I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 13th of January, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.  

We go to the Book of James 1:2-3:  

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience." 

Are you going through a tough time today? Are you saying, "Lord, why? What's happening?" Sometimes, it is our biggest opportunity to be witnesses for Jesus. If I look back on my own life, the things which I remember clearly are not all the victories I have had. No, they are actually the tough times I went through because that is when the Lord Jesus Christ was closest to me. Through these trials and hardships we learn to grow strong in the Lord Jesus Christ.  

That gnarled thorn tree you find growing in the desert has taken years and years to grow. It has gone through droughts, years of no rain, no water, and it is strong. It has gone through wind and persecution. It is gnarled, but that wood is very dense. If you cut one of those branches, you will see the pith - thats the centre part. It is strong and very, very big. When you try to pick up one of those branches, you feel like you are picking up a railway line. It is very, very heavy. It is very hard to pick up a 2-metre length of that hard thorn tree or wood. When you make a fire on a cold night with that wood, that fire burns for the whole night, but not so with the poplar tree.  

The poplar tree is planted in the wetland. That tree never struggles for water, it's a very fast-growing tree, and it grows very tall. It is a beautiful tree but when you harvest it, it is very light. It weighs nothing, a paperweight. You pick up a 2-metre length of that wood and you can hardly feel it. It is not used for very much. It does not have much use. They make matches out of poplar wood but it does not give you much warmth when you make a fire and the fire goes out and burns up very quickly. 

I want to say to you today, we need to be like that thorn tree. We need to stand on the Word of God; we need to grow through our hardships and trials. He is teaching us to be strong believers in our faith. Today, remember the thorn tree. The thorn tree is the one that brings warmth, security and it is strong because its roots are deep and they are deep in the Word of God. Jesus Christ is our only support.

God bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.