Thought For Today

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, 5th of October, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Matthew 4:7:

”You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

Then we go to 1 Corinthians 10:13: ”No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 

Temptation - You know that Jesus Himself was tempted in the desert, and how did Jesus overcome the devil? He quoted Scripture to the devil. “It is written, thou shall not tempt the Lord thy God”. “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone.” It is written! We need to do the same. We need to quote Scripture because Scripture is the most powerful weapon we have at our disposal.

Remember, I’m talking to a young man, a young lady now, when we get tempted that is not the sin. So if you look at a beautiful young girl walking down the street, that is not a sin. However, when we look at her a second time, or if you look at that man a second time, then lust comes into play and then there is a problem.

Now remember King David. He was standing on the veranda, on a beautiful evening. He looked down and he saw the most beautiful woman. She must have been very, very beautiful because he had many wives. He looked at her first, he was tempted. If he had turned away and walked away, he would have been fine, but he didn’t. Then he looked at her a second time and he lusted after her and that is when the sin was committed.

You know the Bible tells us: Resist the devil, and he will flee from us. James 4:7. We need to understand. We have the power. Greater is He who is within us than He that is in the world.

So the temptation is not the sin, no. The lust is the sin. So when we get tempted, we turn around and we walk away and Jesus will undertake for us.

Have a beautiful day, God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 4th of October, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go straight to the Book of Hebrews 12:1:

”Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

Folks, we must be so careful that we do not disqualify ourselves. Now when I was praying early this morning, the Lord showed me the only way that I will disqualify myself from any race is when I break the rules. If you break the rules in any sport, you are automatically taken out of the race. If you are caught using illegal substances, if you are caught using drugs illegally which assist you to win, then automatically you are out of the race. I think of Lance Armstrong, a great athlete. He defied the odds. He overcame cancer and then he became one of the greatest bike riders ever. I don’t know how many times he won the Tour de France, which is the most prestigious bike ride in the world but he was caught cheating and every single one of his trophies was taken away from him. Very, very sad.

I think of some of the greatest boxers who have been disqualified. We remember the one world champion who bit the opponent in his ear! That cost him the world title. You can’t do that. Biting is illegal in boxing. What about cricket? There was a team that was caught tampering with the ball and that caused an incredible embarrassment to a nation. We need to do it correctly. We need to obey the rules.

Now I want to speak about the race of life. Yes, it’s exactly the same. No cheating, no stealing, no unfaithfulness, no lying, no bad language. We need to discipline ourselves, folks. We really do! We need to spend more time in prayer. If you are praying regularly, that will prevent you from doing illegal things because you can’t. You can’t do the two together. If you’re not having a regular quiet time you will bend the rules and it will cost you dearly. What about your mind? Be careful that you discipline your mind. Don’t watch rubbish. Don’t listen to rubbish, it will pollute you!

Remember, we are in the race of eternal life.
Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day. 

Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 3rd of October, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Gospel of Matthew 10:8:

“Freely you have received, freely give.”

Then we go straight to 1 Corinthians 9:18, and Paul says:

“What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.”

Then the last scripture comes from Acts 3:6:

“Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” 

Peter and John didn’t have any money. They didn’t have anything to give the lame man, but what they did have was the word of God, and they applied the word of God, and as a result the lame man was healed. I want to say to you, we cannot charge for preaching the Gospel. That is a firm conviction in my own heart. If that is how you are going to make your living, by asking for money, then you must get another job. You have received the Gospel of Jesus Christ for free. You must give it out for free. It is a personal conviction, I know that, but the Lord Jesus Christ says, “I will supply all of your needs according to My riches in heaven, by Christ Jesus, my Lord - not your wants, your needs. And He has never, ever failed me in one of the things I have attempted to do in my life. 

You know that little story about the two little birds sitting on a fence line, and one little bird says to the other, “Have you noticed how these people are all running around all the time, trying to make money, trying to make ends meet?” And the other little bird says, “Yes, I have noticed that.” And the bird says, “Why do you think that is?” And his little friend says, “Well, maybe they don’t know the Saviour, Jesus Christ, like we know Him.” The Lord says if He can take care of the little birds, He can take care of you. Let us give freely and let us receive freely from God. 

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day, goodbye.
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 2nd of October, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Jeremiah 20:9:

“Then I said, “I will not make mention of Him,
Nor speak anymore in His name.”
But His word was in my heart like a burning fire
Shut up in my bones;
I was weary of holding it back,…”

Then we go to 1 Corinthians 9:16. Paul says:

”…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” 

Once the Lord Jesus Christ has become the most important person in your life, you can’t keep quiet, can you? You’ve got to speak it out. You’ve got to speak up and it gets you into trouble so often, but you cannot help it. Jeremiah said, ”I am tired of being made a fool, a mockery. I’m not talking anymore about the Lord.” But then he said, ”I can’t help it. There’s a fire in my bones.”

I want to tell you a little story. Many years ago, we had a big campaign in Eswatini. We went over, a whole contingent of us, and we spent a week preaching, and we ended up on the last day at the Somhlolo Stadium, which is just outside Manzini in the middle of the country, and at the same time the king himself, King Mswati III, was also speaking there. Now I was sitting in the crowd, in the stadium, and the stage was in the middle of the field and it came time for preaching and some of the bodyguards and the soldiers would not let me walk across the field and speak from the platform. They said, ”No, you have to speak from the stadium.” But as I sat there, there was that fire in my bones. I felt the Holy Spirit say, get up, walk down the steps, through the crowd, through the gate, cross the field, up the steps, into the platform and start telling the people about Jesus, and I sat there and I wrestled but I want to tell you my dear friend and I’m sure maybe some of you have been there too, I could not keep quiet. 

I got up, I took my Bible, I walked down the steps, right past all the guards, right out, across the field, up the steps, onto the platform, and I started to preach the Gospel, and it was a wonderful occasion.

I want to tell you today, when Jesus tells you to speak up through the power of the Holy Spirit, you better speak up.

Jesus bless you, have a wonderful day. 
Goodbye

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 1st of October, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in Deuteronomy 25:4: (Amplified Bible)

“You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing [to prevent him from eating any of the grain].

Then we go to the New Testament, 2 Thessalonians 3:10:

”if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.” 

I’ve been a farmer all my life. When a cow is milking, she has given birth to a beautiful calf, and she is producing milk for that calf, off her back, as it were. You have to feed the cow otherwise the cow will lose condition and the calf will become stunted. So we need to feed her extra food to compensate for her feeding her baby. The same thing applies to a sheep and a lamb, to every animal - a horse and its foal, because it is working, not to mention the ox. He’s walking. In the old days, they would walk around in a circle and stamp out the wheat from the husk but while he was walking he had a bag around his neck and he could eat food all the time and that’s what kept him strong, but on the other hand, the Lord is telling us today that if people are not prepared to work, if they are just bone lazy, they don’t deserve to eat. 

I know it’s a hard one, but it's a fact. I refuse to accept the fact that a man says to you, “I can’t find a job”. There is work available even if it is sweeping the streets. “No, no. Well I can’t do that.” “Why can’t you do that, sir?” “No, well that’s beneath my dignity.” I want to say something to you. There is nothing more despicable than a lazy man, and at home he’s got a wife and children that are starving because he lies in his bed all day, and I make no apologies about this message, and if it’s offending some men, I’m very happy because if you don’t get out of your bed and go and find a job, you will answer to God for that.

We need to work hard. We have been designed by God to work. That’s why we’ve got hands, feet, and a mind. Now let’s get going. I’m going to pray for you.

Father, 

This man that’s listening to this message and maybe this young man or that old man, Lord, today convict them of their sin of laziness and please Lord, help them to get out of their bed, find a job, receive some dignity and love from their families. I ask this in Your precious name.
Amen.

God bless you and have a wonderful day. 
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 30th of September, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Psalms 37:4:

“Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Then we go to the New Testament, the Book of Acts 18:9:

”Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; …”

And that was it. I want to tell you my story in a nutshell. I said to my dear wife, Jill, “I am going to drive to Ladysmith, and I am going to book the town hall, by faith (I had never booked a town hall in my life before), and I am going to believe God for a one-week campaign.” Well, off I went, with my flask of coffee in my farm khaki clothes, and with lots and lots of excitement and faith, and I arrived outside the town hall in Ladysmith. But just before I got to the town hall, there is a long road coming down from the northern side of that town, and as I came down that road, the Lord distinctly asked me three questions: number one (yes, in my heart): 

“Are you prepared to be a fool for Me?”  I said, “Lord, that is easy. I am a fool anyway.” 

“Are you prepared for people to say all manner of evil about you for My sake?” That was a lot harder to swallow. 

And then the third one was very tough. “Are you prepared to see less of your family for My sake?” And I said, “ Lord, only by Your grace.”

Anyway, I arrived at the town hall. I booked it. I was so embarrassed. The lady said, “Well, what do you want it for?” I said, “A Christian outreach.”  Anyway, I paid my money, and I started to visit all the churches in town. Well, the first one said to me, “You are welcome to come here, but I am telling you, this place is as dry and hard as the rocks and the thorn trees around the town.” The second guy said to me, “As far as I am concerned this town has already been over-evangelised. I thought, “Lord, if there is one soul in this town that has not been saved, it has not been over-evangelised.” And the third guy was the one who was really hard, an evangelical church, I thought, “Here, I will get a bit of comfort.” He said, “Well, I think maybe the Lord has sent you here to bend you a little bit!”

Wow! I was shattered. Then I had to go and book the accommodation. There was a motel just outside of town. I booked the motel, paid my money and I sat under that tree. I felt like Elijah - I just wanted to die. I said, “This town doesn’t need me.” But I went home. There was one minister who was absent, and the next morning when I got back to the farm, he phoned me. I left my card under his door. He said to me, “Angus, we are waiting for you. Come. We have been praying for revival on the hills here for six months.” And of course, that was the beginning. We had an incredible week. Jesus Christ, when He calls you, just obey Him. 

Have a wonderful day, God bless you.
Goodbye. 

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 29th of September, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Psalms 37:4:

“Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Then we go to Zechariah 4:10:

“For who has despised the day of small things?”

Then lastly, Luke 3:23: “Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age,…”

Do not despise small beginnings. God values small beginnings. I want to talk to mothers. Mother, look after the child God has given you. The child does not belong to you. That child belongs to God. He created that child and He has given you a tremendous privilege and honour and responsibility to bring up that child in the ways of God. Do you know, we don’t hear much about Jesus for thirty years from the day He was born until He started His ministry. But who looked after Him? Yes, Mary, His mother, His earthly mother. She would have taught Him to do all kinds of things, to dress Himself in the morning, to feed Himself, to wash His face. God uses ordinary people to do His work and Mary had no idea, by that time, what Jesus was going to eventually do.

Today, you don’t know what your little boy or your little girl is going to grow up to be, but one thing you do know is that God has given you the privilege of helping him or her in any way that you possibly can. Never, ever despise small beginnings. God values small beginnings, so today remember, whatever you have put your hand to, do it with all your heart. 

Psalm 37 was also George Müller’s favourite verse and he started in a little house in Bristol, looking after a couple of children and ended up with an orphanage, looking after over 10,000 children. He never asked for a penny, just remained faithful in little things, and the Lord grew it into an incredible work for His glory. 

So today, whatever God has given you to do, just do it with all of your heart and He will do the rest. 

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 28th of September, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go straight to the Book of Psalms 23:3-4:

“He restores my soul;He leads me in the paths of righteousnessFor His name’s sake.Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,I will fear no evil;For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Then we go straight to the Gospel of Luke 9:23:

”Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

We are on a journey, folks, every single one of us, young and old. I don’t care whether you are 9 or 90, but we are on a journey! Some of us have got a lot of miles behind us, others have got a lot of miles in front of us, but we are on a journey. I listened to a beautiful old gospel song, sung by a lady by the name of Dotty Rambo, just a short while ago and these words just touched me so deeply:

Too many miles behind me
Too many trials are through
Too many tears help me to remember
There's just too much to gain to lose.

Too many sunsets behind the mountain
Too many rivers my feet have walked through
Too many treasures are waiting over yonder
There's too much to gain to lose.

Isn’t that beautiful? There is no turning back for you and me. No, no - we are not going back to Egypt. We are not going back to the old life, no. We have come too far, much too far. Do you remember that beautiful book, the Pilgrim’s Progress? Some say it is the second most well-known, well-read book, next to the Bible itself, written by John Bunyan and released in 1678. Wow! That is a long time ago. John Bunyan was a non-conformist. In other words, he was a man who loved Jesus Christ. He would not conform to any church government type doctrine. He loved the Lord. He spent a long time in jail, and he wrote this book in Bedford, in England, while in jail. The Pilgrim's Progress - a journey of a Christian, a man by the name of Christian, making his way to the Celestial City, which is Heaven, and all the pitfalls and the hardships that he went through, carrying his little bundle with him, all the way to Heaven.

Today, remember, there is too much to gain to lose. God bless you. Have a wonderful day, goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 27th of September, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Isaiah 45:5:

“I am the Lord, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me.”

I think that is pretty clear. Wouldn’t you agree? Then we go straight to 1 Corinthians 8:6: 

“…yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”

Very clear! I want to say to you this morning that there is only one God. In some countries, if you say there is only one God, they regard it as hate speech, and you can be arrested for that, but our Bible tells us that there is no other god. Now, it is not that we are superior, not at all. In fact, we have a great love for people because God created all people and Jesus Christ is the only Saviour in this dying world. Now, if you love people, you will tell them the truth, but if you want to pacify them, if you want them just to not be challenged in any way, then of course you will tell them that all roads lead to Heaven. There is nowhere in my Bible where I can find that scripture because it is not there.

There is only one way and His name is Jesus Christ. John 14:6: 

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” 

Do you know how many people have died through the ages just by saying that same thing, “God is love, there is no other, and He loves you and He died for you.” For that, you would be burnt at the stake. If you go to a country that does not acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, and you stand in a public place and you tell them that Jesus Christ is Lord, they will cut off your head. 

Folks, we need to understand one thing - greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend. That’s what Jesus said and He is the Friend of all men. That is why I love people so much. It doesn’t matter if they get hurt. I would rather see them get hurt and get saved than go to hell because no one has told them the truth. Today, there is no other God, and there is no other Saviour and there is no other Holy Spirit. 

Have a wonderful day today! Let your words be short, let them be sweet and let people take notice. Time is running out. 

God bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye. 

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 26th of September, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Judges 7:7: ”The Lord said to Gideon, Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand.

Then we go straight to the Gospel of Matthew 20:16: ‘“So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”

Gideon had a total of 32,000 fighting men and the Lord said to him, ”You’ve got too many. You need to send some home.” 22,000 went back home. They didn’t hesitate, they left the battlefield. 10,000 remained. Then the Lord said to Gideon, ”There’s still too many here.” So he sent more back home and he was left with a mere 300 hundred men to take on the mighty army of the Midianites. God has got a habit of doing that. I want to encourage you today, if you are feeling a little bit left out, if you are feeling a little bit down, that you’ll never get an opportunity to serve God, folks please don’t lose heart!

Samuel went to appoint the next king of Israel. He went to the house of Jesse. Jesse had 8 sons. He chose the youngest, the smallest, the one who wasn’t even brought into the home to be judged. He was left out in the field looking after the sheep. We are talking about David, King David. What about Moses? Moses had dropped the ball big time, maybe you have today. Moses ran for his life. He was a murderer. The Lord used Moses to take an entire nation out of slavery and into the desert for 40 years.

What about the fishermen? Jesus chose 12 men. These were not educated men, they were not talented, they were illiterate fishermen, and a couple of tax collectors to boot. Why does God do that? Well, He does it for one reason. He does not want to share His glory with any man. God chooses nobodies to do His work so that nobody can touch His glory.

You must attempt something so big, we say at Shalom, that if it is not of God, it is doomed to fail. Why? Because if it works, God will get all the glory. People will say, “There is no way that those men could have achieved that enormous victory that they had on their own. God was with them!”

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day

Goodbye.