“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” Philippians 3:12
You know I have been reading the life story of King Solomon - the wisest man who ever lived, also the richest man who ever existed and yet he finished so poorly. He started well but he finished poorly.
You know, they will tell you, in any kind of sport you are only as good as your last game. People have got short memories, they only remember the last game. Father God is not looking for good starters but rather, for good finishers. Never take the blessings of God for granted - He blesses you and me for a reason: So that we can be a good example and bless others, as we run the race together. Paul admits that he had not acquired the absolute fullness that he was after but he runs with everything in him to finish strong.
It's not so much about finishing in 1st place but rather about just completing the race. Not to say that we have got it all together or that we have arrived - not at all! But we are reaching out to Jesus, as He is reaching out to us.
The best part of the Comrades Marathon (that ultra-marathon of over 90km), I have been watching for many years, is not the man or the woman who comes through first to get the gold medal. It is those men and women who stagger, arm-in-arm helping each other, over the finish line. That is what brings a tear to my eyes, they refuse to give up.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
2 Timothy 4:7
That is what you and I have to do today and that is what the Lord is looking for today - good finishers. The last words that Jesus spoke on the cross before He died were:
“It is finished”. John 19:30.
Maybe you have gone down, get up, dust yourself off and get back in the race. The Lord is running with us.
Have a wonderful day. God bless you and goodbye.
01/06/2021
A Strong Finish
June 1, 2021 • Angus Buchan
16/04/2024
April 16, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Genesis 4:9, Matthew 22:39
I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 16th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Genesis 4:9: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Then we go straight to Matthew 22:39: “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” It’s a commandment for you and me. It is not optional. The first family that ever existed was our Heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, His Son and His Holy Spirit - the First Family. Families are under tremendous strain at the moment. I am getting many letters from families who are not getting on. We ask ourselves the question, why is it that there is so much strife and so much trouble in the family unit? Well, I believe it’s because the family is so close to our Heavenly Father’s heart. He loves the family unit, and the devil knows it, and the devil hates God and the way that he can hurt God, is to hurt God’s family. There is no one who fights like brothers, and it is not even a joke, folks; it is serious. The first two brothers in the Bible were the children of Adam and Eve. Their names were Cain and Abel. Remember, Cain killed his brother, Abel, and when our Heavenly Father asked, “Where is your brother?” He said, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Am I responsible? Well, the answer is yes, we are responsible. What about Joseph with the coat of many colours, how he and his brothers could not get on together? No-one fights like brothers. The Jews and the Arabs have got the same father, Abraham, they are half-brothers, and look at what is happening as I talk to you now, in the Middle East. You know, I knew two brothers who could not get on and it got so bad that the one brother went to the government offices and got his surname spelling changed. He did not even want his name to be spelt the same as his brother's. It is not a joke, folks. It is so serious. We must to learn to forgive, to make up and to press on together, and we must also see how the devil’s hand is in this - he will do everything in his power to destroy the family unit. So what is the solution? The solution is, we need to talk to one another, we need to ask for forgiveness, say sorry. You say, “I can’t.” Jesus says you can and you must for His sake, for your own sake and for your brother’s sake. Jesus bless you and goodbye.
15/04/2024
April 15, 2024 • Angus Buchan • Numbers 13:27–28, Numbers 14:24
I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Monday morning, the 15th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Book of Numbers 13:27-28. "Then they told him, and said: "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there." (the descendants of the giants there). I read a statement, the other day, that really touched me. It goes something like this: "It is when we are in the way of duty that we find giants. It was when Israel was going forward that the giants appeared. When they turned back into the wilderness, they found none." If you are doing something today and feel you have mountains in front of you, you have giants in front of you, keep going forward. There is no reverse gear in the Kingdom of God. We need to go forward and that is why the Lord loved Caleb so much. If you just turn over the page, to the next chapter, Numbers 14:24 - one of my favourite verses, by the way, in the Bible: "But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it." It's a promise from God. You see, the other ten spies were so negative, but Caleb wasn't negative; he was going forward, and so was Joshua. I want to say to you today, my dear friend, let's go forward! Of course there are giants there. Anything worth having is worth fighting for! Isn't that true? So let's go forward and we know that the Lord goes before us. Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day, and don't be scared of those giants. Goodbye.
14/04/2024
April 14, 2024 • Angus Buchan • John 10:16, Romans 10:13
I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 14th of April, 2024, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We start in the Gospel of John 10:16: “And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.” Apart from the Jews, the Lord says that there are other sheep who must come into the fold, gentiles. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, it doesn’t matter what your colour, your creed or your sex is. He died for you and me and He wants to bring you into the fold. He gathers the outcasts. That is what it says in the Book of Isaiah. Romans 10:13 confirms what we are saying: “For whoever (whoever means whoever) calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” We must never write off anybody. When you look at the disciples that the Lord Jesus chose, they were a real motley bunch, weren’t they? I mean they came from all different types of backgrounds. There were blasphemers, drinkers, they were fishermen, they were tax collectors - they were thieves, those tax collectors. They were zealots, terrorists, and they all came to Christ, and He used them to change the world. Let us not make the mistake of saying, “That person will never become a Christian.” I remember when I was a new Christian, for quite a few weeks, I was actually chastised by my minister because he didn’t really believe I was for real. I said to him one evening, after Bible Study, “Why are you always picking on me?” And then he confessed and said, “I really didn’t think you were serious; I thought you were having us on.” I said, “No, no, no, my love for Jesus Christ is huge.” “He whom I have forgiven much loves me the most”, the Lord says. So today, let's embrace the whosoever’s who come into the fold because Jesus died for every one of them, just like He died for you and me. Jesus bless you and have a lovely day, Goodbye.