Daily Picture

Today I saw a picture of a large oil drum which was gradually sinking in the ground. I think of Prophet Elijah who God instructed to visit a widow and her son in Zarephath, outside of Israel (1 Kings 17:7ff). She was suffering from the region's drought and had the last of her flour and olive oil before she knew they would die. Elijah asked her to make him a small loaf of bread and then some for he...

The Old Testament Law prescribed that a perfect, unblemished lamb had to be sacrificed every year by the High Priest of the Temple to honour God and to atone for all mankind's sins, so we can be reconciled to God. When John the Baptist, saw his younger cousin Jesus, he prophetically declared: "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:28). He knew that Jesus had specifica...

On Thursday I had a picture of a sinister camouflaged creature emerging from some turf, reminding us to be discerning of what seems innocent but has potential to harm us. Then I was reminded of the expression to be "on one's turf" which means to be in one's familiar environment in which you feel comfortable and confident. There is also a disadvantage in such an environment, which another expressio...

Today I saw an innocuous looking creature, camouflaged in a patch of turf, suddenly crawl along the ground and become increasingly big and sinister. I feel that this a reminder that we need to pay attention to what we attend to in our lives. Some seemingly innocent aspects could actually turn out to be detrimental and harmful to us. We are contending with a spiritual world as well. We need to be a...

Today I saw a soda siphon which is a hand held device which adds fizz to still water through a carbon dioxide gas charger. This makes me think of the Trinity with God as the main body, Jesus as the vocal cords (or the water as in this analogy of a soda siphon) and the Holy Spirit being the breath. In both Hebrew (Ruach)and Greek (Pneuma) the word for 'spirit' also means 'wind' or 'breath'. The bib...

Today I am thinking on not admitting we have done wrong, which we can be prone to doing if there is seemingly no resulting negative impact on us. We actually do need to be reflective on what we do wrong, which invariably will be negatively impacting another. This requires humility which involves considering others before ourselves. "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one ano...

Today I "saw" plants bowing to the left and then morphing into people bowing to the left, away from God. This brought to mind the first two commandments of putting God first and not bowing to false idols. God wants us to follow these two commandments as He wants to love us lavishly. Jesus warns us that compromising equally between two important identities in our life is not possible as one or othe...

Today I saw ear plugs to block out sound. This has made me think of times we have consciously decided to avoid listening about God or indeed to words issued from Him through His prophets. If we know God to some extent, He can speak to us in a still small voice as He did to His prophet Elijah who was going through a bad patch and needed reassurance (see 1 Kings 19:12-13). If we rarely pay attention...

Today I have continued to reflect on the mistletoe image I commented on last Wednesday. It is a parasite that actually can gain good medicinal properties from its host. However, it eventually destroys the host. Let us ensure that we don't consider ourselves above others to the detriment of them. If we put God first and not ourselves, He will look after us and we will learn how to love those around...

Today I am reflecting on Advent which is of Latin origin 'adventus', meaning Coming and Arrival. Christians associate Advent with 4 weeks of prayerful preparation, encompassing hope, peace, joy and love before we celebrate Jesus's first arrival on this earth, formally given as 25th December Christmas Day, but also to reflect on His return again to earth. We have Jesus's explanation of His second c...

Today I saw a picture of a test tube with markings for measurements. We may ask who measures up to qualify to go into God's Kingdom; what is the lowest and deepest measure of sin that precludes us from entering? Answer: no one qualifies so there is no base level. The good news is that God invites us all into His Kingdom through His son Jesus Who has done all that is required of mankind. Obviously...

I was reminded of the following bible verses this morning: Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight." We actually need a renewing of our mind which is what the Holy Spirit does. To some people, what God says seems the opposite of wisdom and truth. Once we receive Jesus into our...

Today I saw a bobbin in my mind's eye and by that I personally mean a spool on which thread is wound for sewing. This image immediately brings to mind the wife of noble character as described in the last chapter of the Book of Proverbs in the Bible. How interesting that this book of wise sayings finishes with words on how precious a noble wife is. Man or woman, take time to read and reflect on wha...

Today I simply saw a desert scene but am reminded of the verses in the bible whereby God causes a wonderful transformation from dry barren conditions to fruifulness. One set of verses is Isaiah 35:1-2: "The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing." For any of you reading this, receive from G...

Today I saw a blade of grass in contrast to the blade of a sword, the former being soft and harmless and a sword being potentially very harmful. Also, a sword with 2 edges is described in Hebrews 4:12 as representing the concise and discerning Word of God. John refers to Jesus as The Word (see John 1:1,14). Jesus warns us not to utter careless thoughtless words as we will all be judged for our wor...

Today I was really struck by two key words, emphasised by Jesus, as recordrd in Matthew 18:3, that we need to *change* and become like little *children* in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Have we really reflected on what that really means? These words were said by Jesus to His followers when they were querying who is considered the greatest in His Kingdom. What changes do we need to make? Ar...

Today I saw a simple red button. Buttons have been around for centuries for decorative purposes, evolving into more often being used as fasteners. Completely contrary to this, Eternity is timeless so can't be comprehended in terms of evolving. Eternity is what God offers us through His Son Jesus Christ Who wants to live in us, deeply connecting our spirit with His Holy Spirit. "But we have this tr...

Today I felt the awesome wonder of every single second of Jesus's life on earth from conception in Mother Mary's womb to His death on the cross, having been devoted to humankind, to give us eternal life. Our physical body perishes but our soul, comprising our mind emotions and will, is what decides to receive Jesus or not. When we do, our deep inner spirit connects to God's Holy Spirit for eternit...

I saw an evergreen Christmas tree gradually declining and losing its needles. The link between the word Christmas and Christ is overlooked by many these days. An evegreen will inevitably die. In comparison, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, do you believe that He came to deliver us from our sins and inevitable death so that we can live on into eternity? Do you believe that He came just to giv...

Today I saw the upturned front of a snow ski. The design of skis, such as of the side cut and camber, has a significant impact on the safety and potential speed of a pair of skis. We can trust in the design of a pair of skis through personal experience in their use, and in their reputation, without needing an understanding of engineering, science and terminology behind its design. Similarly, we do...

Today I saw a curtain rail with strategically and correctly placed hooks which the curtain also has to be carefully hooked on to, to get the right pleated effect. This is representative of certain things in life which have to start off right to get the required result. First of all we need to see God as our loving father, rather than as a distant, nebulous being of the universe or as a harsh punis...

As with many of the Daily Picture devotionals, I often get sequels to messages. Yesterday I heard an ardent young follower of Christ affirming what I said about the need to wholly bring ourselves to God Who sees and hears all we do and say anyway. On many occasions in the bible we are told that there is going to be an ultimate judgement seat (see, for instance, 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelations 20:1...

Today I saw a face mask starting to melt, like it was made of wax. Any one of us can be guilty of metaphorically putting on a mask to disguise our true selves from others or to avoid admitting the truth to ourselves. Jesus wants us to get rid of this "mask" and be who we are in front of Him. God cannot change us unless we admit that we need changing and want to change. 2 Corinthians 3:16-17 tells...

Today I heard the words that being humble does not mean we need to stoop. Yes, we can bow to God as Jesus exemplified in his praying to his Father but that does not mean stooping in a dejected and debased way. We bow because we acknowledge the supremacy of the person we are bowing to. Even in our humility we can stand erect to our full height, acknowledging both our limitations and our strengths,...

Today I saw a picture of straw, that is the dry hollow stalks of cereal plants after harvesting, not to be confused with hay which still has seeds and leaves. I also saw a poppy growing up through the straw, bringing to mind poppy straw from which opium can be derived as an emotional and physical pain killer for a limited time. This can be an addictive and abused narcotic. The empty straw and the...