10/10/2021

Angus Buchan

10/10/2021

Good Counsel

October 10, 2021 • Angus Buchan • 2 Chronicles 10:10, Matthew 11:29

“My little finger shall be thicker than my father’s waist!”
2 Chronicles 10:10

That was spoken by a foolish young king. He had taken over from his father, who was none other than the wisest man who had ever lived, King Solomon himself and he went for counsel because the people came and said, “Lighten our burden and we will serve you.” The old elders said, “Listen to the people” but the young king went and listened to his friends, and they said, “Make it harder for them.” As a result of that foolish counsel, that young king lost his kingdom.

Do not disregard priceless advice, it is often given freely and in love. Here at Shalom, we have four elders - They are my personal advisors. They give me godly counsel. They are not 'yes men'. Often they ask me to reconsider my proposals. They make me go back to the drawing board and think about it before we make the final decision.

Many years ago, some young go-ahead bright farmers decided to grow a crop that had never been grown before in this area. We live, by the way, in a very misty area - It is called the mist-belt. That means that it is always damp and rainy in the summertime. The older farmers in the area said that the particular crop would not grow in this area but the young dynamic farmers did not take notice - They did not take heed.

They planted that crop. Initially, the fields looked beautiful. They were rich and golden and heavy for yielding but when it came time to harvest the field the crop fell over. It lay on the ground, became mouldy and the combine harvesters could not take it off. We need to listen to the counsel of men and women who have been there before.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:29:
”…learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Go out today and listen to the counsel of experienced people who have been there before. They will save you a lot of pain and a lot of tears.

God bless you and have a lovely Sunday.
Goodbye.

20/09/2024

September 20, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Luke 21:29–30

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 20th of September, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go straight to the Book of Luke 21:29-30: “Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.” Just outside my prayer room, I have a beautiful little fig tree that was given to me for my birthday by my young daughter. I planted it and when I went out a couple of days ago, a beautiful big green leaf has come out the top of the tree, beautiful indeed! Now, I know for a fact, because I am a farmer, that when the fig tree starts to push new leaves, we know that summer is here. The Lord says the shepherd knows - he gets up in the morning, and he sees that the sky is red and he knows that the weather is going to be quite hectic today, maybe rain, maybe a cold front, and so he prepares his flock in the case of a storm, especially when the sheep are lambing down. But that same shepherd, when he sees a red sky in the evening, he knows there will be no rain. It will be a lovely day tomorrow. The Lord says, we can discern the weather, but why can we not see the signs of the times and the coming of the Lord? He is telling you and me, very clearly this morning, to get prepared because He is coming back for us like a thief in the night. Now, a thief never tells you when he is coming, he comes secretly and he comes immediately. The Lord is going to come the same way. There will be no more warnings, He has given us many warnings. When we look around us and we see what is happening in this tired old world of ours, we know. I have heard many old christians say to me, “How much worse must it get before the Lord comes?” We see immorality like we have never seen before, people sticking their tongue out at the Lord and saying, “What are you going to do about it, Lord?” No fear of God! We see what is happening in the weather, we see the economy, we see the politics, and all we say as believers is, “Come Lord Jesus”, just like John said at the end of the Book of Revelation. Now, I have told you this before, I have written something right at the back of my Bible, next to the last verse in the last book in the Bible, “Keep short accounts with God and short accounts with man.” Be ready when the trumpet blows because we will be leaving immediately. Now, that is not scary, that’s exciting. It’s scary if you are not ready but if you are ready, all we can say is, “Come Lord Jesus, come!” Have a wonderful day and remember, the fig tree has already pushed out it’s first leaf. Goodbye.

19/09/2024

September 19, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Matthew 15:37, Exodus 16:14, Exodus 16:31

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 19th of September, 2024 and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Matthew 15:37: ”So they all ate and were filled,…” Our Lord Jesus Christ never sends anyone away hungry. He always feeds His people. Father God fed the children of Israel in the wilderness for forty years, every single day, with manna from heaven. Now what does the word, “manna” mean? It literally means, “what is it?” That is the actual meaning of the word, “manna” - “what is it?” Well, according to Exodus 16:14, it was small, round substance as fine as frost on the ground. You and I must get up early in the morning and He will feed us every single day with spiritual food. You see, when the sun came up and started to shine and it got hot, that manna literally melted, and they tried to keep enough for the second day but it didn’t work, it just went rotten. They had to get it every single morning, and by the way, it was delicious. Exodus 16:31 tells us it was like white coriander seed and the taste was like wafers made with honey. Wow, every single morning! Now, you and I also need to get up early in the morning and receive our spiritual manna from the Lord. We need to do it before the cares and worries of this world melt the food. You see, it doesn’t really work when we are trying to wing it. Driving to work, getting the children ready for school, we start thinking about other things, and that is why many of us are suffering from spiritual malnutrition. We are spiritually dying because we are not receiving that manna every morning. It’s no good trying to get it once a week, it won’t sustain you. The Lord gives us enough for every single day. As we close, I want to pray for you today. Heavenly Father, I pray for my dear friends who are suffering from spiritual malnutrition. They are starving to death spiritually. I pray that as of today, Lord, they will start to get up every single morning and they will receive that beautiful white coriander seed with a taste like wafers made with honey every day, and that will strengthen them Lord, to face every challenge in this life. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen. God bless you and have a wonderful day, Goodbye.

18/09/2024

September 18, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Hebrews 13:8, Matthew 15:31

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 18th of September, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Gospel of Matthew 15:31: “So the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed made whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel.” Oh folks, it is amazing when you see a miracle take place! It really does something to your faith, doesn’t it? It lifts it right up. I remember many years ago, holding a huge campaign on the north coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal at a place called Salt Rock. We were bringing in crowds of people every single night in buses. The one night, the tent was packed full, there was a presence of the Holy Spirit, there was an expectation of miracles, signs and wonders, and a man came up onto the platform. He was actually one of the bus drivers, he had a turban on his head, he was of the Sikh faith and he came up with his father, and his father said, “My son is mute, he cannot speak.” Well, we anointed him with oil, we prayed the prayer of faith, I took the mic, I put it to his mouth and I said, “Say “Jesus,” and he opened his mouth wide and he said, “Jesus!” Well, the tent went wild. It was an incredible night! Jesus Christ is the Miracle-worker! He is the same yesterday, and today and forevermore. I want to say to you that there is nothing that is too hard for the Lord. The Lord is the same yesterday, He is the same today and He is the same forever. (Hebrews 13:8). I really want to say to you today, trust the Lord because He is alive and because He is alive, we can face tomorrow. Do you remember that old song, “Because He lives I can face tomorrow”? Let’s sing it together: God sent His son, they called Him Jesus He came to love, heal, and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon, An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives. And because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives. So go out today and trust the Lord for your miracle. That is all we have to do, we have to believe, and then let the Lord work through our lives. Receive your healing today in Jesus name. God bless you and goodbye.