Daily Picture

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 able to distinguish between good and bad spirits. This is one of the gifts which the Holy Spirit can empower us with. (See 1 Corinthians 12:10). Let us not forget to ask Jesus for His Holy Spirit so that we are empowered to work in His Kingdom of Love.

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 bible mentions all 3 in the first 3 verses: "In the beginning *God* created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the *Spirit* of God was hovering over the waters. And God *said*, 'Let there be light,' ...". Jesus promised His disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; ..."(Acts 1:8). That includes us as His followers now. Ask and you will receive. (Matthew 7:7-8)..

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 another in love" (Ephesians 4:2). God is aware of us all the time - both our good and not so good ways. Nothing is hidden from God and the wonderful thing about that truth is that our quiet, reflective and unselfish efforts will actually benefit us. "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you" (James 4:10). Put others first. Whilst on earth Jesus put your life first before His. He is now in an exalted place where He can be your beloved and you are His beloved.

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 other will inevitably take precedence (See Matthew 6:24). In the Old Testament, Nehemiah expresses his sole adoration to God with the words, "You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you" (Nehemiah 9:6). Are we that devoted to God?

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 to God, Christian author CS Lewis (acclaimed author of the Narnia series, with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, amongst many other books) wrote, "We can ignore even pleasure. But pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it his megaphone to rouse a deaf world"(CS Lewis - The Problem of Pain). Do we ignore God when all is going well in our lives? Pay attention to Him always. God loves you and wants to guide you. Why wait until you have become deafened to God's voice so then He has to shout to get your attention, often when you have been reduced to a state of extreme distress? Enjoy God now, acknowledging and trusting Him, praising and showing Him gratitude.

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 us. Thirdly, God will receive such pleasure from our wanting to be with Him. God has created us to have positive emotions and feelings, such as pleasure, but let's nurture these through putting Him first. "Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:4)

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 coming as recorded in Gospel of Matthew 24 - everyone will see Him simultaneously but only God knows when exactly this will be. In Matthew 25 we hear Jesus's parable of the 10 virgins, to further explain His 2nd coming. Five of the virgins were prepared for the coming of the Bridegroom but 5 weren't. It is everyone's individual decision and responsibility to be ready. If you are uncertain of Who Jesus is and what He did, if He is the living God and if what He said is true about us seeking Him and assuredly finding Him (see Matthew 7:7), then indeed seek Him by calling out to Him with body and soul (mind, emotion and will).

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 it is your prerogative to believe otherwise - that you can get in on your merit or that you have another entity in your life who can get you in or that there is no eternal Kingdom of God to consider or care about anyway. As Christians we believe that though Adam and Eve ignored The Tree of Life growing right next to The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 2)which God warned them not to eat from as then they would lose eternal life, God has provided mankind with a way back - through the sacrifice of His son who came down to be a perfect human on our behalf. Just being connected to The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil makes us subject to the measurement of our good and bad. Whereas, the Tree of Life gives us eternal life regardless. Jesus connects us to it. Think on this - He hung on a tree for us. That is no coincidence.

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 lives we really do have a different understanding of God and we become increasingly aligned with Him as we spend more and more time with Him. As the verses quoted above tell us, when we don't understand God, we are to still trust Him. When we ask for God's help, He may not provide it in the way we expect. For instance, we could ask for wisdom and then God may give us problems so we can learn to exercise that wisdom we want; if we want boldness, God will put us in situations that could potentially engender fear in us so that we can learn to build up our boldness and so on. It is exciting to have a relationship with Jesus and get to know Him but we need to remember to trust Him at all times even when we really do not understand what He is doing and why.

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 what is written. I have linked it to a bobbin as, amongst many other attributes, this precious woman is described as industriously working on her weaving. Let's just look at 3 verses (verses 18-20) extracted from Proverbs 31:10-31: "She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy". We can all pay heed. We may actually be a wife on earth, together with a partner, seeking to please God and each other. As Christians we are all described as the Bride of Christ. We can all read and meditate on the full 21 verses and benefit from them in whatever context we are in.

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 God a transformation of your barren desert days to days of beautiful blossoms.

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 words as they are a reflection of our hearts (see Matthew 12:36-37). However, Jesus also offers us salvation from this time of judgement. We receive this salvation when we recognise our sinful state, realise we need saving and choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.

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? Are we relaxed enough? Are we accepting enough? Are we humble enough etc. It is not about being important, being clever, always being right, standing out etc. Change - Children. Think on these words. We will all be unique in our reflections.

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 treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). God is beyond our understanding. Eternity may even seem daunting. We need not make it all so complicated; Jesus said that we need to change and become like children in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (See Matthew 18:3).

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 eternity, with our body being transformed into a different matter at our earthly death - inexplicable for now. To the extent we allow it, there is a process of change in us as soon as we receive Jesus whereby our mind, emotions and will, learn to align with that of God's because His Holy Spirit living in us transforms us. There are so many bible verses that tell us that Jesus indwells us when we invite Him into our lives. Here is one such verse: "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith" (Ephesians 3:16-17).

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 give us good principles and morals to follow whilst we are alive here on this earth?

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 not need to understand how God is our Father, how Jesus Christ His Son came down to earth to save us and how the Holy Spirit can indwell us. If we trust and talk to our Father, accept His Son Jesus and invite the Holy Spirit we will find our for ourselves that it is true. It can only be through your own personal relationship, no one else's.

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 punishing entity. Then we can see Him giving mankind His only begotten son Jesus to save us from ourselves, as none of us is perfect, and to save us from others. Once we do that, everything will fall into place, as does a curtain when hung properly. In 2 Corinthians 6:16b-18 we read, "For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said, 'I will live with them, and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.' Therefore, 'Come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you.' And, 'I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." If you haven't done it yet, make that first step of approaching God as your loving father, whatever other preconceived ideas you may have.

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 20:12; Matthew 12:36). As the young man said, "Come clean before the King ...what you confess, Jesus will cover, but what you try to cover, Jesus will uncover." Don't desist from bringing everything in to the light of Jesus, for Him to change us. The moment we receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour all our sin is taken from us so there is nothing to fear at the Judgement Seat. However, the process of admitting our sin, as we learn to recognise it (as not all is obvious to us at first), and the resultant change, indicates we have faith in Jesus. If we are not in the process of change, do we actually have faith in Jesus and how He has saved us from our sin? "And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ".(Philippians 1:6). Let Him change us as it is for our absolute good. Left to our own devices we are left with our sin.

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 us, "But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom". I am sure we can honestly say that it is wonderfully freeing to be completely ourselves with another person, 'warts and all'. Being completely open with God will release us from so much that binds us.