Daily Picture

We were reminded on Saturday that to do the works of God we are to believe in Jesus. (John 6:28-29). We are not saved from our sins because of what we do but when we have faith in Jesus it impacts what we do and becomes evident to others. We show Jesus praise and gratitude as well as want to draw others to Him. If there aren't these changes in our life, we should question whether we really believe...

Today I saw Love encapsulated in a white heart-shaped image of Joseph, Mary and little boy Jesus. They were a family devoted to God, with Mary having immediately agreed to follow God's will of bearing and raising littleJesus. Joseph, similarly was perfectly willing to obey God's Will and marry Mary who would be pregnant with the Holy Spirit's baby. Meanwhile, Jesus temporarily relinquished his div...

Today I saw a clean looking, translucent scar, which I believe is an important reminder that when God heals us, whether it be physical or emotional, He does not leave us with negative impacts. We have the scars of reminders of what we have been through but, above all, we have the reminder of God's loving and complete healing. "But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds', declares the LO...

Today I saw the tail of an animal, being the last of its passing form. I believe that this is a sombre reminder that during our time on earth we have the opportunity to use our soul (mind, emotion and will) to choose to connect to God forever. Let's not let this opportunity of securing eternal life pass us by, especially as none of us knows when our time on earth is up. "You search the Scriptures...

Today I saw a picture of a rooster crowing, reminding me of Peter assuring Jesus that he would always be by his side supporting Him. Jesus warned him that he would deny him three times before the rooster crowed that very night/dawn. This is, significantly, mentioned in all 4 gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. After Jesus's arrest, out of fear, Peter did indeed deny knowing Jesus, for which h...

Today I feel it is a sequel to Saturday's message of our physical brain being separate from our soul (representing our mind, emotions and will) and our spirit (which we can choose with our soul to be directly connected to God into eternity.) Our soul thirsts to drink the living waters that Jesus said only He can provide (see John 4) and King David described this so eloquently in Psalm 42:1 "As the...

Today I saw an image of a brain, prompting me to reflect on the division of our body, soul and spirit. Sometimes the words "spirit", "soul" (and "heart ") are used interchangeably but, essentially, our spirit is what connects to God's Holy Spirit in purity and goes on into eternity even when our time on earth is over. Our soul is our Mind, Emotions and Will which we can align with God or not. I ha...

Today is an extension to yesterday's message of waiting on, and obeying the Lord's Will to satisfy us and give us pleasure, rather than us focussing on instant gratification regardless of God. I heard a punchline in a movie last night of "Forever is composed of nows". In a way, that tallies with that same message of remaining constantly in God's Will, second by second, now by now so to speak; in G...

I saw an advertisement along the lines of "If you want it now you can have it now!" This is the psychology of the present time to expect to receive what we want immediately. In my childhood days we would often have to wait a week before we could see the sequel to an exciting show we were watching. Nowadays, we have the other extreme of being able to binge watch. This desire to be instantly gratifi...

Today I am reminded of the verse in the Old Testament's Song of Soloman 2:15 "Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom". This is warning us that what is precious in our lives can be slowly and subtly destroyed by seemingly insignificant, but consistently effective, destroyers of what we are developing such as of relationships, a job, a pro...

In the last 24 hours I "happened" to have heard the Gospel (that is, good news) a couple of times, reminding me as to how amazingly wonderful the news is. Contrary to other religious beliefs in which we aspire to get to God by improving ourselves, Christians rejoice in God coming down to all humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the w...

Yesterday and today I have been meditating on the words describing God in Acts 17:27b-28a "He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being ...". God is near us in the beautiful nature around us and in those times of love we experience because God is love, as disciple John reminds us in his gospel chapter 4 verse 8 and in his letter chapter 4 verse 16. John was able...

Today I saw 4 upright table legs but no table top. This has caused me to reflect on us feeling prepared for a purpose but not feeling fulfilled. If we know God, we can ask Him what He has yet for us to do. However, if we do not know God, then we are at a loss as to how to fill that empty space and yearning in our heart. If only we could all realise that being prepared for a purpose, such as with 4...

Today's is an extension to yesterday's message whereby we know that spending time with God who is Love, translates into us becoming increasingly loving (1 John 4:8). 1 John 4 continues in verse 9 to say, "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him". This reminds us that Jesus in perfect unity with God gave us the perfect exa...

I have been reminded today that it is sometimes easier and seems justifiable to lovingly put other people first, before spending time with God. Concisely put, I could say we are doing for God before being with Him. However, actually, Jesus is recounted as telling His disciples that our first commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. The second commandment is to love our neighbo...

God does not give up on His abundant giving. If we experience His free giving to us, do we represent God in our giving? "..Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 19:8b). Giving can take many forms - small or large; regular or a one off; of time, possessions or finances etc. but it is for the benefit of the receiver and not, conversely, for the giver to feel good. Each time we receive from...

Today I could see a still vast ocean with the straight line of the horizon in the background. Consider that even if we can't see the horizon, it remains in existence. Also, as we are fully aware, the ocean is not always calm and is certainly never so in its entirety. This is a good analogy - with the horizon representing God's promises, His Word, which He never retracts. In the context of the whol...

Today I am thinking on the power of prayer. Yesterday I told a friend who is battling against some tough bureacracy in her life, that I am praying for her. She declared that she needed far more help than prayer and that she needs a miracle. Not much later she heard that her case has been taken up to a higher level for sorting out. Was that the power of prayer or simply good fortune? You can so see...

Today I saw rock strata which, when studied, give an indication of the history of the land, events that have occurred which have caused the varied rock formations. Also, through our human experiences, we build up metaphorically rocky layers which serve as defence mechanisms etc. When we receive Jesus, and His Holy Spirit comes to reside in us at our invitation, He breaks down our barriers to our i...

Today I saw a magic wand in my mind's eye. In fairy tales, whoever wields a wand has power over another to bestow good or bad gifts. God is not like that. He is giving us the choice to come to Him, to be with Him, for Him to bestow the good gifts that He has for us. Jesus told His disciple Philip, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9), having previously said that He had come to...

Today I saw hexagons forming a tessellation, a repeated unbroken pattern, which reminded me of people I have met in my life who never expect their lives to diverge from routine boredom, negative expectations etc. As such, they do nothing to break their expections. However, God actually has unique plans which are perfectly suited for each and every one of us. He equips us and enables us to manage w...

Today I am reflecting on actual hinges and brackets which have been supplied with a shelving unit I have assembled, in order to secure it to a wall, in case someone climbs the unit or, I guess, there is an earthquake to knock it down. It is already well weighted down by books and really it does not need to be mounted on the wall. As a result, it will be much easier to move in the future if necessa...

Today I continue to think of the message that seems to have been ringing in my mind recently of not just expecting to see God in the spectacular etc. Expect God in the ordinary, maybe even in the boring. Humble yourself to expect Him at any time and in fact at all times. Be waiting for Him with excited anticipation. Naaman, Commander of the army of the king of Aram, a land which now takes up most...

This morning I saw a beautiful BBC picture of the arid Atacama desert, Chile in bloom, produced by rare rain watering hidden seeds of wildfowers. To whom or what do we attribute this phenomenon? About 600 years before Christ was born, Prophet Jeremiah warned the people of Judah and Jerusalem to repent of their idolatry and complete disregard of God. "They do not say to themselves, 'Let us fear the...

Today I am reminded that God wants us to be simple in our trust of Him and in our following of Him. "Simple" here is more along the lines of being single-minded, based on its original meaning from the Latin: simplus, referring to a medicine derived from one constituent (usually a plant) as opposed to a compound derived of more than one constituent. Remember, Jesus said that He is The Way, The Trut...