Thought For Today

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

We start in the Book of Isaiah 40:1:

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” Says your God.

Folks, this is a time to comfort God’s people in every aspect and walk of life. They need God’s comfort. Now, when the Lord tells us to comfort His people, He does not mean that we need to go and visit somebody who has been through a tragedy with a whole lot of Bible verses. No - to comfort someone is to give them a big hug, be a listening ear, and sit and let them speak. To comfort someone is to call them and say, “Look, I just want to tell you that I am praying for you, that God loves you, and I love you.” A short message like “I have got your back.”

A day ago, one of my spiritual sons, a wonderful man of God, sent me a message, “I want you to know I have got your back.” Do you know what that does for a man? It makes his day. Now, on the flip side of the coin, the devil is saying to you, “No, no, don’t phone that person. They are too busy to listen to you. Don’t visit that person because you won’t even get an opportunity to speak to them. They are too important. Don’t even go there. Don’t trouble them. They won’t receive you.” That is a lie from the pit of hell. The devil says, “Don’t trouble her. She won’t listen to you.” I want to tell you, don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today. Remember the old saying, “A stitch in time saves nine”? Now, young man, young lady, what that means is, in the old days, your granny or great-granny didn’t have money to buy another shirt. As soon as there was a little tear in that shirt she would bring it in and sit down and stitch it up and that shirt would last forever. Today, we just chuck them away and get another one. 

I want to tell you, when the Holy Spirit says to you, “Comfort that person”, do it immediately. Do not wait. Now, the greatest comforter that ever lived is Jesus Christ; listen to these beautiful words He says in John 14:1, 

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.”

He has a place for you in Heaven. Did you know that? That should be more comforting than anything else. We are not going to be here forever. While we are here, let us keep our eyes on the Lord, and let us comfort His people.  

Have a wonderful day,
Jesus bless you and goodbye.

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

We start in 1 Peter 5:8-9: 

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith,…” 

We really need to understand something. The devil is a coward, a bully, and a liar, and he is a thief. His neck was broken on the cross of Calvary when Jesus died, and He said, “It is finished.” He meant it. But the devil tells us lies and if we do not arm ourselves with faith and walk closely with the Lord, he will destroy us by his lies and his accusations. He is like the lion who waits for the stragglers. If you look at the Maasai Mara and the great migrations of the wildebeest. Tens of thousands of them follow after the new grass, and who goes with them? Prides of lions. Those lions will never enter the middle of a herd of wildebeest or buffalo because they know they will be killed. They hang around the outside, waiting for the stragglers, for those that are lame, sick, or young and they pick them off.

“Greater is He who is within you that he that is in the world.”
1 John 4:4

We need to stand together, and understand that we are in Christ. Revelation 12:11: 

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” 

The devil cannot touch you if you are walking closely with the Lord and if you are walking closely with the brethren. That scripture goes on to say that the same sufferings that you are going through are experienced by the brotherhood in the world. You are not alone. You see, the devil tries to isolate you, and then he tells you you will never make it. It is a lie from the pit of hell. We need to walk together and walk by faith. We need to challenge the devil head-on with the Word of God, and he will back off. Have a wonderful day.

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 6th of February, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Book of Isaiah 39:4: 

And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” 

The prophet said to him, if you carry on reading, that “everything you have shown them in your house will be taken away from you and will be sent to Babylon, even your own family.”

Then we go to Matthew 7:6. This is the word of Jesus: 

“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.” 

There are certain things which are to remain private and within the family. When somebody comes to me and says to me, “You know, I shouldn’t really tell you this, but …” I stop them right there and say, “Before you go any further, I want you to know something, whatever you tell me I am going to go and tell everybody.” And all of a sudden, they are quiet. We need to guard our private family lives very carefully. 

Proverbs 10:19 says: 

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” 

Nothing is more destructive and damaging to a family when something private, spoken in confidence to a so-called friend, is leaked out and the public knows about it and it comes back to you in the crowd. Very destructive. Keep it quiet. Like that lady who has a beautiful recipe for some brand-new cake she is making, and she tells her friend in confidence because she is doing a little bit of business about it and she is selling her cakes all over the area, only to find out in a few weeks time that there is someone else who is baking the exact same cake and is in direct opposition to her. Very hurtful! I think we need to start to count to ten before we share personal things with others. 

That is why you have a patent. Now, the word patent means the sole right to exclude others from making, using or selling an invention. Keep it quiet until you register that patent and then you can tell the world. This is wise advice but especially in the family.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye. 

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 5th of February, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Book of Numbers 12:3: 

“(Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)” 

Then we go to verse 8 when God says:

”I speak with him face to face,…” 

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,…” 
1 Peter 5:6

We do not have to defend ourselves. Father God does that for those who remain humble in His sight. Some of us are so defensive that we do not give the Lord a chance to operate on our behalf. We really need to stand back and let Him defend us and justify our cause because He will. He loves us. He did it for Moses. Moses’ brother, Aaron, and sister, Miriam, said, “Do you think Moses is the only man that hears from God?” Moses didn’t say a word in defence. God stepped in. He said, “I speak to prophets through visions, but My servant, Moses, I speak to him face to face.” 

CH Spurgeon, the great Baptist preacher, shared a beautiful illustration I will never forget. He said, “God is the one who defends us.” He said, “It is like a little boy who goes down to the zoo every day after school and sits on a bench opposite the cage of a huge male African Lion, walking up and down. He loves that lion and as he sits there and watches him, some naughty boys come along, pick up stones and start throwing stones at this big, huge male lion. Because he loves the lion so much, the little boy stands in between the lion and these naughty boys, and he is taking the stones that they are trying to throw at the lion.” Spurgeon says, “All that little boy has to do is to open the gate and let the lion out.”

Oh my dear friend, why are we always trying to defend the Lord when He wants to defend us? Just open the gate and let the lion out!

Jesus bless you and goodbye. 

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 4th of February, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. Isaiah 38:5: 

"I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years." 

And then we go down to verse 8: 

"So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down."  

There is only one God. He is the absolute miracle worker! He can extend a man's life by 15 years just by a word. He can actually change the time. He can stop the sun going down. He can change the sundial by 10 degrees. Never underestimate the power of God, the ultimate creator of death and life. When he was about 100 years old, the Lord told Abraham, "You are going to have a child, you and your wife." He said, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:14). Why do you and I limit the Lord so often? It must really hurt Him when we doubt Him and His ability to help us. 

If we look at Matthew 6:30, this is what the Lord says: 

"Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"  

We really need to start to trust the Lord. I remember having to catch a flight to the USA years ago. I drove with my assistant, Clive, all the way down to Durban. Just before we got to the airport, there was a massive roadblock. A thirty-ton lorry had jack-knifed in the middle of the road, and the road was blocked for about half an hour. When we got to the airport, the lady said to us at the counter, "Sorry, Sir, the plane is full. We waited for you, but you never came and the counter is closed. I said, "Madam, we have to get to Johannesburg. I have got a plane going to America. They are waiting for me there." Then she said, "Let me have another look. I have two seats left, and they are in Business Class. If you hurry up, you will catch the plane." We caught the plane, went to the USA, and had an amazing time. 

"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these (other) things will be added unto you." 
Matthew 6:33.

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 3rd of February, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in the Book of Psalms 62:5:

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

Isn’t that so true? Who can we trust in this day and age? Only God. I read a beautiful devotional. A man of God said, “There are no disappointments for those whose wills are buried in the will of God.” There cannot be disappointments if our expectation is in God and not in man. We only get extremely upset, don’t we, when someone close to us, like a family member, lets us down?  

“He promised to pick me up at 7 o’clock and he didn’t come. I am so disappointed.“ 

“I really thought my son was going to excel in that subject and he failed.”

“I really thought that the government was going to come up to the mark and they have failed.” 

It makes us extremely disappointed and not only disappointed but even depressed. We need to trust in the Lord alone. Hebrews 13:5 says: 

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  

I have found in my own life that every time I put my trust in God, I am never disappointed. In fact, I am always amazed because God even excels in the very thing that I hoped for.

Today, do not put your hope in man but put your hope and your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He will not disappoint you.

Have a wonderful day,
Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 2nd of February, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in 1 Peter 5:2: 

“Shepherd the flock of God which is among you,…” 

And then just a little bit further down in verse 4:

”…and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.” 

We need to look after the sheep. This is a mandate from God Himself. We are talking to everyone this morning who loves Jesus Christ. We need to look after God’s sheep. 

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep;…” 
Psalm 119:176

You and I have an obligation. We have to tend Father God’s flock of sheep until the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, returns, and then we will receive our reward. I had a flock of sheep on my farm many years ago. A sheep is a very vulnerable animal. A sheep is probably the only animal that will not defend itself. It is very, very easily led; it has no idea of self-preservation. It is very easily stolen because it does not try to escape. If you are driving down a road and see a group of goats, you are safe. Those goats will not run across the road in front of your car, but if you see a flock of sheep, be very careful because they will run straight in front of your motorcar because sheep have no idea of danger. It has to be protected. This morning, the Lord Jesus Christ is asking you and I to please shepherd the flock until his return.

God bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 1st of February, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

Can you believe it? One month of 2024 has already passed us! Where is the time going? I want to speak to you today about time. If we go to the Gospel of John 11:9: 

"Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" 

Just that far. We must capitalise on the time we have left on this earth. Now, maybe I am speaking to somebody who says, "I don't know. I have got nothing to do in this world, nobody cares about me. I have got no work to do; what is the purpose of my being here?" I want to read something to you that came from a man by the name of William Arnott, and this is what he said. He said, "The mere fact that we are here on earth and not in Heaven, is proof that some work still awaits us." That is why you and I are not in Heaven, because our work here on earth is not completed. 

Now, get up this morning, dust yourself off, have a good shower, get yourself ready, and get smartly dressed so that people can see that you are an ambassador of Jesus Christ. Look in the mirror. Speak to that person in the mirror, say, "Wherever I go today, God is going with me", and then go out and live the day for the Lord. The Lord has got work for you, and He has got work for me. Remember, the mere fact that you and I are still on earth and not in Heaven means that work awaits us today. There is something the Lord Jesus Christ wants you and I to do for Him - maybe to wave to that person with a big smile, perhaps say to that little crying child, "Don't worry, Jesus loves you." Maybe you need to take a flower to that old lady or that old man who lives in the old-age home and tell them that Jesus loves them.  

Today is the day that we can use to benefit the Kingdom of God. Let's keep working till He calls us home. 

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 31st of January, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We start in 1 Peter 4:16: 

"Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.  

Peter says, just a little bit earlier on, if you are going to suffer, then suffer for something worthwhile. Don't suffer for being a thief or, a murderer or an evil-doer. Rather suffer for being a Christian because your reward at the end will be wonderful. If you are suffering because you are a thief, you are an evil-doer, at the end you will suffer even more when you go to hell for eternity. 

You know the old saying, it says," It takes a thief to catch a thief"? I am laughing because it is so true, isn't it? Look at the people that God has used to change the world: Moses - Moses was a murderer. Remember, he killed the Egyptian slave driver, and then he had to flee for his life. He is a giant in the faith. What about Paul, maybe the greatest of all the apostles? He was part and parcel of killing the first martyr in the New Testament, Stephen. That's right, he was the instigator. He was holding all their coats while they were stoning the man of God to death. What about Peter, himself, who wrote this very letter? He was a blasphemer. He kept changing feet; he was like a bull in a china shop. He just kept messing up. But the amazing thing is when these men and women, like Mary Magdalene - seven demons were cast out of her. She was an immoral woman, yet she became probably the most faithful of all to the Lord Jesus Christ; she never left Him, not right to the very end. 

I have seen it in my own life. I have seen people who I thought I would never, ever give a chance to, and then they get gloriously saved. They meet the Lord and become great ambassadors for Him. Charles Carlson, they call him "The Hatchet Man"; he was President Nixon's righthand man. They said he would walk over his own mother's grave to get something, but he got exposed; he got sent to jail in place of the president because the president never got sent to jail. In jail, he met Jesus, and after that, he started the Prison Fellowship, which went right around the world. 

So today, if I am talking to a man who is suffering, rather suffer for Jesus than for your wicked ways.

God bless you and goodbye. 

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 30th of January, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

We go to the Book of Isaiah 35:10: 

"And sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Isn't that beautiful? Then we go to the last book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation 7:17: 

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." 

Oh, what a promise! Are you taking a bit of strain at the moment this morning, my dear friend? Well, I have got good news for you. Just keep on going because home time is sooner and closer than you think. You know, I think of the trips I used to take to the top of the Drakensberg Mountains, which are about an hour and a half drive west of Shalom. They were exciting. We packed our rucksacks with all our food and equipment and set off. I often took groups of young men with me. The trip was hard, the trip was tough, the trip was very steep. When you start getting near the top, there is a lack of oxygen. You start battling to keep up. When you sleep at night, you sleep on hard ground, on rocks. There is no nice grass on the top of those mountains. You are eating dry rations, it is cold and windy, there is no sign of the summit in sight. Then, when you are really losing hope and plenty of tears are flowing, you go round a corner, and all of a sudden, you arrive on the top of the mountain - absolute joy and relief - "We made it! We got there!" I am talking about the journey to Heaven. That's exactly right, the highway that leads to Heaven. 

When you get the top of that mountain, who is waiting for you, arms outstretched? It's Jesus Himself. He has walked that road. He knows exactly how you are feeling. You are hungry, you are tired, your legs have been cut going through that rough rocky trail all the way to the top, and He waits for you and embraces you. He pulls you into His ample bosom, and He hugs you tight, and then He takes a towel, a nice soft towel that has been tied around His waist. Maybe, just maybe, that's the same towel that dried the feet of the disciples, and He takes that towel, and He wipes away all your tears and all the grime and the dust and the dirt, and He says to you, "Welcome home, my son, my daughter. In this place, there will be no more tears, there will be no more suffering. Come and enter into your rest."

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.