Daily Picture

Today I saw a picture, in my mind's eye, of a white petrol/gasoline container. I felt that this was in direct contrast to the inflammation of gossip, as mentioned in last Saturday's devotional, which we are directed not to do. Instead we are to fan into flame our passion for the Holy Spirit and to use the giftings He gives us, for the benefit of others. It is misplaced humility to say we cannot use our giftings or indeed we have no giftings. Apostle Paul reminds us to stir up our giftings (see 2 Timothy 1:6). "Never be lacking in zeal but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord" (Romans 12:11)

First thing this morning I read an inspiring imagery which I would love to share as today's Daily Picture. It was of two buckets, one filled with gasoline/petrol and the other with water. These represented the two choices we have when we hear gossip, whether true or not. If we really know how much God loves us, we will find it much easier to love others; in fact, we will also find ourselves wanting to extend love to others, even those who don't love us and those who may seem unlovable. The bucket of petrol represents what we do to ignite the gossip and spread it, even with excitement in sharing it. Water represents us stopping the gossip, at us at least. We can't judge others' hearts and maybe they have even turned to God to say a genuine sorry and with a true desire to change. Meanwhile, we could have chosen to inflame the situation and make people feel ill of them. "Above all, love each other deeply, as love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). God has extended that deep love, with mercy and grace, towards us.

Today I saw a picture of millions of light rays extending down from God to everyone on earth - in the sense of over all time. Meanwhile our prayers are going up to Him as light. From my experience, non believers are often happy to accept the offer of prayer when they are in a seemingly negative situation out of their control but they are uncomfortable if I say I am praying for them in general. They feel that it is an indication of something specifically wrong in their life. The first time someone prayed out loud for me, as I was going through a tragedy in my life, on one hand I was very appreciative of their care but on the other hand I felt very awkward. This is all understandable. Praying is a very personal communication with God and until we experience it for ourselves we are uncomfortable at the thought of it. God hears and acts on all our prayers in line with His Word. God promises that His word "will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire" (Isaiah 55:11). God desires everyone to have a direct line of communication with Him. In the last book of the bible, Revelation, we read what God's Kingdom is like and where He wants us ultimately to be. "And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel" (Revelation 8:3-4). Let us trust that all our prayers are heard and being acted upon. We are saints in the sense that God sees us without sin, as His son Jesus has taken them. We just need to continue saying and believing that our prayers are being answered. "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).

Today I reflect on one of God's names - Jehovah Jireh, which means Provider. It derives from an original Hebrew word, 'to see, to look, to behold'. God sees in advance what we need and paves the way for our provision - bountifully, as we learnt yesterday. We do not need to scurry around looking for provision. Keep calm, trust God and let Him lead you, as your Shepherd, to the provision. Sometimes the provision is simply given to you. King David knew to declare, "The Lord's my Shepherd. I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He refreshes my soul" (Psalm 23:1-3).

Today I saw a clean white dustbin suspended in heaven! It has made me think on the fact that nothing is wasted in God's Kingdom; everything is used for a good purpose. In the Gospel of John 6, we read of the feeding of the 5,000 people who came to listen to Jesus preach on the mountainside. He multiplied a meagre 5 small barley loaves and 3 small fish to feed everyone until they were full and, still, there was enough left over to fill 12 baskets. Jesus ensured that nothing was wasted. Jehovah Jireh (God Provides) provides fully and to overflowing. Later that evening, Jesus told His disciples that He is the bread of life (see John 6:35) and recorded later, Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). God does not waste any aspect of our life, whether it be hardships inflicted on us or our own wrongdoings. "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). Along the lines of yesterday's message, whether we see and trust in God's loving hand on our lives or not, depends on whether we believe that He loves us.

This might be difficult to write accurately and succinctly but here goes! I couldn't see what colour a flower was as it was rotating quickly, so appeared as white. This leads me to contemplate on the fact that when coloured lights are shone together they become increasingly white. This is additive mixing. However, when pigments (paints, inks etc) are all mixed together they become dark brown/black. This is subtractive mixing. So we can say colours mixed together make white or they make black. The foundation is what matters. We can look at the light and love in this world and see God. We can look at the dark and evil in this world and blame God for being so unloving. What facts are we mixing to come to our conclusion? The opposite of God is not evil. The opposite of God is no God.

As a teacher, I have been required to return to school today to prepare for the children's start of term next week. I have had a full Summer break of beautiful weather and yesterday it started to break and today, back at school, we had rain all morning. I realise that this comparison really heightens the blessing of constant good weather we have had. This serves as such a good reminder of the necessity to be grateful for our down times, which help us be grateful for our good times. We could so easily take these good times for granted otherwise. If we look at all our circumstances with the perspective of looking through the eyes of God, we can indeed follow Apostle Paul's instruction of, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4). We can have ongoing hope.

In ancient times, the names used in the Bible were not only a form of singling out a person and identifying them; they also represented the character, nature, power and authority of the person concerned. Though we say 'Hallowed be thy name' in the Lord's Prayer, because of God's Majesty and Complexity, He was actually given 3 main names - 'Elohim' - lord, denoting creator, almighty one, of supreme power and majesty.'Yahweh' or pronounced 'Jehovah' - LORD, self-existent, eternal covenant keeping God, sacred;'Adonai' - Lord, master, owner, ruler.Also, there are many composite names for God, describing the many facets of God. Today I focus on Jehovah-Ra'ah which means LORD and Shepherd, and Jehovah-Jireh which means LORD and Provider. It struck me today that as God leads us always, is all-seeing and is with us constantly, that means His provision is with us every day. This is why we can say in The Lord's Prayer - (You do) "Give us this day our daily bread". If He wasn't around constantly we would more likely want to say, "Give us this day everything we need until your next appearance in our lives". In Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians 4:19 we read, "And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus". If we think of God as good and constantly with us, it changes our perspective. Surely we would worry less?

Yesterday I had a 15 minute interview at an Immigration office in Northern Central Portugal. I had been waiting 18 months to be given this appointment and it took 6 hours by public transport, door to door, to get there. Waiting can sometimes seem to take so long as compared to the event waited for, but often character, trust and faith are being built up. After my short interview yesterday, I felt an overwhelming sense of the presence of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This has made me reflect on our triune God Who has promised to surround us with His protection and go ahead of us. King David acknowledges this,"You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me" (Psalm 139:5). It was prophesied by Isaiah (see Isaiah 7:14) and which Matthew repeated in his gospel, that, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel" {which means, God with us}. (Matthew 1:23). Jesus was in physical form on earth for 33 years, but before He was crucified and raised from the dead, Jesus said, "And Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). Finally, with Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, Apostle Paul exhorts us, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? ..."(1 Corinthians 6:19). I pray you know that you have God paving the way ahead of you, that you have Jesus as your perfect companion and that you know that the Holy Spirit wants to live, love and guide you within you.

Yesterday we looked at different nuances of words in the world and today I remind ourselves that as well as some cultural, historical and translation issues to consider in the Bible, there are also deeper mysteries. In the Bible, God is referred to as our husband, such as "Your maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name." (Isaiah 54:5). It is relating to an intimate covenant relationship as between a husband and a wife. John the Baptist refers to Jesus as our bridegroom when he is recorded as saying, "The one who has the bride is the bridegroom" (John 3:29) with Jesus Himself implying to His disciples that He, the bridegroom, is with them (see Matthew 9:15). When discussing marriage in Ephesians 5, Apostle Paul says that "Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her" (verse 25) and then later in verse 32 he says, "This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the Church". The final book in the Bible, Revelation, which describes the culmination of all that is to come, describes, "The marriage of the Lamb has come and His Bride made herself ready" (Revelation 19:7), the Lamb being Christ who was our supreme sacrifice on the Cross, as shadowed previously with the Passover, when death passed over all the Israelites's households with lamb's blood on their door frames. Bride and Bridegroom in all these contexts is not to do with sexual orientation or physical sexual acts but to do with covenant love, belonging, intimacy, faithfulness and receiving Christ's unconditional love. All of us are invited into this relationship. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Let's not dismiss these mysteries as nonsense or not for us. Surely, as a bridegroom, Jesus wants to share with us?

This morning whilst praying I thought of the Portuguese word 'cachorro' which in Portugal refers to a young dog/puppy but in Brazil, where they speak a form of Portuguese which has evolved differently over time from mainland Portugal, with differences in grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary, they generally say 'cachorro' to refer to all dogs. In Portugal, the general term for dog is 'cão' sounding very similar to the English word, cow! All this serves to show that it is easy to misinterpret, misunderstand and actually, mishear another. When I was training to be an English as an Additional Language teacher, we were given the example of the word 'skinny' which could be complimentary to one and offensive to another. We need to be careful not to jump to conclusions too hastily about someone's meaning, heart and intention and, then, not to gossip. Also, in the same vein as Chinese whispers, our words when passed along, could falsely colour people's opinions of another. Proverb 12:28 tells us, "A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends"; Ephesians 4:29: "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up" and finally, Proverbs 26:20 "Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down". Don't judge another's words and then gossip.

Today I saw the top left hand corner of a door frame so, basically, part of the horizontal top beam or lintel. In the Old Testament book of Exodus 12: 7 and 12, we read God's instruction to the Israelites who were slaves in Egypt at the time. The context is that, on God's instruction, guidance and power, Moses was bringing the Israelites out of Egypt but Egypt's Pharaoh kept on reneging on his promises to release them. Each time he went back on his word, God caused a horrific plague to befall the Egyptians. The final plague God threatened was the death of the first born of every human or animal family in Egypt. God instructed His people, the Israelites, to apply the blood of a lamb to their lintel and sides of their door frames. That way, death would not enter their homes. Can you see the connection with Jesus in the New Testament of whom John the Baptist said, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) and who shed His blood for us on the cross so that we will have eternal life? Jesus said, "I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved" (John 10:9). There is so much more I explain in the audio related to each daily script and I encourage you to do your own research and meditation on the verses I refer to.

On Saturday we reflected on "waiting on the Lord" which, in the original Hebrew, means to have forward leaning tension, eager anticipation and confident hope, which I likened to an elastic band ready for action. Well, today I extended that to the sling shot which the very young David, at the time, used to slay his huge, strong and heavily armed Philistine enemy of the Israelites, Goliath. No-one in the army of Israel had felt confident enough to meet the huge, terrifying man, but David was ready to do so, with no hesitation. The passive, but ready, state of David's sling, as well as calm David himself, are representative of us when we build ourselves up daily on God's Word. David's Psalms start off describing a faithful follower of God as one"...whose delight is in the Law of the Lord and who meditates on His law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of living water, which yield its fruit in season and whose leaves do not wither. Whatever they do prospers" (Psalm 1:1). With this preparation of meditating on God's Word which builds up our trust in God and brings us peace, we can face our opponents however fierce they are. David ran quickly towards the battle line (see 1 Samuel 17:48) because he was so ready to meet Goliath and kill him because he absolutely knew God was with him and that he would prosper.

Today I pondered on the word 'wait', bringing me to the Isaiah 40:31 verse: "But they that WAIT on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint". We can think on the word 'wait' as a time of inactivity or as serving as a waiter would do. However, let's dig deeper. The original Hebrew meaning of that word, 'qavah', is to twist, bind or coil together, providing an imagery of action and combined strength. That word 'qavah' evolved to mean forward-leaning tension, eager anticipation and confident hope. Look back at Isaiah 40:32 quoted at the beginning. If our single strand of life with our limited human capabilities, is intertwined with God's infinite power and glory, wow we will indeed renew our strength, mount up with wings as eagles, run and not be weary, walk and not faint!

Today, in my mind's eye, I saw a brown magnolia seed pod like an oyster shell, open up to reveal a single beautiful ruby red pearl-looking seed. In reality, the dry brown pods spontaneously crack open in the autumn, displaying a whole cluster of small bright shiny red seeds. This reminds me that we can look at other people and at situations, thinking that they are dry, boring and with no abundance of life, without us having any awareness of the treasure within, ready to be revealed and shared in due season. Interestingly, these magnolia pods crack open in the autumn, another reminder to trust in God's perfect timing which may not be the same as others with their colourful, vibrant springs and summers. Meanwhile, God is doing a beautiful work in you whilst you are waiting for your breakthrough - honing your character, deepening your faith in Him and polishing a Truth to help you and others. In Colossians 3:3-4 we read, "For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory". This is referring to dying to self. If you are struggling to follow Jesus, feeling you have a seemingly dry, difficult and hidden life - wait, with hope and excitement. As was quoted last Saturday, remember, "See, I am doing a new thing!" (Isaiah 43:19). Trust God

Today I saw a cheese grater, making me think of cheese and the nursery association of the moon being made of cheese. The moon has many constant and vital functions for our earth. Genesis 1, first book in the Bible tells us "...to separate the day from the night, to mark sacred times and days and years ... to give light on the earth ...the lesser light to govern the night ..." (Genesis 1:14-16). Also, the gravitational pull of the moon gives us our ocean tides, the mass of the moon stabilises the earth's vital and constant rotational tilt of 23.5 degrees which gives us our annual cycle of seasons. Animal behaviour is regulated by the moon, such as the Great Barrier Reef which coordinates its mass coral spawning with specific full moons, sea turtle hatchlings relying on the moon to navigate towards the ocean, migratory birds using the moon for night-time travel orientation, and so much more. We all need the moon but let us not forget to thank and worship our awesome creator God. He is not like a fictionary lump of cheese. We don't really believe that the moon is made of cheese or that its functions are insignificant so why attribute insignificance to its creator, God? In his Psalms, King David loved to worship God through His creation. "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place" (Psalm 8:3). Let us not reduce God to being of no importance in our lives or, at the very least, to non existence.

Today many people are excited and looking forward to seeing a total or near total lunar eclipse, enabling us to see the beauty of the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, its corona, seen as a bright white ring encircling it. It is the exact positioning of the moon directly over the sun, veiling the blinding surface of the sun, which enables us to look directly at the sun with special glasses. We can equate this phenomenon to looking at the brilliance of God. God told Moses that he wouldn't be able to look at Him directly (see Exodus 33:20). Our impurities prevent us from doing so. I think of a bucket of bleach. Impurities falling into it are immediately annihilated but a pure particle of bleach would be integrated. We have a way of looking at God and being integrated with Him - Jesus! Jesus is the Son of God. He is a perfect part of God. He came down to earth in human form to enable us to see God. He is the veil that protects us, as does the moon during a total solar eclipse. "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known" (John 1:18). We can see the glory of God, through Jesus Christ. "God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). Jesus took away our impurities on the cross so that not only can we look at God, but we can integrate with God. "The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). These are awesome Truths to spend time reflecting on.

Today's Daily Picture is of maggots, a continuation of Saturday's message on God's perfect provision for us. The book of Exodus describes the Israelites being delivered from slavery in Egypt, with Moses and his brother Aaron leading them to God's Promised Land. Chapter 16 tells us that in the middle of the second month of their freedom, whilst they are crossing the desert, the people are complaining that they were better off in Egypt. Are we not sometimes like that, not trusting in change? God then provides them with quail every evening and wafer bread every morning which they need to gather from the ground. God's instruction was to gather a specific amount per person per day. However, some people hoarded some of the bread for the next day but it was found to be full of maggots and beginning to stink. Why did they hoard? It could have been fear, not trusting in God's daily provision and/or wanting to be in control. In the Lord's Prayer we say, "Give us this day our daily bread" (Matthew 6:11). May we declare this every day and trust in God's timely and perfect provision.

Today I moved a plant from the direct sunlight of my kitchen, as I am going away for 3 days. It feels like I have a big gap there now. This has brought to mind the "God shaped hole" that is often described as in humans and can only be filled by our creator God. If we try to fill it by sleeping, drinking, eating excessively or through substance abuse etc, the gap remains. Theologian and Philosopher, Augustine, in the 4th century, is to have said to God, "You have made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you". Apostle Paul wrote, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Romans 15:13). I often imagine a bucket of need which I sense God filling up whether it is just needing a small top up or a major amount of provision. Rather than concentrating on what we need, let us concentrate on thanking God for His provision, sometimes in the most wondrous ways. King David declared of God, "For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things" (Psalm 107:9). Not only does God provide practically but towards all our needs. For instance, "The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit"(Psalm 34:18). Expect God to fill your bucket of need and to fill that God-shaped hole within you. "See, I am doing a new thing! ..."(Isaiah 43:19).

Today, in my mind's eye, I saw a wake, the disturbed water behind a boat or ship as it sails along. As we go forward in life with our actions and interactions, do we consider the impacts and effects that we leave behind? The best guide for us is the Holy Spirit living in us, His advice contrary to what our flesh wants. "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other" (Galatians 5:25). "Be very careful then how you live, not as unwise but wise" (Ephesians 5:15). Let us carefully consider the steps we make in life so that the wake, the trail behind us brings the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control.

Today I have another example of a wonderful experience of precious fellowship in God's Kingdom. I have to cast back to yesterday when a friend spontaneously gave me some information on resin to possibly include in a Daily Picture devotional. She knew I would pray about its inclusion for today or in the future. Anyway, in yesterday's devotional, I referred to the fact that God changes us 'little by little' into his image. I posted a corresponding picture of a beautiful Japanese vase even though I had not referred to it in my audio, which is an unusual thing for me to have done. The previously large cracks in the vase had been repaired using a traditional Japanese technique called Kintsugi. I was thinking that it was a good example of a slow process of restoration. Until today I had had no idea that this technique uses a laquer from a special tree resin dusted with powdered gold, silver or platinum. My friend who had given me the word 'resin' also had no clue I was going to use a Kintsugi vase as an illustration for yesterday's devotional. The use of this resin to create a change and strengthening of broken pottery, to create something so beautiful, can be equated to what God does with our cracks and flaws. What a wonderful message from God to all of us. Also my friend and I working together, without even knowing God's final outcome, is a wonderful example of how He wants to use all of us to pass on His messages of love.

Fellowship with others in God's Kingdom is such a blessing. A friend spontaneously wrote to me yesterday, without having heard the last Devotional on repentance whereby I had said on changing direction into following God's Will, God immediately has his arms outstretched to receive us. My friend gave me further food for thought when she wrote, to this effect, that even though we receive complete forgiveness and eternal life from God, we still need to face the wrongs we have done and the negative results. I would add that this is done with mercy, gentleness and love. In the Old Testament we get a clue as to God's methods in eliminating our wrongdoings, in the way He directs the Israelites in eliminating their enemies: "The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you" (Deuteronomy 7:22). In reality that implies that if the enemies were eliminated in one blow, wild beasts would sweep in to the Israelites' newly acquired land before they had enough time to occupy and farm the land for themselves. Similarly, God deliberately paces the revealing and elimination of our struggles and character flaws, 'little by little', so that we do not get disheartened and that we have time to slowly strengthen and grow into His image.

Yesterday I read these words from a secular book: "What happened is never what defined you in life. What you did next is what defines you". I would apply the wisdom in those words to the present tense, saying "what you do next is what defines you". Those words are not attributed to God, but their wisdom reminds me that we are all created by God, whether we believe in Him or not, and have His DNA in us, as with offspring possessing some aspects of their parents. The following bible verse declares the unity of all, with God being in all of us: "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:6). Indeed, what we do next is important. Our reactions and actions impact our lives. The word 'Repent' may be very off-putting when linked to the Latin word 'poena' for punishment, penalty and regret. However in the New Testament the call to repent is from the Greek word, 'metanoeō' meaning to change one's mind, purpose and direction. To repent is thus a big action of turning right round from what does not please God to following His Will, but it is not a harsh and off-putting word. There is excitement and joy in now following God who so wants you.

Today's message is a continuation of Saturday's when we reflected on the need to fellowship with others also wanting to familiarise themselves with God's Word. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we read that, " All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work". We are all gifted by the Holy Spirit of God to help each other with Scripture: teachers, those who prophesy by speaking God's Words in to people lives, those who write worship music etc. Let's not isolate ourselves from others in God's Kingdom. We can all help each other and here is a reminder of Nehemiah 8:10, to apply every day, "...for this day is holy unto our LORD, neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength". We are to be genuinely repentant of wrongdoings but then we can move on in joyful strength.

Today I saw a dusty diary in my mind's eye which reminded me of Jewish leader, Nehemiah, leading the exiled people of Israel, back to Jerusalem to physically rebuild the city's walls which in turn encouraged them to want to restore their spiritual connection with God. They had lost all connection because God's written Word in the Torah, the first 5 books of the bible, had been completely forgotten and ignored whilst they were in exile in Babylon. The people requested to hear God's Word as read by respected Priest and teacher, Ezra, from dawn to noon. (See Nehemiah 8:1-3). They listened intently, sincerely repented but felt distraught at how far they had wandered from God's Law. However, Nehemiah, knowing the love and forgiveness of God, said to them, "...Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength" (Nehemiah 8:10). This message is for us too. If you return to God, having completely gone the opposite direction, He is there waiting for you with open arms. (There is no coincidence in Jesus's arms being outstretched on the cross.) Rejoice in your restored relationship with God. Fellowship with others in His Kingdom, to share His Word and be encouraged.

Today I saw an image of a white rainbow. They are a rare phenomenon, whereby the light doesn't split into 7 different colours as in our usual rainbows with larger raindrops but instead, with smaller fog droplets, the colours are blended back into pure brilliant light. God is Light. In the first book of the bible, Genesis, chapter 1 verse 3, we read that God said, "Let there be light". What was this light as 13 verses later we read, "And God made two great lights - the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made thestars" (Genesis 1:16)? The light initially mentioned is God's glory. We see this in the final book of the Bible, Revelation, which demonstrates a time to come when mankind is back with God, and we read, "The City does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp" (Revelation 21:23). Jesus was our perfect sacrificial lamb showing us The Way to return to God. "God is Light; in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). God is Light. Jesus is the light of the world. Can you see yourself catching their light and being in God's image? "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). It is difficult to comprehend but we are united in Light.

Ten days ago I made the remark that random sex binds people in more subtle ways than maybe we are aware, which sometimes leads us into dangerous, risky and, at the very least, regrettable situations. I was thinking more on physical, pyschological and spiritual bases. I subsequently heard a podcast as to the chemical reactions in our brains when having sex, with the release of oxytocin. This bonds us to our sexual partner and if we continue to see them, we jump to favourable conclusions about them and make hasty decisions before sensibly evaluating them as an appropriate and safe potential future partner. This morning, whilst praying, I reflected on the many instructions God gave to His people which modern findings are proving to be wise and worth following. For instance, hand washing and hygienic practices were given, long before any knowledge of microbiology and cross infection etc. Lepers had to be isolated, which we now know is a necessary procedure with infectious diseases. Proverbs 17:22 tells us, "A cheerful heart is good medicine but a crushed spirit dries up the bones". Much time and expense has gone into modern research which confirms this one simple and wise verse. Recently we have looked at the adverse physical and mental effects of unforgiveness. The list goes on as to the wise instructions from a loving and all knowing Father Creator God, which may be beyond our understanding or to our liking, but over time are gradually being proven to be for mankind's general and individual good.

Today I am reminded not to compare ourselves to others. It can become a spiritual and emotional trap, whereby we are measuring our worth, our success and our life against others, possibly leading to pride and envy. Pride, because we think we should be getting more than another and envy, because we are coveting what someone else has. Also, consuming thoughts of comparisons can distract us from God's purposes for us. In Psalms 37 and 73 King David reflects on the injustice of wicked people seeming to thrive. However, he realises, "Better is the little that the righteous has than the riches of many wicked" (Psalm 37:16). "When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny" (Psalm 73:16-17). How wonderful is our righteousness, unearned by us but given to us by Jesus, in order to reunite us to Father God Who is pure light. God wants everyone's final destiny to be with Him so He beckons to everyone up to their final breath on earth and final opportunity to choose Him or not. Don't compare. If you have Jesus already , you have all you need. How blessed you are.

In seeing a face contorted with anger and unforgiveness and with hands clenched, I found myself reflecting on the physical aspects of unforgiveness. We can say we forgive, we can genuinely believe we forgive but then our face and body language reveal otherwise, as does our health. I have witnessed back ache, deafness, chronic fatigue, disorders of internal organs etc as physical consequences of unforgiveness. Happily, the reverse holds true as true forgiveness gives us Jesus's supernatural peace, a sense of release and improved health. When Jesus commanded complete forgiveness (see Matthew 18:22) He used the Greek word 'aphiēmi' meaning to completely let go, send away, the permanent cancelling of a debt and the legal release of a prisoner. The same word is used in The Lord's Prayer (see Matthew 6:12), and when describing the disciples leaving their fishing nets to follow Jesus (see Matthew 4:22). We need to completely forgive, knowing that God completely forgives us when we turn to Him. He is waiting constantly for us so that He can extend full mercy and grace towards us.

Today I saw an image of an old fashioned fountain pen, reminding me of writing with ink and not being able to edit anything as once on paper the ink was permanently there. This further reminds me of Jesus telling his disciples and crowds of other people, including the legalistic religious leaders (the Pharisees) and the scribes who meticulously recounted and recorded the sacred Torah - five books of the God's Law - that every detail of God's Law would be accomplished (see Matthew 5:18). The Pharisees and Scribes had created many oral rules to ensure God's written Word was obeyed. They were furious atJesus and His interpretation of obedience to God's Law, when for instance He healed on the Sabbath Day of Rest and dined with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus counteracted the Pharisees' and Scribes' accusations, by exposing their love for human traditions at the expense of God's absolute and enduring Words as in the Torah. In part of Jesus's long Sermon on the Mount, He said, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil" (Matthew 5:17). He gave examples of what God required as perfect obedience such as not lusting, as that actually counts as adultery, and such as not thinking angry undeserving thoughts against another as that counts as murder. (See Matthew 5:21-22, 28). Indeed, no one could then or ever follow God's Law to such a high level of perfection. How was the Law fulfilled then, as Jesus said would happen? God gave us the most excellent gift. His son Jesus died for us as a sacrifice, as an absolutely perfect human, bringing us back into relationship with God.

In the Garden of Eden "God saw all that He had made, and it was very good" (Genesis 1:31). However, Satan, in the form of a serpent ("...that ancient serpent called the devil, or satan" Revelation 12:9), twisted God's words to Eve; she believed satan and ate from the tree God had told her not to eat from. Part of the subsequent curse of separation from God and ultimate death, was represented by thorns and thistles which God told Adam, mankind would now be up against (see Genesis 3:17). Thousands of years later God sent His son Jesus to restore mankind's relationship to Him. "Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God's curse" (Deuteronomy 21:23). Apostle Paul succinctly wrote, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us ...(Galatians 3:13). Not only did Jesus take our curse of separation from God, when hanging on the wooden cross, the crown of thorns that was pushed cruelly and tauntingly down on Jesus's head also represents the curse given because of ignoring God's instructions. In Ancient times the victor took the crown off the King of the defeated kingdom and wore it on his head. Jesus has defeated receiving wrong words, wrong thinking and subsequent wrong action, as initiated by Adam and Eve. I am reminded today that we need never wear the metaphorical crown of thorns of guilt and shame because of our disobedience, because Jesus did it for us, willingly and uncomplainingly. Instead let us fill our minds with Godly thoughts, His promises and His instructions to us.

As I am currently on holiday I go down to the beach sometimes and ensure I use a wall for shade against constant glaring sunshine. The shade is only there at certain times of the day and it is only on one side. God, meanwhile, provides us with constant and full protection. There are many bible verses that tell us that God's protection is like all-encompassing walls (for example, Zechariah 2:5; Isaiah 26:1; Isaiah 60:18; Proverbs 18:10, Psalm 125:2). However, I am going to focus on Psalm 100:4 which wonderfully reminds us to thank and praise God when we wander off for Him and His protection. "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name".

I am reminded by my cousin who is going through a troubling time and yet can say "but good has come out of it", of the account of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4:8-37. The woman's young son had died suddenly and yet as she rushed out to meet prophet Elisha, who was a regular visitor of her family's and who had prayed for her to have had her son against the odds as her husband was old, she still declared, "All is well". Her son was indeed restored to life by Elisha. However, what an awful trial to have undergone when her son had initially died and yet she trusted that God had a purpose. Prophet Elisha later visited her family and warned of a 7 year drought, so to stay in another land. After the 7 years, returning with her son to Shunem, the woman went to ask the king for her property back. The woman arrived at exactly the time the king was talking to Elisha's servant about Elisha's miracles and specifically about the boy's resurrection from the dead. So the king immediately ordered the restoration of her property, including all the income from her land that she had lost in her absence for the seven years (see 2 Kings 8:1-6). God had had a purpose all along for the initial sudden death of the young boy. The king was so moved by the miracle and the timing of the lady's arrival. All involved would have recognised God's love and power. As JRR Tolkein said, "In the end all sad things come untrue". In the last book in the bible, Revelation, we read that in God's Kingdom there are no tears or mourning "for the former things have passed away" (Revelation 21:4).

Further to the last message, reflecting on our material objects which do not have lasting value, with even the finest not providing perfection for everybody forever, we considered that what emanates from God's Kingdom is perfect and continues into eternity. We hear the expression to 'test the model before committing', often applying to sex with a potential partner, which sometimes slips into justifying a more liberal state of testing many. As models of cars, or whatever object one is relating this expression to, wear out and get replaced by better models, by using the 'testing the model first' method we are, consciously or subconsciously, entering into a relationship with the acceptance of possible replacement in due course. God would rather we enter into a relationship with someone He is blessing for the long term, with no need for 'testing of the model first'. Also, sex binds people in a more subtle way than maybe we are aware and sometimes leads to dangerous, risky and at the very least, regrettable situations. There are two Greek words for "word" used in the Bible. 'Logos' is the objective word representing God's timeless Truths for all, as personified in Jesus Christ. For example, apostle Paul said that, "For the Word of God is alive and active ..." (Hebrews 4:12). The other word, 'Rhema'' refers to specific, personal words for us. For example, Mother Mary said to Angel Gabriel, "I am the Lord's servant. May your Word to me be fulfilled" (Luke 1:38). God leads us using both sets of words. We may not always understand or agree with His Word. In honesty, tell Him so but obey, knowing that it is the safest course of action.

On the way to spending time in the beautiful Perpetual Adoration Chapel in Cascais, which is open 24/7, I was reflecting on the transient nature of our world's material objects - for instance, the many elegant cars I passed, some of which are useful and some are more for status. In the Chapel there was a beautifully crafted antique wooden chair behind the altar which looked very uncomfortable if sat on for a long time. A delicately embroidered white tablecloth graced the altar, which will inevitably disintegrate and discolour over time. All material aspects in this world - the Chapel, cars, chair, altar cloth, our bodies - all have variable and changing values, and will eventually no longer exist. However, with our recent reflection on the intersection of God's spiritual kingdom with our physical world, Apostle Paul reminds us of the everlasting light shining in our hearts through Jesus Christ (see 2 Corinthians 4:6). "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). The Holy Spirit resides in our inner being for ever. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day...So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:16; 18). There is our answer. Above all, God's Kingdom provides us with what is of eternal significance.

Today I saw a picture of a ram with huge horns standing on top of a mountain. An account of such a ram is described in the Old Testament, whereby it had got entangled in a thorny bush up on the top of a mountain. Abraham recognised it as a gift from God and sacrificed it back to God, who had originally instructed Abraham to sacrifice His own son Isaac (who went on to have son Jacob; he was the one who wrestled with God who then renamed him Israel). God had been testing Abraham's obedience to Him and Abraham had indeed been willing to offer his son as a burnt sacrifice on an altar he had prepared up on that mountain. God's sacrificial law was that a perfect life had to be devoted to God in a physical act of death and sacrifice in order to save a sinful one who otherwise would be separated from God eternally. The poor dumb animals which were selected for the acts of sacrifice had no choice. Who would choose to die to save another? Jesus did. That is why on two occasions John the Baptist declared Jesus as the Lamb of God (see John 1:28,36). He knew that Jesus chose to lead a perfect life, to ultimately be everyone's sacrifice. No man could or can do that. God provided Jesus for us, as a human, in the same way he provided the ram for Abraham. If God can provide us with the perfect sacrifice to Him through His Son Jesus, He can provide us with anything He requires of us to Him. If you are having difficulty in submitting to God in anything, ask Him to provide you with the ability and strength to do so.

Today I saw a distinct thumb with the rest of the hand not visible. This reminds me of the anointing olive oil smeared on the right ear lobe, right big toe and right thumb of a healed leper, after the sacrificial blood had also been smeared, signifying a reconsecration to God, a life committed wholly to God. Pure olive oil was also used for the perpetually lit Tabernacle lamps (see Exodus 26:20-21), representing God's unceasing presence, His unbroken covenant with Israel and His divine light. Massive stones and huge wooden beams formed the ancient oil presses to produce this precious oil. The first account of the olive tree in the Bible was after Noah had sent a dove out, when the flood rains had ceased and the water was receding; the dove returned with an olive branch. This was a time of hope of reconsecration of mankind to God. Mankind was wholly reunited to God through Jesus Christ [Greek]/Messiah[Hebrew] meaning 'the anointed one'. The night before Jesus knew He was to be crucified, He agonised in the Garden of Gethsemane which, in Hebrew, means "Oil Press". Jesus was feeling the pressure of mankind's sins which he was prepared to shed His blood for but, nevertheless, was a massive burden to carry. If you have given your life to Christ and yet feel great pressures, know that God wants to render a metaphorically beautiful aroma and pure oil out of your life. He is changing you so you can relate to the Truths of His Kingdom and represent Him increasingly.

Today I continue to reflect on God's Kingdom. I am sure all of us have experienced an intersection of another dimension into our 3D world. I love the recent imagery I was given, and shared with you, of us being in a 3D box within a much bigger spiritual environment. The "Holy Spirit" is so called because He is of God - pure and loving. He is part of the Holy Trinity - God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Jesus came from God's Kingdom to directly be on our earth as a human and then He left us with His Holy Spirit to indwell us. We can join in King David's prayer, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me" (Psalm 51:10-12). The joy of salvation referred to, is our reconnection with God and all that is in His Kingdom. He gives us all we need, even the willingness to follow Him and He gifts us to help others and for us to be helped by others. However, in love without forcing us, God gives us free will to choose Him or not. If you choose Him and so reach out to Him, He is there to receive you immediately, as our 3D existence is already in His Kingdom and we just need to break down the walls of disbelief and lack of will.

We have been reflecting on wrestling with God; God wants us to come to Him and, of course, we must believe in God's existence to some extent when we wrestle with Him. He understands us when we are upset or even angry with Him. We have also reflected on God's Kingdom being around us. His Spirit is super-natural, above-natural and Jesus tapped into this, as a human on earth, with miracles such as of instant healings, changing water into wine, multiplying a few loaves of bread and fish to provide enough to feed the masses. Our faith in God, His Love and His Kingdom grows as we experience this supernatural power. Apostle Paul succinctly said, "My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom but on God's power" (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). We are blessed to experience and recognise God's power in our lives.

Today I reflect on the Kingdom of God. When a loved one leaves this earth how close to us are they? In Luke 17:20-21 we read, "Once, upon being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, 'Here it is', or "There it is', because the kingdom of God is in your midst". There are many accounts in both the Old and New Testaments of intersections between God's Kingdom and our earth, such as when prophet Elisha prayed for his servant to have his spiritual eyes opened and he indeed saw supernatural protective horses and chariots of fire (see 2 Kings 6:15-17). In the New Testament Apostle Peter was set free by an angel when he had been heavily chained in prison (see Acts 12:5ff). The Bible has many inferences as to God being outside time and space. Even the first verse implies that: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". So, God was already in existence before time (the beginning) began, before the existence of all we concretely know. Back to that first verse today - "the kingdom of God is in your midst". Let's reflect more on those words and their implications.

A few times recently different people have mentioned battling with God which has caused me to think of one of the Jewish foundational founding fathers/ patriarchs - Jacob, who wrestled with God. Jacob was born clutching on to his older twin brother Esau's heel. In the Bible, Jacob means, "one who grabs the heel", "supplanter" or "deceiver". As a young man, after a major deception towards his father Isaac and his brother, Jacob ran off to live with his uncle. He wanted to marry his youngest cousin but his uncle deceived him into marrying his older cousin first after 7 years' labour. He then had to work for another 7 years to be able to marry the younger cousin. His uncle always tried to exploit him but God was with Jacob and he prospered. After 14 years Jacob returns home to his twin brother, to make amends but with great trepidation. On the journey home he wrestles all night with a mysterious figure. By morning God changes Jacob's name to "Israel" which means, "he who struggles with God". We can all benefit in different ways when reflecting on this account (In Genesis 32:22-32) but I sense that for the purposes of this message now, it is an encouragement to us to be authentic with God even when we don't understand or agree with His ways. In the mental struggles we have in the differences between our deep convictions and God's ways, we do experience profound transformations when there is a time of divine encounter and integration. Recently the Daily Picture has referred to the 'face of God' as implying intimacy with Him. Interestingly, Jacob named the place where he had wrestled with God as Peniel meaning "face of God".

I have been thinking more on the Hebrew word 'panim' for 'face' which, as I mentioned yesterday, also means 'presence', as written in the Old Teatament. It has an even stronger sense than the aura and feel of someone. In Hebrew panim is actually a plural word, meaning 'faces', implying the totality of a person's being, in other words, their moods, inner emotions, thoughts etc. Instead of the negative connotations associated with the expression 'being in someone's face', in Hebrew it actually means stepping into their direct view and paying full attention to them. God wants us to have intimate face to face encounters with Him, wanting us to get to know him more fully. We cannot literally see His face for now but we learn to see evidence of Him in the same way that we cannot see wind but we can see evidence of the wind, for instance, with the swaying and bending of trees. Also, from another angle, God already knows us intimately and we don't need to hide a thing from him. Let us seek God's face with openness and no fear.

In the Bible we are sometimes told to seek God's face. King David in Psalm 27:8 says, "My heart says of you, seek His face! Your face, Lord, I will seek". This is not the same as to seek God's hand which means to seek His provision and God certainly does like to provide. In the Hebrew of the Old Testament the word for "face" can also mean "presence". I have fancifully said that we can imagine going into God's throne room, with no prior appointment, to go and sit on His lap. The Truth is that we can indeed seek His presence. How? Through prayer, meditation, thinking on Scripture, reflecting on our lives being in line with God's will, worshipping and honouring God. Matthew 7:7 "...Seek and you will find ..."

Today, in my mind's eye, I saw a small triangular toy piece. That set me thinking on all the worldwide translations of this geometric shape, different words for the different types of triangles etc. No translation is better than another for communication. Words cannot always fully explain what we are feeling or what we are wanting to transmit to another. We do not know another person fully and vice versa. God does. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts". God is not limited like us. Trust that He knows you fully and loves you infinitely.

If we harbour ill will,anger etc in our hearts towards one person, it will inevitably also spill out towards others around us. God wants us to love and be loved, as the essence of our being. He was the perfect example of this. Even with the atrocious torture on the cross He said of his persecutors, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" ( Luke 23:34). 1 Peter 2:21 tells us to follow Jesus's example as someone who had done no wrong and yet, "when they hurled their insults at him he didn't retaliate; when he suffered he made no threats. Instead, He entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly". Jesus left God to deal with His persecutors, having asked God to forgive them too.

On Saturday we were reminded to guard our hearts, in not receiving negative words. One of the verses was "And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6). The next day I was sent a barrage of accusations from a friend. My first reaction was to be offended and angry but thank God we had Saturday's message to remind me to protect my heart as otherwise I could so easily have retaliated with stinging and accusatory words. The rest of that chapter 4 of Apostle Paul's letter to the church in Philippi gives us further salient advice on how to protect our hearts - to rejoice, be thankful, to be gentle and to focus on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy. We need to be intentional with this mindset in order to protect our hearts. Easier said than done but thank God, we can ask Him to give us His strength and comfort.

Today I sensed the need to remind ourselves to guard our hearts. However much we try to avoid negativity issuing out of us in the form of anger and unforgiveness etc, we cannot avoid others issuing a barrage of unkind, untrue words towards us. We do need to protect ourselves from this barrage. Proverbs 4:23 advises us: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". Apostle Paul guides us in how to guard our hearts by telling us "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:7). How do we get God's peace? Another clue is in Proverbs 3:5: " Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;". Trusting God can seem like a tall order but the more we do the more we will see that God is indeed trustworthy. It requires faith. Imagine yourself putting up a shield to deflect negativity thrown at you, "take the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the Evil one ..." (Ephesians 3:16). We need to build up our arsenal of Words from God, which is why King David said, "I have hidden Your Word in my heart ..." (Psalm 119:11).

Today I saw square frames in the distance, as of lenses of specialised spectacles or simply as picture frames. The word 'frame' could indicate these physical frames but also framework for our thinking, our words, our perspectives etc. Just on Wednesday I quoted Psalm 139:15: "My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, ...". This encourages me to think on the fact that not only do we have the frame of our body but also of our life. I like to think that our lives are not just linear, so a fine prescribed line to walk along. It is within a frame in which we have free will and space to make mistakes but still within the confines of God's love and grace. Like coloured balls being shaken up and down to eventually settle, may we settle into God's ways as we increasingly learn to trust Him. "Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's Will us, His good, pleasing and perfect Will" (Romans 12:2).

Today I saw, in my mind's eye, an old fashioned telephone which has a separate finger groove for each of the numbers 0-9, that has to be individually turned clockwise, as representing the person being called's telephone number, until the finger reaches resistance and then the next number in the sequence is dialled. This is a good reminder of the variations in telephones and in ways to call someone. Similarly God wants us to call Him by whatever method comes naturally to us. King David, who had had to rely on so much help from the Lord, was able to confidently declare that, "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth" (Psalm 145:18). 'All' is inclusive, with no stipulation on age, status, religion, words to be used, place, time etc. The emphasis is on calling God and He will be there. Our method of calling and God's method of replying are not stipulated. "in truth" means that we are to come as we are, whether we are tired, angry, sad, lacking in faith etc. Call God. All of us are eligible.

Today I continue on the theme of hairs on our head. Jesus said that he knows how many hairs are on each one of our heads (see Luke 12) which is the same as saying that he knows us intimately, and more so as the number changes constantly. King David reminds us in his Psalm 139:13,16: "For You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb... Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be". If God knows our entire life in advance, why don't we relax and let Him direct our lives every day?