I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 14th of March, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in 1 John 4:19:

”We love Him because He first loved us.” 

Jesus loved us when we were still sinners. When we were dirty and ugly. He loved us because He made us and wants to be with us. God doesn’t need us folks, He wants us because He loves to have fellowship with you and I. You know, Peter, the big fisherman, when the miracle took place at the sea of Galilee and Jesus told them to throw the net onto the other side and he caught a full net of fish. He was so overwhelmed by the presence of God, he said in Luke 5:8: 

“Depart from me for I am a sinful man.” 

He realised his sin when he stood in the Presence of God and that’s exactly how it is with you and me. When we mess up and some of us have still messed up, I know I have, Jesus loves us unconditionally. He doesn’t say, ”I’ll love you if you love me.” No. He just loves us.

The other night, I was coming home from Cape Town in an aeroplane and when the plane landed, it was quite late at night. The people were very tired and they were trying to get off the plane, getting their baggage off the overhead lockers and all shuffling along. This one beautiful little Indian child, she must have been probably maybe four or five years old, she’d obviously dropped her pen and her mother had her by the other hand and had a whole lot of baggage and she was pulling her along. ”Come on, come on, we need to get going,“ because she could see that she was holding up the queue. I was behind them, and she said,” But Mom, I’ve lost my pen.” I had a ball point pen in my top pocket. I took the pen out and I said to her, ”Come on, you can have my pen.” And her face lit up and she took it with both hands. 

What am I saying? I’m saying she didn’t question it. I was telling this story on a radio program just the other day, and the announcer, Wynand, a very good friend of mine, said to me, “But tell me, did she maybe not want to take the pen?” I said, ”No, she took the pen with both hands.” He said, “And how often do we get offered the Gospel of Jesus Christ freely and we reject it.” We say we have to pay for it or we have to earn it.

Today, do not harden your heart. Jesus loves you just as you are, and He has always loved you and always will love you, and nothing you can do will make Him love you more, and nothing you can do that will make Him love you any less. He loves you because He created you.

Have a wonderful day,
Jesus bless you and goodbye.