Daily Picture

Stephanie Hawkins
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On Monday through to Saturday, I link an image to a theme in the Bible, with a podcast lasting about 10 minutes, which I hope brings hope and strength to anyone listening.

  1. 1D AGO

    That gut feeling

    Today, in my mind's eye, I saw a group of carefree, laughing, very young children. How often are adults as relaxed as that? Research tells us how children laugh significantly more than adults and that it is vital and therapeutic for all of us to do so. Jesus instructs us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven like little children (see Matthew 18:2 -4). As mentioned in the last 2 days' Devotionals, Jesus gave extreme messages and instructions and this is no exception. He said we would never enter the Kingdom of Heaven unless we change to become like little children. Isn't this similar to yesterday's message of relying on the Holy Spirit to help us understand God's Kingdom Truths? The Holy Spirit connects to our spirit which is more like a gut feeling, as an instinct, our life force. Young children have that ability to trust it and to go with the flow. Perhaps that is part of what Jesus meant by us needing to be like little children to enter God's Kingdom..?

    9 min

  2. 2D AGO

    The breath of the Holy Spirit

    Today is a continuation of the last two days' messages about needing the Holy Spirit to understand, obey and even want to obey God, through Jesus's words. At the very beginning of the Gospel of John we read that "In the beginning was the Word." Jesus is the Word and in Genesis, describing the beginning of our world, God speaks everything into existence. However, humans are created in a different way. "Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). That breath is the breath of spiritual life. Jesus tells His disciples before He departs this earth, "But I will send you the Comforter - the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me because you have been with me from the beginning". (John 15:26-27). That word "beginning' is the same word used in John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". We need God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit!

    11 min

  3. 3D AGO

    Does Logic help us follow Jesus?

    I feel that today is a continuation of yesterday's message which suggested that Jesus's message is so 'out there' as compared to what seems normal. We may appreciate Jesus's miracles and healings but what about His instructions, such as to turn the other cheek when we are hit on one cheek, to offer our shirt when someone takes our coat, to completely forgive and to recognise that we are committing adultery simply by looking and lusting? Logical reasoning cannot help us understand, obey or even necessarily want to obey. We need the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the same power which resurrected Jesus from the dead and is able to transform our frail bodies to the citizenship of heaven (see Philippians 3:20).

    5 min

  4. 4D AGO

    The Cross

    I saw a reflection of what looked like the Cross on my water glass this morning, which was simply the dawn light throwing a pattern off the kitchen window frame. However it got me to thinking of the fact that without the power of the Cross, what does Christianity have? We have 3 years of Jesus's ministry of teachings, healings and other miracles such as changing water into wine, walking on water and feeding the 5000 with a few loaves of bread and a few fish. For those who say they admire Jesus as a prophet but not saviour, do they know all He said? Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through him and that through his death on the cross we can receive the Holy Spirit and have eternal life. If we don't believe that to be true, surely that makes Jesus a liar or deranged? We either believe in the power of the Cross or not. There isn't an option to pick and choose to believe only in portions of what Jesus said during his 3 year ministry whilst on earth.

    8 min

  5. 5D AGO

    A glove puppet

    Today I saw a glove puppet which of course needs a hand to function and become animated. However, God has created us differently. We are not to be His robotically managed hand puppets, obeying His every whim. He wants us to individually choose to love, trust and thus obey Him. He loves to bless us regardless but, also, we bless Him when we glorify Him. The whole of Ephesians Chapter 1 is relevant to this theme but here are some snippets: "...In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will ... in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:4-5,12). So, when we choose to put our hope in Jesus Christ, that is in accordance with God's pleasure and will - that truly blesses Him.

    6 min

  6. 6D AGO

    A cobwebby window

    Today I saw a picture of a cobwebby window, bringing to mind how we can sometimes lose the excitement of receiving revelation and inspiration from the Holy Spirit, which requires our consistent focus and devotion to having spiritual insight. I join King David in Psalm 119:18 when he says, "Open my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of your law".

    4 min

  7. MAY 2

    Obey

    Today I am delving deeper into the word "obey" which might help in a quest to understand God's Word and His deep mysteries, with which we need the help of God's Holy Spirit. The root of "Obey" is Latin with the first part, 'ob', meaning 'to' and giving the sense of 'leaning into'. The second part is 'oboedire/obaudire' meaning 'to listen to, give ear or hearken to'. If we are as one with another, as one flesh (see Matthew 19:5), we would instinctively want to move close to hear the other and that, in the original sense, is what is meant by "to obey'. That is a wonderful aspiration rather than one we could possibly be offended by or be opposed to, when the wife is instructed, in Ephesians 5:22, to obey her husband. Also, the husband is to love the wife unceasingly and fully (verse 25). Again, we could baulk at that instruction but that is how Jesus loves us - His bride, His Church, His Body. Obedience to God overrides obedience to authorities which are not under God. For instance Peter and the apostles continued with Jesus's ministry after He had died, despite being told not to by the Roman authorities. They declared, "We must obey God rather than human beings!". Similarly, in the Old Testament, the Egyptian Pharaoh instructed the midwives to kill baby boys as soon as they were born. The midwives didn't follow that instruction and God accordingly blessed them (see Exodus 1:15-20). To obey God is to listen to Him, the one Who loves us unconditionally and unceasingly. Trust and Obey.

    11 min

  8. MAY 1

    Scored pork for crackling

    Today I saw the scoring of a pork joint to make crackling and also the word "Engravings". This reminds that prophet Isaiah said that God has engraved our names on the palms of his hands and that our walls are forever before Him.(See Isaiah 49:16). That was prophesied to the Israelites in around 700BC but Jesus brought the fulfillment of God's promises to both Jews and Gentiles alike, should we believe so and wish to receive. The engravings represent permanency and the walls as of protection. God's commitment to us and our mutual commitment to Him is, paradoxically, liberating; Isaiah further prophesied that our Saviour would be sent to heal the broken-hearted and to set the captives free. (See Isaiah 61:1). In the Gospel of Luke 4:17 Jesus is recorded as declaring, "He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind ...". May we choose to have our eyes opened to God's Truths and His deep mysteries, and to recognise the liberty and freedom we have in Him.

    5 min
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About

On Monday through to Saturday, I link an image to a theme in the Bible, with a podcast lasting about 10 minutes, which I hope brings hope and strength to anyone listening.

Information

  • Creator
    Stephanie Hawkins
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    972
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Stephanie Hawkins
  • Show Website
    Daily Picture