Thought For Today

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 2nd of January, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go straight to the Gospel of Matthew 6:8. Jesus said:

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” 

Now just before that, the Lord tells us that He is not interested in vain repetition when you pray, not fancy words. I love what C H Spurgeon says. He talks about “homemade prayers”.  If there is one thing I really desire for you as we go into the new year, is that this year be a year where you learn to speak daily to the Lord Jesus Christ, prayers which come straight from the heart, speaking straight to Jesus Christ - no flowery Christianese, but honest day to day language. The Lord understands it, just that ordinary layman’s language to a Carpenter, just tell Him exactly how you are feeling, tell Him how things really are, and ask Him to help you. It is not so much about the words even, is it? It is more about the heart of the prayer. 

We need to speak to Jesus through the Holy Spirit, just as you would speak to your workmate in the office, in the field, in the workshop. David Wilkerson, in his book, The Cross and The Switchblade, said sometimes, when he would pray the Sinner’s Prayer with those young gangsters from the ghettos of New York, their vocabulary was non-existent. Every second word was a swear word and they prayed the Sinner’s Prayer in blasphemous language, they were unaware of that, but their heart was pleading with God.

I remember, just after I had given my life to Christ, we were sitting in a circle in a prayer meeting, probably the first one I had ever been to, and each one of us had to pray. The leader said, “Just pray” and we had never prayed out loud. The turn came to one old gentleman, his name was John, and I have never forgotten his prayer. His prayer came from the depths of his heart. He was in big trouble and he said, “Oh God, please help me!” And the Lord helped him. 

As you go into this new year, make prayer a priority in your life, every single morning and right through the day, and last of all at night, before you go to sleep. Speak to Him in homemade prayers.

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Wednesday morning, the 1st of January, 2025, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a Thought for Today. Happy New Year! Many of us didn't think we'd make it this year, did we? But God, in His grace and love, has seen fit for us to face another brand-spanking New Year - Happy New Year to you!

We start in Philippians 3:10, Paul says:

"That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death..."

Paul waited 13 years before the disciples accepted him and commissioned him to go out and preach the gospel to this dying world. We look forward to a new year; some qualified students are ready to face the world. Some others have just got their papers: qualified tradesmen and women. Children are going into their final year at school, and we are so excited, but I want to say something to you, first to us and then to the whole world.

We've got to get it into our souls first before we take the message to a dying world. My dear friend, there is a time for us to get qualified, yes, there is an apprenticeship that we have to serve before we go out and tell others how to live. Yes, the gospel is for all people, and Jesus said go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. That was the last thing He said to the disciples before He went home to be with His Father in heaven. We mustn't forget that those disciples had walked with the Son of God for at least three years, night and day, before he commissioned them to go into the world.

We face a brand new year with wonderful opportunities and an exciting year. I've never been so excited in my life! This past year, the Lord has told me to spend time in solitude and quietness. I have not stood on a platform or preached from a pulpit for a whole year, and I am starting this year. We need to understand before God sends us out, our hearts and souls must be prepared for the gospel. You can't tell others how to live and what to do if it is not good in your heart. Spend time preparing your heart for the great commission, wherever that might lead you, and then when you are equipped and qualified, go out and tell the good news to every soul.

Jesus bless you, and once again, I pray that God will give you your heart's desire this year, 2025, and you delight yourself in Him. (Psalm 37:4)

God bless you and goodbye

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Tuesday morning, the 31st of December, 2024. It is the last day of this year - for some of us, we're saying, "Wow, we made it," Others are saying, "Man, it's been tough!"

But I want to speak to you about something very special today if we go to John 11:35 - two words:

"Jesus wept."

Jesus cried - I want to say today that we must feel free to cry. Some of you listening to this have lost a loved one in 2024. You are going into 2025 very shortly without that person. Others are facing unemployment; maybe your business is going bankrupt, yes, and I encourage you to feel free to cry tears. Graham Lacey, a man I respect a lot, said: "Tears are words that the heart cannot say." Isn't that beautiful? When a person is struggling, put your arm around them and weep with them. That will minister to them more than a big sermon, I can tell you right now.

"Tears are the silent language of grief." - Voltaire.

I've been through some tough times myself, and the people who have ministered to me the most when I've been in the deepest depths of despair are those who sit and look at me with tears running down their faces. They don't have to say anything more. "Tears can be trusted more than a smile." You know, you can smile and people say: "How are you?" "No, I'm fine, thank you..." But you're not okay. When the tears flow, then you make your feelings evident.

"Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning."
Psalm 30:5

Share tears with other people. Lastly, Graham was saying that God harvests our tears; he keeps them in a bottle. As you face the new year, I encourage you to be honest with yourself and others. I also want to remind you there will be no tears in Heaven, none at all. The Lord will wipe away every tear we've ever cried (Revelation 21:4). Remember the founder of the Salvation Army, General William Booth when his soldiers wrote back to him and said, "We're having no joy." He sent back a letter with two words on it: Try tears. That great evangelist, Charles Finney, said that where there are no tears and no amens, there will be no revival. Peter went out and wept bitterly, as the Bible says in Luke 22:62 after he betrayed his Master no less than three times. Yes, we all make mistakes. We've made plenty in 2024. Let's attempt not to do so in 2025. Let's shed a tear instead of making a noise. Let us rather put our arms around those suffering and learn to weep with them sincerely.

God bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Monday morning, the 30th of December 2024, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a Thought for Today. We go to Mark 4:34:

"And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples."

It is vital to spend time alone with our Lord Jesus Christ. As we look forward now, in a day or so, we will be facing 2025. Now, I'm looking forward to it with great excitement, but I know some people are looking forward to it with trepidation, not knowing what the future holds. But if you spend time alone with the Lord Jesus Christ, He will comfort you, direct your path, give instructions, show you which way to go, and show you what to do and what not to do. He is the ultimate Council; my dear friend, it is vital that we spend time alone with the Lord Jesus Christ every morning.

I want to tell you a simple story; many of you were there. I'm talking about the big tent we hired in 2008 for The Mighty Men Conference at Shalom. That tent was gigantic! It was the biggest tent in the world at that time. It could seat 30,000 people inside, and we filled it with men. 30,000 men inside, but we had 30,000 men outside - Making a total of 60,000 men. Can you believe it? I find it hard to believe myself! Do you know that it took three weeks to erect with professional riggers? No farmers were allowed to touch it, and between 15 and 17, 40-tonne trucks brought it here to the farm. It even had a built-in weather station because those guy ropes, about an inch thick steel cable, had to be tensioned according to the weather. It was the size of 4 rugby fields, end-to-end. It was amazing.

The event was incredible, and we gave God all the glory. We saw men changed forever - maybe you were one of them. Now, this is where it's very important to hear God's voice and be alone with the Lord: After the event, a group of businessmen, well-meaning, godly businessmen from Johannesburg, contacted our office and said they wanted to buy the tent for us. Now, who has to pray about that? Well, I did. I asked if I could get back to them. It's very kind of you, but I need to pray and be alone with Jesus. When I went before the Lord, I was quite shocked; He said, do not touch it. I said thank you so much for the kind offer, but I can't accept it. They said well, that's up to you.

But you see, folks, that tent cost a million Rand just to erect, and then it would cost another million Rand to take it to the next destination. The following year, 2009, we had over 120,000 men at the Mighty Men Conference. That tent wouldn't have even housed a quarter of them.

Today, listen to the word of the Lord and obey only Him.

Jesus blessed you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious Name. It is Sunday morning, the 29th of December, 2024, and this is your friend Angus Buchan with a Thought for Today. We start with Daniel 10:19:

"And he said, "O man greatly beloved, fear not! Peace be to you; be strong, yes, be strong!"

Then we go to Ephesians 6:10:

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."

Be strong in the Lord! Things are very tough; I'm not gonna tell you a lie. We have been experiencing a terrible drought everywhere we look in South Africa. Things are really not looking good with the naked eye. We look at the wars that have taken place in the Middle East, Russia, and Ukraine. We look at the immorality, which is at an all-time high, and we say, "Lord, where are you?" and the Lord says: "Be strong." The Lord says: "Stand, the battle is the Lord's." You'll see that in Ephesians 6:14 (& 2 Chronicles 20:15). We are not to do the fighting; the Lord is fighting for you, young lady and young man. No, the fight is not yours. You cannot make this your battle. It's God's battle, and He wants you to stand. You know those two words, "But God." When people say there's no future for this country, you say: "But God." When they say, "These young people will never amount to anything." You say: "But God."

I want to encourage you as we come to the close of 2024 and look forward to 2025; we need to understand the battle is the Lord's. He has promised us with that beautiful word in Daniel that we need to stand. Folks, when God confronted Moses at the Burning Bush, Moses was a broken man. He had fled from Egypt. He had murdered a slave driver and was at an all-time low. The Lord said to him, "I want you to go and tell my people that I'm going to set them free", and God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14:

"I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, "I AM has sent me to you."

That was it. I want you to say today when you look at that mountain and think, "I'll never get over it..." I AM says: "You will." and I AM says: "I'll be with you for the whole of 2025." All you need to do is to stand and be strong. The Lord will do it!

Jesus bless you, and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 28th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Book of Daniel 9:4:

“O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,…” 

Then we go to the Gospel of John 14:14-15. The Lord says:

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Wow! Did you hear that? But this is a condition involved here. Verse 15:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

You see folks, if we are going to be serious about God and we are going to keep the covenant that we have made with the Lord, then He says He will do whatever you ask Him to do, but He will not do it if we are not keeping His covenant with us and His commandments. What am I saying? What I am saying is that if you are married and your husband leaves you or has an affair, he has broken his side of the covenant, the covenant he made on your wedding day, therefore the covenant is no longer valid. You can’t keep half a covenant. When you promise the Lord Jesus Christ that you are going to serve Him and walk in His ways, He will keep His side of the covenant because He never breaks His side of the covenant but the covenant will not be fulfilled if we break our side. That is why when it comes to a thing like marriage which is sacred, we need to understand, He will never break His side of the deal as long as you keep your side of the deal.

When we walk with the Lord and we obey His commandments, He will give us whatever we ask. I have experienced it in my own life. But when we disobey Him, we go our own way and then we cry out, “Lord, where are You?” He says, “I am here but I cannot honour My side of the covenant if you continue to wilfully sin when you know it is wrong." Today, come on, let’s repent, let us say sorry. Come on, let’s do it!

Father, 

In Jesus’ name, we want to ask You to forgive us for always crying out, “Lord, where are You? Why are You not keeping Your side of the covenant?” when we know wilfully, we are going against what You called us to. We repent of that today and we start afresh.

In Jesus name, Amen.

God bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 27th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Gospel of Mark 4:14:

“The sower sows the word.” 

That is what Jesus said. The seed of life, but it is not the responsibility of the sower for the growth. No, he plants the seed but the seed must do the rest of the work. Now, the Lord doesn’t say, “the sower sows the seed”. He says, “The sower sows the word.” He plants the word into our hearts, but it is not the preacher’s responsibility to see that word grow, that is our responsibility. So, today, as we draw near to the end of the year, 2024, we have a responsibility. Are we going to receive the word of life that the Lord has been sowing into our hearts for many, many years, or are we going to reject it? That is quite simply the difference between life and death. We are going to go into a new year in a few day’s time, and how are we going to approach the new year? Are we going to live it the same as we did last year or are we going to draw a line in the sand and say, “This far, devil, and no further.”? 

I had the privilege of speaking to a group of people just a short while ago. These people have been through a very rough time in their lives. Many of them are struggling with addictions in their lives. I asked them a question. “Are you going to make a difference? Are you going to change? Are you going to receive God’s Holy Word, what He says about you, or are you going to continue to listen to the lies of the devil over your life? It’s your choice." With my cowboy boot, I drew a line in the sand and I said, “I want to encourage you, get up out of your seat and come and step across the line and say, “This day I am going to receive the word that the Lord Jesus Christ has sown in my life, and I am no longer going to listen to the accusations of the devil and of other people who have no love for me. I am a child of God and I am starting again.”

I would encourage you to do the same today. The sower sows the word, we must receive it. 

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 26th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go straight to the Book of James 4:14:

“For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” 

Oh folks, we are coming to the end of 2024. Can you believe it? You know, it is not just older people I am talking to. When I speak to young people they say, “Where is the time going?” Just the other day I had the privilege of going to an old age home, and I sat there and I spoke to the old folk and I greeted them one by one. Some were smiling, some were tearful, some seemed to be in another place - they were daydreaming, and I just thought, “Lord, each one of these precious souls has got such a story to tell.” They have walked such a long road. The one old lady was about to celebrate her 90th birthday.

This life is so short, it is like a vapour. I sat there and I remembered all the people that have gone home to be with Jesus, and were in that old age home that I visited, wonderful people with incredible testimonies and stories. Then this morning, I read this beautiful reading that I want to share with you. You have probably heard it before. It goes like this: “Only one life, it will soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.” Isn’t that so profound?

I was telling them that story of an old man who came to me many years ago and I now am also becoming an old man. I know! It’s a fact, you cannot get away from it. He said to me with tears in his eyes, “Angus, I cannot go down the well anymore, I am too old, but I can stand at the top and hold the rope for you.” So precious, and that rope is prayer.  And I encouraged those old folks, some of them can’t walk, some of them need to be assisted, “You can still participate, you can still serve Christ, and probably in the most valuable way of all, and that is by praying and interceding for others, especially for the young people who have still got to run the race and walk the road that they are walking."

Today, let us not waste any more time.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Christmas Day, 25th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. I want to wish every single one of you, my dear friends, a very blessed Christmas.

We start today in the Book of Isaiah 7:14:

”Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” 

What a beautiful word! I went to school with a young man named Emanuel, who was from a Portuguese background -  Emanuel Da Silva. Maybe he’s listening to this message on this Christmas Day. That was about 60 years ago. Folks, I want to say to you that that Scripture was prophesied about Jesus about 700 years before it took place because if we go to Matthew 1:23, it’s the exact same Scripture. What a day Christmas Day is for us as believers all over the world. 

Jesus Christ said to His Father, ”My people are struggling, Father. I’m going down to earth and I’m going to help them.” And because of that little innocent helpless baby born in that little manger, a feed trough in that stable in Bethlehem, you and I have hope. We have hope to get up again, dust ourselves off and keep up the good work for the Lord. We have hope in Jesus!

Folks, you know we used to do a lot of campaigns in the early days, in the 1980’s and we called it, “Hope in Jesus”. I want to encourage you today, whatever you do, wherever you go, encourage people and tell them there is hope in a hopeless situation because the Babe from the little manger in Bethlehem has told us it’s going to be alright. I have come that you might have life and that you might have it abundantly.

I want to pray for you as we close: 

Heavenly Father, 

I thank you for my dear friends who have been with me this past year, 2024. I pray that they’ll have a blessed day today with their loved ones, with their children, their grandchildren, and their families, and they will celebrate the birth of the greatest Person who has ever walked on the face of the earth, our beloved Lord Jesus Christ. 

Amen.

God bless you and happy, prosperous and peaceful Christmas be to you and yours, 
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Christmas Eve, the 24th of December, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

Now folks, it is probably the most important evening of the whole year! This is the night that we celebrate the birth of our beloved Saviour, dearest Friend, Jesus Christ. We go straight to the Gospel of Matthew 1:21:

“And she (Mary) will bring forth a Son (Jesus), and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

I want us to have just a little bit of a cautious thought about things. I know it is very hectic, especially for mothers in the home, making sure that the food is all prepared; the decorations have been put up; the extra beds have been made because Aunty and Uncle are coming to spend Christmas Eve with you; and the Christmas presents for the children for tomorrow, are all being wrapped up. In the hectic attitude of this season, do not forget the baby!  Do not forget that beloved baby -  it makes me want to cry. You know, behind me in my prayer room, I have a beautiful picture of the nativity, of Joseph, of Mary and of that little Darling, from Heaven, Jesus Christ. In the busyness of our lives, let us never forget the main thing. The main thing is, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. It is so easy to get so busy that we forget the main reason for Christmas Eve.

I want to tell you a little story. I was sitting right here in the same chair in my prayer room, and I heard little footsteps coming through the door of my prayer room, where nobody comes except my immediate family, and I looked around and there was my little granddaughter, she is only about five or six years old. She looked very shy because she knew I was busy, but praise God, she felt she could come and approach her grandfather, and she said, “Kulu”, with those big eyes. She was holding a tube, a bicycle tube in her hand, and I said, “What’s wrong?” She said, “My bicycle has got a puncture, and my cousin (who lives over the road) is coming to see me and we are going to go for a ride but my bicycle is not working. Could you help me?” (I am getting emotional!) I said, “Of course.” I stopped everything. I went out, I fixed the puncture at the back but there was also a puncture at the front. I fixed that. Then she had no oil for her chain, so we put oil on the chain. Then the seat was just a little bit high because it used to belong to her big brother, so I adjusted the seat. Then her cousin arrived and that little thing, if I had bought her a Lear Jet, it would not have meant the same, and off they went cycling together.

Please look after your children, especially the smallest ones. Do not neglect them at this time. Jesus loves the little children. 

Have a very precious Christmas Eve,
God bless you and goodbye.