prophet Elija...

Today I sense a continuation to yesterday's message of God preparing the way ahead for us. Not only is He ahead of us, He is our rearguard. He is behind us, ensuring we don't fall back or by the wayside. "For you will not leave in a hurry and you will not run away, for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rear guard" (Isaiah 52:12). It is also wonderful to be reminded tha...