I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 17th of June, 2024 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Gospel of Mathew 3:8:

”Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,…”

When we come to Christ, there has got to be a change in our lives. We cannot tell people we have become Christians, and yet we continue to live in our former lifestyle. We have to demonstrate new behaviour that proves a change of heart and a conscious decision to turn away from sin. People we know well should come up to us and ask us the question, ”What has happened to you?” And you look at yourself and you say, ”Why? I’m still wearing the same clothes.” 
“No, there’s something different happened to you. We see a peace in your heart. We see a joy. We see a love in your heart. You never had that before.”

That’s when you can tell them you have had a change of lifestyle, and I want to tell you the people who will notice it first will be your very own family. When the men who have been at a Mighty Men Conference for a full weekend go back home and some of them get on their knees in front of their families and ask forgiveness for their lifestyles, and say, ”Things are going to change. I have been arrogant. I have been self-centred, and it’s going to change. I am going to start to live for my family.”

We get letters sometimes, that makes you want to cry, from a little 10-year-old child, with that big handwriting saying, “Thank you for giving me a new daddy.” Now, we haven’t given that child anything; God has, but the child has seen the change in daddy’s life and we get a beautiful letter from a wife who says, “Thank you for what has happened to my husband over this weekend. The man that I fell in love with 20 years ago has come back home again this weekend.” That is what a truly repentant life must look like. It’s like the Government. We’ve just had elections in South Africa. The Government promised us many, many things. Now, they must deliver if there is true change to take place.

Don’t just tell people that you love them, show them that you love them by your lifestyle. Prove it by living a changed life - no more swearing, no more drunkenness, no more self-centredness, but starting to live for Christ, and the fruit of that changed lifestyle will just come out of us, we don’t have to try and do it, it’s natural.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day. 
Goodbye.