I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 26th of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go straight to 2 Corinthians 6:2:

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Every day is a special day for you and me. When we wake up in the morning, we should rejoice, “Lord, we have been given the privilege of living one more day on this earth for you”, but we take it for granted, don’t we? We must stop doing that. I read an article written by Ann Wells from the Los Angeles Times. She tells the story of a friend who was packing up all the clothes and personal possessions from a relative, and just the importance of using what we have. Today is a very special day for you and for me. God has given us the privilege to live it.

Let’s not waste this opportunity, let’s not save that special dress for a special occasion. Put it on today, and you will look beautiful in it. That tool you have got in your toolbox, sir, that you are waiting to use on a special day - today is the day. Use it! Drive that motorbike, get in that car and go for a ride, take your wife out and buy her a special meal today, not tomorrow, because we only have today. Let us redeem the time. Then she finishes up by saying, “Everyday is that special day you have been waiting for. Seize it! Carpé Diem, seize the day!”

Go out today and spoil somebody, go out today and give somebody that thing that you have been saving up to give them at Christmas. Do it today because we might be in Heaven by Christmas. Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day. Use it!

God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 25th of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Malachi 2:7:

“For the lips of a priest should keep knowledge,
And people should seek the law from his mouth;
For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”

Then we go to the Book of Galatians 4:14 in the New Testament:

“And my trial (this is Paul speaking) which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.”

Do you know the power there is in a spoken word, positive or even negative? If you go into the jungle and find a shaman, a witch doctor, and if he speaks a curse over the people, over a particular person, that man will go and sit under a tree and literally die because a curse has been spoken over his life, that is if he does not know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Saviour.

We need to be so careful what we say. You and I are representing the risen Lord Jesus Christ, therefore our opinion does not count, the only thing that counts when you are giving somebody advice, is what the Word of God says about the situation. I have just read a letter which concerned me a lot, written by a final year student, studying for a B.Com Degree. She told me in the letter, that she has been diagnosed with some medical condition which is hampering her studies, and I could hear that she was very stressed out. I want to tell you, that letter was so beautifully written and I could hear that it was written by an extremely intelligent young lady. But the diagnosis she got was that basically she was not going to make it. I spoke against it, I have prayed against it, and I have told her that I am looking forward to when she receives her degree. I will not listen to the lies, negative words of the devil, spoken over people, and you shouldn’t either.

We need to encourage people always in love but they need to hear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Today, let your words be very carefully spoken and make sure that you are only talking things that the Lord, Himself, would say. Paul said to the people, “You treat me even like an angel or like the Lord Jesus, Himself“, and we need to do exactly the same.

Jesus bless you and go and speak life over people, not death,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 24th of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi 2:6:

“And turned many away from iniquity.”

Then we go straight to the New Testament to the Book of James 5:20:

”…he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of visiting an older gentleman who was well into his nineties, a very fine older man. I went to have a cup of tea with him. His daughter was there as well and his daughter was concerned about his salvation. We sat and had a cup of tea and started to talk to him (he originated in bonny Scotland) and spoke to him about the old country, as it were, and we talked about lots of different things. Then slowly but surely I started to speak to him about his salvation, about the fact that Jesus loves sinners, about the fact that we need to put our trust and hope in Him. I was praying all the time in my heart, “Please Lord, open this man’s heart to you” and I asked the old gentleman, “Sir, do you mind if we pray together?” He was actually quite open to it, together, we prayed the prayer of faith. That gentleman went to be with Jesus just a week or two ago.

I want to say to you that when you go to speak to someone about his salvation, especially a man who is a proud man, a good man, but he has never made a commitment to Christ, you need to be gentle. You need to be forthright but you need to be gentle. You need to speak to that older gentleman, or that older lady, or that young person about something they are interested in and get their trust first and then once you have done that you broach the subject and you pray with them the Sinner’s Prayer. Very rarely have I had anyone who refused to pray that prayer with me.

I want to pray for you today. Maybe you have never actually made a public confession of your faith. Why don’t you do it now? Pray this prayer after me please:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I acknowledge I am a sinner and I am in need of a saviour, please help me to put my trust in You completely.
I will serve no other gods but You.
I thank You for dying for me, a sinner,
In Jesus’ mighty name, amen.

Have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 23rd of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Gospel of Luke 4:28-30:

“So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.”

Our Lord Jesus Christ told the people in the synagogue, that “this Scripture has come to pass”, where He said He would set the captives free, heal the broken-hearted and proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Then we go straight to the Gospel of Matthew 5:9:

“Blessed are the peacemakers,
For they shall be called sons of God.”

I want to say to you today that we must move on. Sometimes we continue to ask people to forgive us, and they will not do it. Eventually, Jesus moved on. He went down to Galilee to Capernaum and performed many, many miracles there. We need to move on with our lives. You cannot keep holding back because people do not want to forgive you, they will not release you.

Remember the prodigal son, what happened to him? He told his father he wanted all his inheritance, went off, and blew the whole lot. His father didn’t run after him and say, “Come back son, let’s talk about this.” He left him, and when he was completely at his wit’s end, he came back to his dad. His dad loved him, forgave him and restored him.

Today I might be speaking to someone who is dealing with that very issue. I have to move on, there is no change, they will not forgive me, they want to continue to persecute me. I am moving on with my life. The Lord says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” not “blessed are the peace-lovers." Sometimes, in order for reconciliation, there needs to be a time of moving on, and if that person wants to sincerely forgive you, they can come and visit you and forgive you, but in the meantime, you have got to get on with the calling on your life.

Now, today move on just like Jesus did and leave that person whoever it might be. Maybe it is a member of your family, a loved one, or a workmate. Leave them in God’s hands and He will deal with them in due course.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 22nd of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Luke 3 and I am not going to read that chapter. I would like you to read it, but that whole chapter is the family tree of our Lord Jesus Christ, starting from verse 23 - Luke 3:23.

“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi,…”

Do you know that that family tree goes all the way back? You will see in verse 38: “

… the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

That is the family tree of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ. If you go to the Book of John 15:5, the Lord says Himself:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…”

I am talking today about the family tree. Maybe you are sitting there and you are saying, “Angus, I am an orphan. I don’t have any family. Maybe your family has rejected you, maybe your family has died and you feel that you have got nothing. I want to tell you that if you are a born-again Christian, you are not an orphan. You are a son or a daughter of the Living God. Family trees are important to people. I think I have told you before, my family comes from Scotland. My mother's mother was a Livingstone. Have you ever heard of David Livingstone? Of course you have. Well, she came from the West Coast of Scotland and that's where David Livingstone comes from. I would like to believe that I am related to that man who was partly responsible for abolishing the slave trade in Africa. My dad’s mother was a Finney, her maiden name was Finney. Have you heard of Charles Finney, the great American revivalist who won many, many souls to Christ? That is my family. I don’t know whether it is direct or not, it doesn’t matter, but ultimately and more importantly, I am a child of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, my sins have been forgiven, I have got a family tree, a future that I can look forward to. What about you? Let's pray together.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Today, I am sorry that I think I am an orphan. I am not an orphan, I am a son of the Living God, I am a daughter of the Living God. That is my inheritance and when I get home, you are not going to say to me, “Welcome friend”, You are going to say, “Welcome home, son or daughter of the Living God.” That is something to look forward to.

God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 21st of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Zechariah 13:9b:

“They will call on My name,
And I will answer them. I will say,
‘This is My people’;
And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”

Then we just go to Zechariah 8:8:

“They shall be My people
And I will be their God,
In truth and righteousness.”

Then just the last verse for today, Matthew 16:24:

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”

The Lord says that we are going to go through fiery trials, oh yes, just like silver and gold, we are going to be purified in fiery trials. Then we will call Him our Father and He will call us His people. The Lord never promised you and me a bed of roses. No, no, there is nowhere in the Bible He said that.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
Psalm 34:19

I want to tell you a little story. Many, many years ago, there were a group of actors, production people and producers and editors who came to Shalom, they came to make a movie called, “Faith like Potatoes” and the principle actor, a man that I love dearly, Frank Rautenbach, took the part of Angus in the movie. The night we met, we had to meet all the actors, Jeanne took the part of my wife Jill, did a beautiful job and all the support actors, not to mention the directors and producers, it was a wonderful time. We had an evening together and apparently, I don’t remember this, Frank has told me I said “You are going to play my part but you are going to go through many fiery trials.” And he has.

Oh but friends, I want to tell you that through that incredible little movie, and all the glory goes to Jesus Christ, the Lord used these actors and multitudes have come to Christ and are still coming to Christ when they watch that little movie. Yes, Frank has been through fiery trials but through it all, Jesus has been glorified. Today, don’t be afraid of the fiery trials you are going through. The Lord will not allow you to be tempted more than you are able.

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, Resurrection Day, the 20th of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Gospel of Luke 24:17:

“And He said to them…” (Jesus said to them) “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”

Are you sad this morning? Are you believing that Jesus Christ is still in the grave, are you believing that there is no hope for you? Folks, listen to the next verse:

”Then Jesus said to them: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!”
Luke 24:25

It was prophesied the fact, that the Saviour of the world had to die for our sins but that He would live again and live forever. You and I need to understand, Jesus is gently rebuking us today, when we doubt. We look at the world. We see what’s happening all over the world and our faith starts to fade away. He says everything is happening according to the Word. “I told you about these things", He says, ”In me you will have peace. In this world you will have tribulation. Be of good heart for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).

I want to say to you today, where do you stand? Are you waiting for the coming of the Lord? He is coming I’m telling you now. There is nothing more sure than the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming back again for you and for me.

Romans 8:31:

”If God is for us who can stand against us?”

It’s not over yet. It’s not over. This is just the beginning. You and I have to die to self in order to live for Christ. We have to allow our physical bodies and our mental attitudes to change. Our Saviour is not in the tomb. I’ve been there folks. I’ve been to Israel, not once, many, many times, and every time I go to the tomb, I tell you it is empty. Why? Because He’s alive. He has risen. Yes risen indeed.

Jesus bless you on this resurrection Sunday and look forward to an incredible future with Him.
God bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 19th of April, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Book of Job 19:25:

“For I know that my Redeemer lives,
And He shall stand at last on the earth…”

Do you know that your Redeemer lives this morning? Do you know that He will be standing on this earth at the last? We go straight to the Book of Romans 8:11:

”But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,(thats the Holy Spirit) He (the Holy Spirit) who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

What an incredible scripture! Oh, my dear friends, we need to believe, we need to know He is not in the grave, He is alive. We need to believe that! We have a saying here at Shalom, “One genuine miracle equals a thousand sermons”. Jesus was known by His miracles that He performed, not so much by the sermons He preached, He preached very few that are recorded, but the signs and the wonders and the miracles - He is the Miracle-Worker!

I just want to tell you again, you have heard my story more than once but it is worth telling again. It was down in Ein Gedi, the lowest point on earth. It was in 2012. It was so hot, we were drinking water that was coming out of our bodies as we were drinking it. I think it was well over 40 degrees. It must have been 8 o’clock at night. I was asked to bring the message. There were 5,000 delegates from all over the world, something like 80 nations gathered together. I was reading from the Book of Acts, the account of the disciples in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came upon them. I was so in love with the Lord that night and so full of faith. I said, “Lord, please do it again.”

When I think back on it, what would have happened if He didn’t? Well, He did, so I don’t have to even think about all the egg that would have been on my face. I walked around the front of the lectern and a mighty rushing wind started blowing. Folks, it blew so hard, blowing the musical instruments off the platform and then it started to rain. It doesn’t rain in that place, it is dry, it is like the moon, there is nothing there. Those palm trees are being irrigated from miles and miles away. The Lord visited us. And I want to tell you, I did not have to make an altar call, I didn’t have to tell people to come forward to repent, they ran to the front. Some of those ladies were lying in the dust, just rejoicing in the faithfulness of God. Jesus is alive!

Tomorrow, Resurrection Sunday, we will celebrate the fact that our God is not dead, He is not in the grave, He is alive!

Jesus bless you and goodbye.