Thought For Today

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 21st of September, 2023 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Book of Job 13:15, Job said: 

“Though He slay me yet will I trust Him.” 

Then we go straight to the New Testament to the Book of Romans 8:28, a verse that we all know so well: 

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

I can hear somebody saying today, “I don’t understand what is happening in my life. Things are just falling apart. I really cannot understand why this is happening. Lord, why is this happening? Why are You allowing this in my life, in my family, in my business, in my career? I don’t understand.” Well, I want to tell you a story, and this might help you with your understanding of the things of God.

Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch lady, and her sister, Betsy and their old dad had a jeweller shop in Holland during the Second World War. They were hiding Jews in the upstairs room in their Jeweller shop. Somebody found out and reported it to the Gestapo, and the Nazis arrived to arrest Corrie, her sister and her old dad. Well, within three weeks, the old man had died. Corrie and her sister, Betsy were put in a concentration camp with the Jews, and it was a hellish place. Betsy was a wonderful woman of God. She was very strong in her faith, much stronger than Corrie at that time, but Betsy got very sick and one day she was lying on the ground, Corrie had her in her arms, and Corrie looked up and was crying out to God, “Lord, I don’t understand. Why are You doing this, allowing this to happen to us?” And a little voice from her sister, Betsy, as she was dying, whispered to Corrie, she said, “Corrie, if you know Him, you don’t have to ask why.”

I want to say to you today, my dear friend, if you know Jesus, you don’t have to understand. You only have to believe. Put your trust in the Lord and He will see you through. He will not desert you, and He will not leave you. He says in Hebrews 13:5:

”I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 20th of September, 2023 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We go to 2 Timothy 4 and I am reading verse 2: 

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching”  

Now, as I have shared that scripture with you, my dear friend, you are thinking of somebody standing in a pulpit or maybe on a platform, speaking to a crowd. No, no - we are all called to preach the Gospel, whether you are an older person living in a nursing home, whether you are a prisoner in jail, whether you are a young person at a school hostel, whether you are a professional sportsman, a farmer, a doctor, or maybe you are a lawyer. We are all called to preach the word in and out of season. Like never before, people are desperate to hear the truth, not the tickling of ears - no, but the truth, the truth in love. You see, preaching is different to teaching. 

Now, John Stott was a man who was used by the Lord very powerfully. He said, “True evangelism seeks a response.” When you preach the Gospel, you preach with the expectation of a response - it expects results. We preach for a verdict. That is different to teaching. When you lecture somebody, it is dispassionate, objective and academic. It is addressed to the mind. It seeks no result but to impart certain information to provoke the student to further inquiry, which is necessary. We really need that. That is why we have universities and Bible colleges, but when it comes to preaching the word, the evangelist comes with an urgent proclamation of peace through the Blood of the Cross and with a summons to men and women to say sorry, to repent, to lay down their alms and to humbly accept the offer ardently. Isn’t that beautiful? That is what I do. I have been doing it for over forty years - the greatest moment in my life is when I see a man who is broken, and he is weeping, and he comes back to Jesus, and after that, he goes back to his wife and his children, and he starts all over. When you see a man who is in the gutter, all of a sudden, because he has heard the truth, the simple truth in love, he has completely changed his outlook. Whether a man is in prison, in hospital, or at a funeral, speak to him in a language that he understands and speak to him with urgency. You will be surprised at the result. 

Pray this prayer after me:

Jesus, today I ask You to give me the courage, the strength, and most of all, the love and the compassion to tell others about You, that they might be saved from themselves, and I ask it in Your precious name, amen.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 19th of September, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in 2 Timothy 3 and I am reading from verse 16: 

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

And then we go straight to the Book of Ephesians 6:17:

"…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;…'" 

And then lastly the Gospel of John 1:1-3: 

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." 

We are talking about the Lord Jesus Christ of course. He is the Word. Now, some of us today have forgotten to use our swords. It's the only weapon that the Lord speaks about. All the other armour we put on, the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt - all for defence. The sword is the weapon that destroys the enemy. Now, come on, let's be honest, some of us haven't got our swords out for a very long time. They are rusty, they are blunt, you have even forgotten where you have put it! You know, I am laughing but it is not funny, is it?

You see, the devil will not leave your family, will not leave your home if you are standing there shouting, ranting and raving. No, he is not concerned about that. It is only when we get out that sharp two-edged sword, the word of God, and we quote scripture, that's Jesus speaking. "Man shall not live by bread alone" - scripture; "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - scripture; "My God shall supply all of my needs according to His riches in glory" - scripture, that is when he backs off. This battle you and I are involved in is not physical. No, it's a spiritual battle that can only be won when we use spiritual weapons. 

"Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' Says the Lord of hosts."
Zachariah 4:6

Have you ever seen those sword-fighters, those fencers? It is an Olympic sport. It started a thousand years ago in ancient Egypt. Those people practice, and they are disciplined. You and I need to get that sword out, sharpen it up and start using it systematically daily. We need to understand what we are reading. If you need help understanding the translation, get an easy one you can understand. Read the Old Testament and the New Testament every single day. Read it in the first person, e.g., Psalm 23 - "The Lord is Angus' shepherd, Angus shall not want." Then the Bible will come alive, and you can use it effectively.

Have a wonderful day,
Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Monday morning, the 18th of September 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. We start in the first book of Samuel, chapter 17, and I'm reading from verse 45:

Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day, the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.

This morning, the Lord is saying to you and me that we must face our giant. Never, ever turn your back on the giant in your life. Like Shepherd boy David, face your enemy head-on and do not put it off, do not procrastinate. Don't put it off because the longer you leave the confrontation, the more ground you give to the devil. Draw a line in the sand today - This far, devil, and no further!

Go to that man that you owe money to, don't phone him, don't write him a letter - go and visit him today and look at him eye to eye. Explain your situation and tell him you have fallen on hard times; you don't have the money but are not running away. You will pay him every cent, plus interest, that you owe him. He will give you extra time. If you turn your back on the enemy and run away from your giant, you will end up in jail because he will think you are trying to leave the country. Face the giant.

I want to say to that young couple struggling with a marriage at the moment. Sit down together and speak out your situation. God will not abandon you. Many times, couples come to me, and I ask them if there is a third party involved. They say "No".
"Why do you want to get divorced?"
"No, we've got nothing left in common."

That's not good enough. We need to obey what the Lord tells us. We need to understand who's trying to break up this marriage - It's the devil himself. Face your giant, give it to the Lord, and He will heal that which is broken.

Don't focus today on your giant. Focus on Jesus, the Giant Killer, and that giant has to fall. May the Lord bless you today and give you courage as you face the challenge. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy the victory actually is.

Jesus bless you and goodbye

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Sunday morning, the 17th of September 2023, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a thought for today. 

We start off in the book of Titus 3:8:

This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.

Now, before anybody says anything, I want to qualify something. You cannot earn your way to heaven by good works. Nobody knows that better than me. 

Ephesians 2:8 says: 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

The word Grace literally means undeserved loving-kindness or unmerited favour. Jesus is our ultimate example of good works. A week ago, I can hardly believe it, we were in the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem in Israel. I was there with a team of over 300 pilgrims. It was a life-changing experience. In the Garden of Gethsemane, we sat, and we thought, and we meditated, and we repented, and we cried when we thought of the quality decision that Jesus made, which changed the destiny of the whole world forever. You say how come? Well, He said to His father in heaven, in Matthew 26:39 - "not as I will, but as You will". 

That's right, he chose to do it for you and I. He did not want to go to the cross, He did not want to be crucified, He was innocent, and yet He did it for your sake and my sake. If He had not made that decision, and He didn't want to by the way, but He did it, we are talking about good works, so that you and I would have an opportunity to have eternal life. He chose to do it. As a result of that, a young man was convicted in the Garden of Gethsemane, one of the men on our tour, and when we were having a service later on at David's Tower at the Jaffa Gate at the entrance to the old city, he came up in front of all of us, and he was weeping. He said: "I was convicted by what happened in the garden. I've been living with a lady for two years, and I feel guilty about it, and I love her". I said: "Where is she?" He said: "She's in the crowd". And in front of 300 pilgrims, that young man got on his knees and he proposed to the girl. They are now married. Why? Because of what Jesus had done for him. By doing good works and living a good Christian life, we influence people. 

Have a wonderful day. Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 16th of September, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Romans 8:1: 

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,…" 

Then we go to the Book of Ecclesiastes 7, and a part of verse 21:

" Also do not take to heart everything people say,.." 

Do not always be so concerned about pleasing everybody. I know I tend to do that and get into trouble. You will never be able to please everyone. Rather start by pleasing God first of all, and then all these other things will come into line.

C.H Spurgeon, the great preacher, the Baptists call him the prince of preachers, was walking down the road one day and some man walked up to him and said, "You know, you are the chief of all humbugs." Now, a humbug is an old-fashioned word for an idiot. His reply was, "Well, at least I am the chief of something!"

Oswald Chambers, who wrote probably the greatest devotional of all, "My Utmost for His Highest", would never read any articles referring to him, no criticism, no flattery; he would never, ever read it. If you do that kind of thing, your life will become like a yoyo. One minute you will be up in the sky and the next you will be down in the dumps. Rather listen only to the words of Jesus and then build yourself up in the inner man. For example, Philippians 4:13:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  

And you can! Keep away also from "yes" men, you know, the guys who get around you because they want something from you, maybe they want to find favour from you and they will agree with whatever you say. That's a dangerous group of men or women to be around. Constructive criticism is very helpful, it helps you grow. I remember many years ago as a young man, a theologian, a well-educated man, had quite a number of degrees in preaching. He said, "I am going to sit in the back of your meetings and I will do a crit. I will tell you how good you are." I had never even had the privilege of having been to a Bible College. At the end of the message, he came to me and said, "Can I tell you how I have assessed you?" And I said, "Ja, okay." He said, "Well for introduction, you got 2/10." He said, "Your three point sermon, I gave you 4/10, your conclusion was about 3/10." And I was feeling a bit down-hearted to say the least, "But", he said, "The presence of the Holy Spirit in your message was 12/10."

Folks, lets just listen to the Holy Spirit and He will guide you in everything you have to do today. 

Have a wonderful day, 
God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 15th of September, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go straight to the Book of Romans 12:3: 

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”

We need to be very careful how we stand. Do not think of ourselves too highly, but we need to be sober. The word of God says sober-minded, but how the mighty have fallen. God gives a measure of faith to each one of us. In 2 Samuel 1:19, the Bible tells us how the mighty have fallen. 

You know, just like one of those mighty cedars in the forest, the whole ground shakes around it when it falls. I want to be honest with you, I almost fear for someone who is obviously so naturally talented and gifted, especially young people. It is very, very difficult to stay humble, especially when you get everything right at school or at university, you seem to succeed in everything you attempt - a good sportsman, a good speaker, popular with everybody else - it is so easy in a situation like that to forget the Lord Jesus Christ, Who, after all, gave it to you anyway, and when you forget, then the fall comes and when it comes, it comes very hard. 

I remember the sad account of John Lennon. He was the leader of the world-famous Beatles music group. He said that they were more popular than Jesus Christ. You know, it wasn’t long after that, that he was coming home and walking into his Manhattan mansion in New York City, when he was gunned down. A man shot him in the back four times and he died on the way to hospital. How the mighty have fallen.

The First Book of Peter 5:5 says, 

“God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 

If God has gifted you, just remember where the gift has come from and you will be fine. Don’t start thinking more highly about yourself than you are. Use that talent to glorify God and remain humble always.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 14th of September, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Book of Ecclesiastes 7:10: 

"Do not say, 'Why were the former days better than these?' For you do not inquire wisely concerning this." 

Then we go straight to the Gospel of Luke 9:62, which is very well-known scripture, especially to farmers. 

"But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:62

We can't live in the past. We have got to look forward. No man can plough a straight line if he keeps living in the past. Have you ever tried ploughing with horses? I have, oh yes - and I want to tell you it is one of the most exhilarating experiences I have ever had. I didn't hear the noise of the tractor's engine or the exhaust smoke blowing all over me. No, these beautiful horses, one in the furrow and one on the top, just quietly walking along and the soil just turning over with the most incredible aroma that one could ever want. It is a wonderful experience, but I want to tell you something very clearly. I would hate to have to plough with horses all day and every day. You see, the most I could expect was maybe one or two acres a day, and that is hard work, let me tell you, depending on the soil type. Now, with a modern tractor, sitting in that cab, with air-conditioning, you can plough maybe thirty, forty, or even fifty acres a day with these big tractors. Having sweet memories of the past is good, but we must be realistic. We have got to move forward, especially for the sake of our young people. 

You say, "I remember the old days when we drove in our pick-up." Ja, but your pick-up had no air-conditioning. Remember the dust coming in? I used to go out to a dance in the evening, wearing a white coat like Jesse James, the cowboy, and when I got to the party, I had to take my dust-coat off because I was so covered in dust. No, we thank the Lord that we have vehicles that have air-conditioning and are very pleasant to drive.  

So have good memories of the past, definitely - and let's look forward. Why? Because Jesus is coming soon. 

Have a wonderful day,
God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 13th of September, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.  

We start in the Gospel of Luke 5:4: 

"When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep…"  

I want to say to you today, even as we have to catch the big fish in the deep sea, so too, Jesus is calling you and me to go deeper today. You see, it is the safest place to be if you ask any sailor who knows how to sail a sailing ship. The deep seas are the safest place to be when the storms come.

Mark Guy Pearce wrote, "May our prayer be that of an old Englishman, who said, "Oh Lord, send us into the deep water of the sea, for we are so close to shore that even a small breeze from the devil could break our ship to pieces on the rocks. Again, Lord, send us into the deep water of the sea, where there will be plenty of room to win a glorious victory."

Yes, I can hear you saying, "But those deep waters, that's where the strong winds are. That's where those contrary big waves are." True, but it is also the safest place for the big sailing ships when the storms come, not hugging the land where all the rocks are but getting out into the deep water. When the storm is at its height, that is where our faith is built the most. It's where we rely on Jesus the most. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "Fairweather faith is not faith at all." Today, let us not be afraid of the big storms. Let us get right out into the deep waters, where Jesus can take care of us and direct our paths. 

Today, set your sail to sail all the way home to our place of rest in Heaven one day, through the deep waters of life.

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 12th of September, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Ecclesiastes 5:4: 

"When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it;
For He has no pleasure in fools.
Pay what you have vowed—
Better not to vow than to vow and not pay."

I looked up the Oxford Dictionary to find out the literal meaning of the word "vow". A vow is a solemn promise. Now we go straight to the Book of Judges, and I want to say to you my dear friend, this is possibly the saddest story in the Old Testament. Judges 11:30-31: 

"And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, and said, "If You will indeed deliver the people of Ammon into my hands, then it will be that whatever comes out of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the people of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord's, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering."

Now, what happened was he was a mighty warrior and was defending Israel. He made a deal with the Lord. He said, "Lord, if you give me the victory, the first thing that comes out of my house, I will offer up to You as a sacrifice." When he returned, the Lord had given him the victory. The first thing that came out of his house was his little daughter, his only child. He was devastated. He said to her, "You have broken me." She said, "Father, if you have made a vow to God you need to keep it. Give me two months to wander the mountains with my friends and then you can take the action you promised God." And he did.

Never make a light vow to God. If you promise God something, you have to keep it. A couple of years ago, I was going through a terrible drought, one of the worst droughts on this farm. The maize crop was failing. It was our main source of income. I went out and said, "Lord, if you turn the weather around and give me a decent crop, I will preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the rest of my life." Well, He gave me a decent crop and I am busy fulfilling my vow, not reluctantly, with great joy and great pleasure.

Today, count the cost before you make the vow.
Jesus bless you and goodbye.