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10/06/2021

A Mustard Seed

June 10, 2021 • Angus Buchan

“Then He said, To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.”
Mark 4:30-32

God always honours faith. You know faith is contagious, that is right! It is catchy, not faith in faith, but rather faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. God always honours that act - He doesn’t want our effort or even our good deeds, he wants us to have faith in Him.

A simple memory verse for someone who has trouble memorising God’s word:

“Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22

Why we might ask... Because when we plant the seed of faith, Jesus makes it grow and our Heavenly Father receives all the praise, all the honour and all the glory. People will say, “He could never have done that in his own strength.” Do you remember in the Bible how God used a young teenager, a shepherd boy maybe 13 or 14 years old, to kill a battle-hardened, 9-foot tall warrior? Not using a weapon but just using a slingshot and a stone? Do you remember how God used a stick in the hand of a mere mortal by the name of Moses to part, not a lake, but an ocean and to make an entire nation pass through on dry land to the other side?

I believe that today Jesus is asking you and me to plant our mustard seed of faith and then not to dig it up but to sit back and watch it grow. When it becomes the largest tree in the garden don’t forget to give God the glory.

Go out today by faith and be a blessing to this dying world.
Goodbye and God Bless.

19/04/2024

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.

18/04/2024

April 18, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Psalm 27:1, Matthew 28:20, Philippians 4:13

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 18th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.  We start in Psalm 27:1: The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? Then we go to Matthew, the Gospel of Matthew 28:20, the last verse in the Book of Matthew:  “…I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  You and I can never be alone. Jesus has promised us that He will be with us always. We must always add His resources to our own when we are making calculations. That is what F B Meyer says, and I agree. When you sit down and work out your budget, when you are working on your spreadsheet and making plans for your future, always put it next to it with a little + sign, “But God.” So when people come to you and say it will never happen, it is too big, just answer two words, “But God!” Remember, we can do all things through Christ Jesus, who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13) William Carey, who translated the Bible from English into many different Indian languages, was just a cobbler. People mocked him and said, “You are a shoemaker, aren’t you?” He said, “No, I can’t make shoes, I can only repair them.” Yet God used that man because He brought God into all his calculations. He became the Chief Interpreter to the High Court of Delhi. A country boy, just a man who could repair shoes, why? Because he added God into all his calculations. He added God into all his resources. He said, “Attempt great things for God and expect great things from God.” Today, remember to add “But God” to all your calculations, and you will be surprised at what things you can do for the King. Jesus bless you and have a lovely day. God bless you and goodbye.

17/04/2024

April 17, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Psalm 34:7, Psalm 147:3, 2 Corinthians 12:10

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 17th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.  We start in Psalm 34:7:  “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.”     “He heals the brokenhearted  And binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 In the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 12:10, simply says:  “For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  And we ask ourselves the question - how come? Well, it’s because when we get out of the way and let God take over, He makes us strong. You know, proud people are often very lonely people. When we come to the Lord Jesus because we just can’t go on anymore, that’s the time that He takes over. It happened in my life and I am sure it has happened in your life. He says, “I can,” just when you say, “Lord, that’s it. I cannot do it anymore.” Maybe you are in that position today.  As an evangelist, always the highlight of any service for me, is when we make the altar call. We ask people to come forward and to lay their burdens down at the altar rail, at the foot of the Cross. We see instant and miraculous changes taking place. It is quite something. You see a whole crowd turn in an instant from being down-hearted, fearful and afraid. All of a sudden, they start to smile, there is a real sparkle in their eyes. Many are weeping because they are free from the chains and the shackles of guilt and condemnation. It’s definitely the highlight for me, every single time, and I never, ever get used to it. Billy Graham always used to sing a song, “Just as I am, without one plea”, as the people started to come forward, and I have done it myself many times. It is a very special hymn, it’s a deep hymn, it’s a hymn that sets the captive free, it heals the brokenhearted. That hymn, you know that hymn, maybe you would like to sing it with me?  Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy blood was shed for me, And that Thou bidds’t me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come! Just as I am, though tossed about With many a conflict, many a doubt, Fightings and fears, within and without, O Lamb of God, I come, I come! Jesus bless you, Have a wonderful day,  Goodbye.