One of my favourite scriptures in the Bible is Luke 9:62:
“But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
There is no turning back for us. Why do we want to go back to Egypt - To eat melons and cucumbers, to have a place to bury our dead? That is what the people of Israel wanted to do when it got tough in the desert. They wanted Moses to take them back to the old places. We cannot possibly plough a straight line if we keep on looking back.
You know, the Bible tells us in John 8:36:
“Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”
Why do you want to go back to Egypt?
We need to press forward... We really need to keep our eyes fixed on heaven, eternity.
Years ago, I heard a story of a muscovy duck, a big fat plump muscovy duck with small little wings. He had never flown in all his life, running up and down that chicken run in all the mud, flapping his little wings... as much food as he wanted to eat. He looked up to the sky and he heard the cry of a flock of spur-winged geese flying in that V-formation. They weren’t fat, no. They were actually quite lean and thin. They had a few holes in their wings by some farmer’s shotgun but they were free, free indeed. We really need to keep our focus on the goal - the destination!
A couple of days ago, I was flown to the Northern Cape and folks, I want to tell you, I saw something I will never forget as long as I live. No, there weren’t hundreds of thousands of people there but there were farmers and businessmen, there were boys and girls. There were old people, there were policemen, there were all kinds of people with resilience in their hearts who are destined to finish the race. I have never been so moved in my life. They flew me and some faithful men from the farm, in an aeroplane, to the Northern Cape and then in a helicopter right into the middle of the bush where it has been burnt. There is nothing left, only wind and dust.
I tell you what, the people were sitting underneath thorn trees trying to keep out of the sun, this was at 12 o’clock - midday. They had been waiting from 9 in the morning. When I started preaching, at times I couldn’t see them for that red dust that was getting blown, the whirlwinds of dust and heat and wind. They never moved, they sat there. I want to tell you I saw young children, it made me cry, come running up to hug me. They were determined that they were going to pray for rain and we are believing that the rain is on its way.
I saw a 92-year-old man get out of a wheelchair, that’s right, and walk with the assistance of two young men to the altar to recommit his life to Christ. I saw something that I will never forget as long as I live - These people are ploughing in a straight line. They are not going back to Egypt, no, no, no! They are waiting for the rain to come and it will come because our Rainmaker is faithful and true. His Name is Jesus!
Today, keep your focus on the goal and do not look behind you.
God bless you and have a wonderful day.
15/10/2021
Plough Straight
October 15, 2021 • Angus Buchan • Luke 9:62, John 8:36
26/04/2024
April 26, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Isaiah 60:11, Revelation 21:25
I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 26th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Isaiah 60:11: “Therefore your gates shall be open continually; They shall not be shut day or night,…” Isn’t that beautiful? No need to lock yourself up at night. Then we go to the Book of Revelation 21:25: “Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).” There will be no night in Heaven, no need to shut yourself up, no need to lock the gates, put on the alarm, or make sure there is nothing left that someone can steal. There will be no night in Heaven, no darkness. Jesus will be there; He will be our light. I want to ask you a question this morning. Are you afraid of the dark? Do you struggle to go to sleep at night? Well, I have got good news for you. The Lord Jesus wants to assure you today that He will be with you in the dark of the night. You know, I have a picture of the Lord sitting on a big armchair, maybe next to a fire, on a cold night, and He is asking you to come and sit on His lap, and He wants to put His big strong arms around you and pull you into his ample bosom, into his chest, and just lie there and I will tell you before you know it, you will be sound asleep. It's not about counting sheep when you are trying to go to sleep. Just close your eyes and talk to Him and He will comfort you. You don’t have to worry about closing the gates, locking the doors, making a big fire so that no-one will come and disturb you. I think of many hunters when they camp at night, they make a big fire because they don’t want lions and hyenas to come into their camp, but when we are with Jesus we have nothing whatsoever to fear. There will be no gates in Heaven, the Lord says He will be our gate. So tonight, close your eyes, just rest in Him and He will give you ample sleep. Jesus bless you and goodbye.
25/04/2024
April 25, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Isaiah 60:1, Ephesians 5:14
I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 25th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Isaiah 60:1: “Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” Then we go straight to the Book of Ephesians 5:14: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Oh, like never ever before in this world of ours, it is time to shine for Jesus, so that the people will be taken out of their darkness. This world, my friend, is in an absolute state of desperation. It is lost, aimless, it is seeking for direction, for purpose for living. This is our greatest opportunity to show the sad world the way home, the way to the Lord Jesus Christ. What is man’s purpose for being here on earth? Maybe you are asking yourself that question this morning. “What am I supposed to be doing on this earth? Why am I here?” Well, two reasons: Number one is to glorify God, number two is to enjoy Him forever. I can hear somebody saying, “But I am not a preacher, how can I tell the people? We need to let Jesus shine through us today wherever we have been put. I love horses - I think you know that by now. Monty Roberts, the horse-trainer, the horse whisperer, was taken over to England to show the Queen Mother (she loved horses), how he could gentle a wild horse that has never been ridden before, a racehorse, a hot blood, in one hour, and he did it! A jockey got onto that big horse within one hour, having never been ridden before. You know, that it overwhelmed the old lady so much, she started to weep and Monty Roberts comforted her. Use what God has given you, the gift that God has given you. I remember an old man who came from Mozambique. He used to walk with a limp, I even remember his name, Napila. He was on our farm when we were in Zambia. That old man was a blacksmith and he had no equipment to work with. He had a home-made set of bellows. He made a hot fire, he used car springs. Now, any mechanic will tell you how hard a car spring is. He made the most beautiful axe-heads, out of those car springs which he put into indigenous wood. Have you ever seen a potter, working with clay that comes out of the earth and making a beautiful creation? Some of our African women are incredibly talented at creating the most beautiful vases and pots. So, I am going to encourage you today to use whatever gift God has given you. You might be a homemaker, a school teacher, a policeman, or a doorkeeper. It’s time to shine for Jesus! God bless you and have a wonderful day, Goodbye.
24/04/2024
April 24, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Psalm 62:5
I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 24th of April, 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.” Not hearing from God? Why? Well, I want to tell you something now. Maybe, it’s not God’s fault, maybe it is our fault, and I really want to stress the fact that this message that I am giving to you today, is probably more for me than any of you. If you speak to my wife, she will tell you that Angus never stops speaking, and sometimes I have got to do a little more listening. Now, I am going to read something for you that I got from an unknown author, and it goes like this: “Did it ever occur to you that if you do not hear God’s answer to prayer, It may be, not that He is dumb but because you are deaf? Not because He has no answer to give but because you have not been listening for it. We are so busy with our service, so busy with our work, and sometimes so busy with our praying (now that is an interesting point, isn’t it?), that it does not occur to us to stop our own talking, and listen if God has some answer to give us, with that small still voice, to be passive, to be quiet, to do nothing, say nothing and in some true sense, think nothing, simply to be receptive and waiting for the voice of God.” I want to say to you today, we need to slow down. This world of ours is going at such a speed, we don’t even know how to be quiet, do we? And I want to say to you that that is an active word, “to be quiet”. It means you are doing something, you are being quiet. Today, be quiet and listen and God will speak to you. Jesus bless you and have a lovely day, Goodbye.