Thought For Today

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 16th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Philippians 3:14.  Paul the Apostle says:

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

Pressing hard towards the finish line! Do not tap off at the end. If you forget everything else about this message, don’t forget what I have just said. Do not tap off, but rather press hard right through to the finish line. Run right through that finish tape, and Jesus is waiting for you and me, right behind that line with arms wide open, saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and enter into thy rest.” 

Last night I was watching the Olympic Games and these amazing athletes, breaking world records and doing the most amazing things. They have been training hard for years for that one last half second to get the gold medal. The race was one of those middle-distance races, and the one man had it all sewn up. He was far ahead of everybody else and he was coming towards the finish line and he tapped off, just for a moment folks, I think he had 10 metres to run and he was quite relaxed, he thought he had it in the bag, and out of the blue, one of his opponents came screaming through and took the gold medal. He was devastated, I could see it on his face, he couldn’t believe it, he tapped off right at the end. He had 10 metres to go, and he would have got the gold medal and been the champion of the world, but he had to settle for the silver medal because he did not finish his race strong. He did not run right to the very end of the race.

I want to say to you today, and I am talking to myself, we need to finish strong. The Lord is not interested in good starters, He is interested in good finishers, and the only way we are going to do that is to keep ourselves focused on the goal, right to the end. I am talking about the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 

Today, concentrate on finishing your race, don’t be concerned about getting everybody else into line. Make sure that you yourself are focused on your race and you will win it with a gold medal.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 15th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Micah 7:6-7:

“For son dishonours father, Daughter rises against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household. Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me.”

That is quite a tough scripture, isn’t it?

Then we go to Psalm 62:5:

“My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.”

It is very unfair to put so much expectancy on our loved ones. That’s where the trouble comes in the home. You must remember, our loved ones are only human, like we are, and they shall disappoint us many times. Children at university fail the year, devastation at home, absolute devastation, but look at the situation before you judge your child. You don’t know what they are going through at varsity. On the sports field - so your son did not get the gold medal, he only got the silver medal, my goodness me, folks! What did we get? We didn’t even make the team! And it’s not a joke.

In the business domain, just because your next-door neighbour has bought a new motorcar, don’t put pressure on dad and say, “Why haven’t we got one?” Never compare your loved ones with other people. When you got married, you made a covenant before the Lord. You said, “For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,” so we need to stick to our covenant. So what is the solution? Well, the solution is found in Micah 7:7. So we will trust the Lord, put your expectancy on God, not on your children, not on your parents, not on your loved ones. 

Let’s have a good hard look at ourselves first before we start to humiliate our loved ones, especially in public. I have seen it - because a child doesn’t get the first prize, the mother or the father humiliates that child in front of everybody else. “Why didn’t you do it?” “Well, dad, mom, I tried my best.” “That’s not good enough!” That is very painful indeed, like the young man who had just become the world champion bull rider. I don’t think there is a more dangerous sport on earth, and he ran up to his dad, “Dad, I got it, I won it, I got the prize, I made the million dollars!” His dad turns around and says, “Yes, that’s good but let’s see how long you can keep it.” His son was absolutely devastated.

Dad, mom, when your child comes home and you look at that report from school and you see that he only got 95% this time, “Why didn’t you get 98% like last time?” Don’t be foolish. We need to exercise more grace.

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 14th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Matthew 10:32:

“Therefore, the one who confesses and acknowledges Me before men [as Lord and Saviour, affirming a state of oneness with Me], that one I will also confess and acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven.”

What a beautiful promise from God, but verse 33 is a very serious verse:

“But the one who denies and rejects Me before men, that one I will also deny and reject before My Father who is in heaven.” 

To use that Name in some countries is enough to get your head cut off. That Name is above all names. Jesus Christ is Lord! Just making a statement like that in some countries will have you arrested and put into prison. Some people will be shunned by their families and disowned, and people have a funeral service because they say that “that member of our family is now dead.” Oh yes, some young people are shunned by their friends because of that name, Jesus Christ.

But we can’t hold it in, can we? We cannot keep it in. That Name calms the storm, it breaks the heart of a sin-hardened man. I have seen it, men in prison, many coming to Christ by that Name. It lights up hope in the eyes of a sick child. It takes away bitterness and hatred and turns it into love and forgiveness. A mother calling that Name beside the bed of a small child, it just dispels the fever and leaves the little soul healed. A dying saints last words before he dies, whispers the Name of Jesus. Emperors have tried to destroy it, tyrants have tried to stamp it out but it still stands. The day is coming, my dear friend, when every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! (Philippians 2:10)

I want to sing that little song. It is called, “There Is Something About That Name”:

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
There is just something about that Name,
Master, Saviour, Jesus,
Like a fragrance after the rain.

Oh, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,
Let all heaven and earth proclaim, 
Kings and kingdoms will all pass away,
And there is something about that Name.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

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

We go to Ephesians 5:8:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

We have got to walk the talk. It's not just about talking but its about being. Now I heard a beautiful story about the first President of the United States of America, George Washington. He was a farmer and he was very successful. He was then called by the people to stand against the mighty British army, and eventually they had the War of Independence, where the Americans defeated the British and there was great celebration, and they loved George Washington. In fact, they wanted him to become the first King of America, but he declined, he said no. He wanted to go back to the farm and pursue his love for farming but there was a lot of arguing amongst the leaders of America after the war, and he was very upset about it. He called a meeting with all the top leaders of America together in one room, and he had painstakingly written out a speech that he wanted to present to them to get them to pull together. He read the speech out but there wasn’t too much of a response. He could see that the men were still arguing about who was going to have what and who was going to take authority in which area. 

Then the story goes like this - George Washington, who was about 51 years old, reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of wire-ringed glasses. He put them on and said, “This war has made my hair turn grey, and now I am even going blind”, and then he read the note. That doing, that being, impacted those men more than anything else. Some of them started to weep openly when they saw what the War of Independence had cost this man, and they pulled into line, and he became the first President of the United States of America and served two terms in office before he returned back to his farm. 

Today, remember it's not really so much what you say, its not really so much what we do but its rather who we are which makes the difference.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,

Goodbye. 

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 12th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Matthew 10:31:

“Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

I can hear somebody saying to me, “But you know, I have woken up this morning, and I feel that no one cares for me. I don’t have a friend in the world. Everything is going wrong for me. My family has deserted me.” Jesus says that He loves you more than you can believe! He says that He knows if one sparrow falls to the ground. He says you can buy two sparrows for a copper coin but He says, “I know you more and I love you more than anybody else.” He says, “I even know how many hairs are on your head.” Isn’t that beautiful? So why are worried? Why are you lonely? Why are you fearful? Jesus says, “I will never leave you and I will never, ever forsake you.” I read a beautiful reading once about a definition of faith. Faith is not in what we know but in what we do not know and yet believe.

My dear friend, today I really want to encourage you to trust the Lord. He has promised you that He loves you so much, He died for you. He says, “I know exactly what is waiting for you up ahead.” He says, “I am going before you, I am making a way for you. Speak to Me, spend time with me, I love you and I want fellowship with you.” It’s not about other people liking you or not liking you. It is not about other people taking care of you. He will take care of you, so if you seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and His righteousness, all these things shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33). 

So today, go out, knowing - knowing that the Lord has got everything in control. If He is a God who does not allow a sparrow to fall to the ground without His knowing, then He knows everything about you, and if He knows everything about you, you have got nothing more to be worried about. 

Have a wonderful day,
Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 11th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Acts 4:13:

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realised that they had been with Jesus.”  

Whoever you spend time with, that is who you eventually become like, is that not so? You know, all my sons are farmers, I am a farmer. An engineer - you will find very often, his sons will become engineers. A nurse, her daughters will become nurses or doctors. Remember, your children do not always do what you tell them to do but they normally do what we do, and that is quite scary, isn’t it? 

If you love and honour your wife then your sons will do the same with their wives. If you love and submit to your husband, your daughters will do the same to their husbands. Now, if you truly love Jesus Christ, your children will also love the Lord. Proverbs 22:6 says: 

“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.”

Now I feel burdened at the moment for some parents whose children are in the far country and they are so worried about them because they know they are not serving the Lord. I want to tell you, if you brought up your son or your daughter in the fear of the Lord and they have seen Jesus in your life, they will come home, just like the Prodigal Son eventually came home to his father, after he had just wasted all his money on foolish things and his father welcomed him home. Keep the door open and say, “You can come home anytime you like, but remember, you are coming home under the conditions that you obey the way in which we live in this house, and that is to love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of your heart.” And they will come home. I am going to pray for you:

Father,

I really want to pray for parents who have children who are just not pulling their weight. They are rebellious, they are not listening to what their parents are saying. Lord, please give mom and dad patience, and Lord, whatever it takes, please bring that wayward child back home, and normally, Lord, they end up the strongest Christians of all. I pray, Father, that they do not have to suffer too much before they realise that they are on the wrong road. I ask these things in Your precious name, Amen.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 10th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Gospel of Mathew 10:8:

”Freely you have received, freely give.”

That’s good news. It is for free! You can’t buy it, it’s not for sale. You can’t earn it, you just have to receive it. What are we talking about? We’re talking about salvation, when Jesus says, ”Come unto me.” It’s for free. Jesus paid for everything. He paid for it when He died for our sins on the Cross at Calvary.

Do you remember Peter, the big fisherman? He was the leader of the pack, do you remember? He said to the Lord, ”You’re not going to wash my feet,” in fact you can see that in John 13:8: “You shall never wash my feet!” The Lord said,“If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” Remember? Then Peter said, ”Then Lord, wash all over my body.”

A thing called pride is what keeps many of us back from opening our hearts completely to the Lord. You see a lot of us were born and bred in the old school. If you can’t pay for it then you don’t take it. Now, that’s not a bad principle because there are too many greedy people in this world, but there comes a time when you’ve just got to say thank you -  that’s all you have to say. It’s a hard lesson I’ve had to learn, but if you don’t do that then the Lord says, ”Then I can’t do anything for you.” He told the disciples, ”Freely you received now go and freely give.”

I remember a story once, a gentleman that they invited to one of our meetings said, ”I’m not going to go. I know those evangelists. It’s just a money making racket,” and the people said,” No but they don’t charge anything. You don’t have to buy a ticket, they don’t even take a collection.” Then he said, ”Well! In that case I’m going to come and see.” He did come and he gave his life to Christ. You and I have received salvation freely, we can’t pay for it, we can’t earn it. All we have to say is, ”Lord, thank you very much,” and go out and tell other people too. The Gospel of Christ is given freely and let them accept it and appreciate it and enjoy it. 

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day as you go out and give the Gospel freely to a dying world,
Goodbye

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 9th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the first book of the Bible, the Book of Genesis 2:24:

”Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

What a beautiful scripture! Then to confirm that we go to the Book of Mathew 19:6, Jesus speaking:

”So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man
separate.”

In South Africa we are celebrating Women’s Day. I don’t know what it’s like in your part of the world but I love to celebrate Women’s Day because my best friend is a woman, her name is Jill.

If you look at the Oxford dictionary the definition of a friend is, “a person that you know well and you like. It is a confidant.” I can tell you something now, that wife of mine is my number one advisor. As a young man, I used to love to tell her to jump into the pickup, take her around the fields and show her my crops of potatoes or maize or beans, whatever we were growing. If we bought new cattle, the first person I wanted to show the new cattle, that new bull, that cow, I wanted my wife to see it first. “What do think, Jill?” She would always encourage me and say, ”Beautiful!”

When we were newly married we didn’t have a lot of money, most young people haven’t, but for us to go and buy a hamburger and sit in the field was amazing. I’ve dined and wined with lots and lots of well-known people, in very plush five-star hotels, but that hamburger in the fields with my best friend, aah, it tops it all.

I’ll never forget the first time I bought a motorcar for Jill and I, actually for Jill, I had a pickup. She had been visiting my parents in Kenya, she’d come home, I picked her up at the airport and I took her out into the carpark. I said, ”I’ve got a surprise for you.” I took her to an old bashed up pick-up that was sitting there, I think it had a box of chickens on the back, and I said, ”Look at our new vehicle.” And she didn’t know what to say. She’s a very gracious person, and then she said, ”No, well, that’s nice.” Then I took her to the next row of cars and I had bought her a Mercedes Benz, imported from Germany, second-hand, but it was in good condition. She couldn’t believe it! The first thing she said to me was, ”Where did you get the money from?” I said, ”Don’t worry about that,” because she is my best friend.

I want to say to the men today, let’s spoil our ladies. Let’s spoil the women, our daughters, our sisters, our mothers, don’t forget the mothers, our grannies and your wife.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day, 
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 8th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We go straight to the Book of Genesis 18:14, the Lord said to Sarah:

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Remember Sarah was laughing because she was almost 100 years old and the Lord said, “You are going to have a baby,” and she couldn’t believe it. I want to tell you, my dear friend, that I believe in miracles. Now if you forget everything else today remember what I’ve just said - I believe in miracles!

As I was going to prepare this message, I had a phone call, and it was somebody very close to me, who reminded me of an incident that took place at the Krugersdorp “Speak Jesus Campaign” that took place a couple of years ago. It was a wonderful event. The Holy Spirit was present in a mighty way. It was quite busy and there was an usher directing the traffic. He was stopping the traffic so the pedestrians could cross over at this very busy intersection. One of the pedestrians walked up to him and said to him, ”I’ve just found a bunch of car keys for a Mercedes Benz motor car. I wonder if maybe you can make an announcement over the radio and ask anybody who’s lost keys to come to collect them?” 

He said he put the keys in his back pocket and he forgot about them and he carried on directing the traffic. About forty minutes later when the service was over and all the people were leaving, and it was a huge open air meeting. He was talking to somebody when he felt a tug on his shirt. He turned around and a man said, ”Can I speak to you please?” He said, ”No problem, what can I help you with?” He said, ”I have just lost my car keys. Do you know of anybody that might have picked them up?” The usher turned around and smiled did the protocol and said, ”What did the keys look like?” This man described everything exactly, and the usher took the keys out of his pocket and said, ”Here are your keys.” Now the man was overwhelmed. Now listen to this, this is the important part of the story, he said, ”Just a few minutes ago at the alter call, I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I prayed the sinner’s prayer and as I started to walk back to my car I felt that my keys were gone and I said to the Lord, ”Lord, if You are for real and this commitment I’ve made is real, then I’m going to speak to the first man that I find, in a massive crowd of people, and Lord I want that man to have my car keys.”

He walked straight up to this usher now there’s hundreds of people going back to their cars and there the keys were. I want to tell you that our God is a miracle working God, trust Him folks, He will never let you down!

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day, 
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 7th of August, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Gospel of Matthew 9:28-29:

“And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”
Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 

And the blind men’s eyes were opened. The key there is, “be it according to our faith.” Now, in Luke 17:5, the disciples said to the Lord, “Please increase our faith.” That is a good prayer and I am going to pray that prayer for you at the end of this little message. I can hear somebody say, “But how do you get that faith to trust God for a miracle?” Well, the answer is found in the Book of Romans 10:17:

“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

When you spend time reading your Bible, spend time praying, God increases your faith. Abraham is regarded as the father of faith. The Bible tells us in James 2:23:

“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
And he was called the friend of God.” 

He is the only man that we hear of in the Bible that is called the friend of God, because he believed. Faith is not a feeling, faith is a fact.

”For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:7

And by the way, it is never a walk in the park! It is not easy. Let me tell you, many a time when we step out in faith things seem to get harder, don’t they, than easier? But the reward is mind-blowing. Aah, friends, I haven’t got time to tell you of the things that God has done when we trust Him. The secret is the prayer of faith. That’s what moves the hand of God, not prayer, the prayer of faith. You have to believe what you are praying, and we need to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Father, 

I want to pray for my friends, listening to this message. Many are in deep trouble, they need help. Lord, even as the two blind men said, “Lord please, heal us”, and the Lord said, “Do you believe that I can do this?” And they said, “Yes.” I pray for my friend, Lord, listening to this very message that You will increase their faith to believe You for the impossible. 

In Jesus name, 

Amen. 

God bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.