I greet you in Jesus precious name. It is Monday morning, it’s the 25th of September, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan with a thought for today. 

We start in the book of John 12:24, a scripture verse that you and I are very familiar with,

”Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

We must die in order to live. What a great paradox that is. If you take that seed, and by the way, I’m a farmer, I know what I’m talking about. I have been planting seeds for over 40 years. You put that seed in a safe place, keep it dry, free from any insect damage and at a constant temperature, you will preserve that seed for many, many years, but unfortunately it will produce nothing for you. Take that same seed and put it into lovely moist, fertile soil, and that seed will die but within a couple of weeks, the good news is it will produce new life, a new plant and a new crop. 

I’ve just returned from Israel. I had one of the greatest privileges of my life to be able to baptise many, many people in the Jordan river at the exact same spot that John the baptist, baptised our beloved Lord Jesus Christ. It was one of the highlights of my life. The old man goes down under the water and all those sins, habits, fears and anxieties go down as well and the new man comes up out of the water. It is a beautiful sight to behold. I saw people who were guilty, who had lost hope, people who had made mistakes, people who had no hope in the future, go down into that beautiful river and come out with joy. Some were weeping with joy, some had such beautiful smiles on their face. New life and a new beginning. Listen to this - do we call it dying when a seed germinates into a plant? Of course not. 

Today remember, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day. 
Goodbye.