19/04/2024

Angus Buchan

19/04/2024

Fasting

April 19, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Isaiah 58:6–7

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 19th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Isaiah 58:6-7:

“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:

To loose the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the heavy burdens,

To let the oppressed go free,

And that you break every yoke?

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,

And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;

When you see the naked, that you cover him,

And not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (your own family)

This is the chapter on fasting, going without food. Now, to fast is very important. Jesus did it for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. It is a very good practice. It brings the body into subjection with the spirit. It is necessary for each believer to do. However, the Lord says, ”but this is the kind of fasting that I have chosen.” We have got to be doers of God’s Holy Word. We have got to lift the burdens of the oppressed, we have got to share our food with the hungry, we have got to give a bed to those who have no roof over their heads, and we must not hide ourselves from our own families. Jesus says, if we do this, then the light will break forth like the morning, and healing will spring up speedily and then the glory of the Lord will be our portion, and then when we call on the Lord, He will answer us and He will say, “Here I am.” Today, we need to be doers of God’s word.

I remember my dear old dad just after I had led him to the Lord. I said to him, “Dad, we have got to fast as well now that we are Christians, and that old Scotsman looked at me with those blue eyes of his, and he said, “Laddie, fast?” He said, “I fasted for three and a half years.” You see, he was a prisoner of war in the Second World War. He was imprisoned in Germany and Italy. That didn’t impress him so much as when he saw us taking care of the poor and the needy. That impacted my dad’s life more than anything else.

Today, yes, we must fast but let us fast as the Lord says - by taking care of those who are hurting, those who are lonely and those who are fearful.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,

Goodbye.

12/05/2024

May 12, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Luke 1:46–48, Matthew 7:7

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 12th of May, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in Luke 1:46-48: And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed." That was spoken by the mother of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. I want to say right at the beginning, a very, very special and precious Mother's Day to every mother and to every prospective mother listening to this message. At the end of this message I want to pray for young ladies who are unable to fall pregnant. I really feel the Lord wants me to pray for you, that you too will become a mother. When we look back at the history of the Bible, starting right at the back of the Old Testament, with Abraham. Remember, Sarah was unable to fall pregnant, and then the Lord blessed her with a son and his name was Isaac. And it goes right through the Bible. Hannah couldn't have a baby and then God gave her Samuel, which some regard as the greatest of all the prophets. We go right on to Elizabeth. Elizabeth couldn't have a baby. She fell pregnant very late in life, and John the Baptist was born through Elizabeth. Jesus Himself said, "There has never been a man born from the womb of a woman who is greater than John the Baptist." And we can go on and on - Samson's mother couldn't fall pregnant. I want to say to you today, mothers, we love you, we cherish you and we appreciate you, and I want to say particularly to fathers, husbands, I want to say to young men, appreciate your mother while you still have her. I remember my own mother very, very specially. She was a wonderful woman and I look forward to seeing her in Heaven. I had the privilege of praying the Sinner's Prayer with my mom. I led her to Christ. It was one of the highlights of my entire life. Now, I am going to pray for those young women who are unable to fall pregnant: Father, Your word says, "Ask and you will receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be answered unto you." I pray for these women right now in Jesus' name, that You will give them the desire of their heart. They want to have a baby. I ask you to honour this prayer in Jesus' mighty name, Amen. God bless you mom. Get up in the morning, look into that mirror and start speaking. Dad, start calling her "mother" because she is going to have a baby. And when that mother becomes pregnant, please contact us. I want to rejoice with you. Jesus bless you, and Happy Mother's Day! Goodbye.

11/05/2024

May 11, 2024 • Angus Buchan • 1 Corinthians 15:58

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 11th of May, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to 1 Corinthians 15:58 “…be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord’ The Amplified Bible says: ”Always doing your best and doing more than is needed.” I read a beautiful reading by Bishop Ryle who lived many, many years ago. He said: Activity in doing good is one recipe for being cheerful Christians. It is like exercise to the body and it keeps the soul in health.” Doing good makes cheerful Christians. It keeps us spiritually fit. Just like exercise, going to the gym, keeps us physically fit, when we do Christian deeds for others, it makes us spiritually strong. Remember, no man is an island. We were never created to be on our own. We were created by the Lord to help one another. There are no lone rangers in the Kingdom of God. We really need to help each other. Now, I have told you this story before, but it is worth hearing a second time, and this is a true story about a young man, many years ago, in this district where we live. He was looking for a job. He was riding on his horse and in those days the district roads all had gates which led from one farm to the other, and he heard this old motorcar coming from behind, probably a Model-T Ford, and an old couple were driving this motorcar and he jumped from his horse and opened the gate to let them go through. They tipped their hats and said, “Thank you,” and he closed the gate behind, got on his horse and the motorcar stopped just ahead, and as he rode up, the old gentleman said, “Where are you going, son?” He said, “I am looking for a job, sir.” So he said, “Well come along, come along to my farm and I will give you a job, it’s right down the road”, and that is exactly what he did. That young man eventually inherited that farm because the old farmer and his wife never had any children. So, by opening that gate and doing something good as a Christian, he inherited a farm. Today, we don’t do it for any return or reward, we do it because it is what God wants us to do, to help one another and to be cheerful about it. Go out today, make that phone call, take that bunch of flowers to your teacher at school, send a text message and tell people you are praying for them. It will do you the world of good. Jesus bless you and goodbye.

10/05/2024

May 10, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Genesis 46:34, Matthew 7:6

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 10th of May, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Genesis 46:34 - This is Joseph speaking to his brothers: “…that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; (Now, listen to this) for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.” “Every shepherd is repulsive to the Egyptians.” The Amplified Version says. Then we go to Matthew 7:6, this is Jesus speaking: “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.” Very, very strong words. They are spoken by the Lord, Himself, and the Old Testament reading spoken by Joseph to his brothers, when they came to Egypt. This really shocked me when I read this scripture initially from Genesis. You and I need to be very careful. Joseph was a very wise man and he told his brothers, “Don’t say you are shepherds”, because actually that is what they were. In fact, God said to Peter, on the shores of Lake Galilee, “Do you love Me?” He said, “I love You, Lord.” He said, ”Feed My sheep.” So Peter was a shepherd, a shepherd of the flock. We need to be very sensitive when we share our faith with people in the world. Some don’t understand, some don’t want to understand and some will actually get quite aggressive towards you. We need to pick the time. Often I say, “Tell the first three people you meet, after you give your life to Christ, what you have done, and I still maintain that, but we need to be clever. The Bible says we must be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. So when we share our testimony with somebody, we must pick the right time and the right place, otherwise we will be rejected severely. That’s why it wasn’t a lie that Joseph was telling his brothers not to tell the Egyptians. He said, “Tell them that we are keepers of livestock and not shepherds.” I want to say to you today, we never apologise for our faith, we are never ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, but we need to be very, very wise if we want to lead people to Christ. So today, when you go out, just be very careful who you share with and when you share it, but never hold back on the truth. Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day, Goodbye.