I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 1st of September, 2023 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Book of Mark 8:34: 

“When He had called the people to Himself, with His disciples also, He said to them, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

Self-denial is the hardest thing to do, isn’t it? You know, our biggest enemy in this life, my dear friend, is not the devil, oh no! It’s ourselves. Now, even the great apostle, Paul, said, in the Book of Romans 7:19,

“For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”  

Then we go down to verse 24 of the same chapter. 

“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Yes, He is the one who will deliver us from ourselves. Jesus said that if you want to be my disciple, you must take up your cross. What does a cross represent? It represents death. We have to die to self. You know, in my prayer room, I have a little brass cross. It’s called a hand cross. You put it in your hand when you are praying and squeeze it tight, and the corners cut into your fingers and you remember the pain that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered for your and my sins. I was given this cross many, many years ago in Australia by a pastor and I have held it for many a year, especially when I have done something wrong that I shouldn’t have done. So what should we do in a case like that? We simply say, “Lord, please forgive me.” That is where the power of confession comes into place. He will forgive you, and you will stop it, and you won’t do it again. We must continue to carry our cross every single day until we get home. Yes, He sets us free, but it is the flesh that you and I struggle with. We need to put it down daily and Jesus shall set us free. 

Have a wonderful day,
God bless you and goodbye.