I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 22nd of September, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Gospel of Matthew 26:75:

“So he went out and wept bitterly.”

Oh, what a sad verse that is! The man that Jesus was grooming to take over the leading of the church promised the Master that he would stay with Him to the end and never let Him down. The Lord said, “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” You and I need to be very, very careful before we make that statement or that decision. 

Young man, don’t make idle promises. Don’t promise that young lady that you will marry her and then, at the last moment, change your mind. It can destroy a woman. Young lady, don’t lead on that man and make all kinds of promises only to leave him and marry someone else. When you make a decision with your partner to go into business, make sure you don’t drop the ball. 

Yes, Jesus forgives, we know that, praise God. I know that maybe better than most of you, and if we repent and say sorry He forgives us, but the scar remains. That is a fact. If we go to the Book of Colossians 1:9, this is what Paul says:

“For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;…”

We need to ask the Lord to give us direction before we make a commitment. My brother was a golf professional when he was a young man. He is actually a preacher today, and he couldn’t get to church on a Sunday morning because that was his busiest day playing golf, but every now and again, if it was a rainy day or whatever, he would go to church with his family, and the minister, when he left the church would shake hands and say to him, “Oh, so good to see you. I am going to come and have a cup of tea with you one of these days”. And he never ever came, and that upset my brother a lot and disappointed him. Rather don’t say it, than say like Peter said, “I will be with you till the end”, only to deny Him three times. Peter loved Jesus. That is why he was there. He didn’t run away but when the crunch came he didn’t come through with it. Don’t do that today!

Father God,

I want to pray for my friend who is listening to this message right now, 

Lord, that they would think before they speak, 

Lord, that they would really think it over before they make a decision, and once they have made that decision, Lord, give them the courage to fulfil it.

In Jesus name, amen.
God bless you and goodbye.