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

We go straight to the Gospel of John 11:35:

”Jesus wept.”

Jesus cried. Compassion is what the world needs. Do you know, He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead? He knew that. So why was He weeping? Because He had compassion on the people when He saw how they were mourning because of the death of His friend, Lazarus. This world needs compassion. Compassion is another word for understanding, it’s another word for being concerned, for kindness, for being sensitive.

William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, sent his soldiers out all over the world to tell people about the love of Christ. He sent some to far-off countries. He got a letter back from one group of these salvationists. They said, “We have tried everything here. We have tried preaching the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation, but we are hitting a brick wall. We are not getting through. What must we do?” He wrote a letter back and there were two words on that letter, “Try tears.”

Not so long ago, I had the privilege of being the speaker at a campaign in one of the most dangerous places on the Continent of Africa. I’m talking about the Cape Flats in Cape Town, where there are gang wars and the men are killing each other, up to twenty men getting shot dead in a weekend. Some people told me not to go there, “You’ll get killed.” I said, ”No, Jesus has opened a way for us and we are going.”

I will never forget the love that I experienced in that place, the love, the desperation, the tears. I haven’t seen tears like that at an event for a long time. I walked off the platform and I walked up to the barrier just to hug these men. They were kissing me on the neck. They were telling me they loved me and as we were trying to get out of the stadium, we had people around us to try and make a way for us. There was one young man who would not take no for an answer and he was so desperate to speak to me that one of the organisers said, ”This young man wants to speak to you.” So we stopped. I said, ”Bring him,” and I said. ”What can I do for you son?” He looked at me, tears running down his face. He said, ”I just want a hug from you, Uncle Angus.” That was all. I took him in my arms and I hugged him and I loved him and he loved me and the love of Christ, I believe, was all he needed and that is what he received. Today, go and love somebody and be quick to cry and don’t be too quick to point fingers.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye.

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

We start in the Book of Psalms 105:2:

”Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!”

Then we go straight to 1 Thessalonians 5:18:

”In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God…”

I read a beautiful little reading this morning by the famous hymn writer, Francis Ridley Havergal, and this is what she says. She says, ”We talk about the telescope of faith but I think we want even more the microscope of watchful and grateful love.” She says, ”Apply this to the little bits of our daily lives, in the light of the Spirit and how wonderfully they will come out.” Yes, we want to look through the telescope of faith and see all the big things in life, but she says maybe we need to get that microscope out and thank God for all the little things He has done for us.

You say, ”What little things?” Well, maybe you passed your exams. “Yes, but I didn’t get a hundred percent, Angus!” No, but you passed your exams and surely that’s worth praising God for, and that farmer, ”No, I didn’t really get a bumper crop this year.” But maybe you are able to pay your costs and that’s worth thanking God for. Counting your blessings and naming them one by one, and then all of a sudden, things won’t look so hopeless, will they?

Do you remember that little song, it’s a hymn, that goes something like this;

Count your blessings, name them one by one
Count your blessings, see what God has done
Count your blessings, name them one by one
Count your many blessings, see what God has done

Isn’t that wonderful? Today, count those blessings! Thank the Lord that you woke up this morning and you can see a brand new day, and who knows? This may be the day that the Lord will come and take us home to be with Him in paradise forever, but until then, count your blessings!

Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 18th of December, 2025, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to the Gospel of John 11:25-26:

”Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live and whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

There’s a question for you and me this morning. Do we believe that if we are in Christ Jesus, we will never die?

I remember a beautiful story written, I think it was by the great evangelist, Dwight Lyman Moody. He went on an expedition to Great Britain and in about two or three years, led something like two million people to Christ. He was a former shoe salesman, not very educated, not very well spoken, but he knew Jesus Christ.

Now the scripture I’ve just read to you was Jesus reassuring Martha, the sister of Mary and their brother Lazarus, when he had been delivered out of the tomb where he had been dead for four days. Jesus said, ”I am the resurrection and if you believe in Me you will never die.”

Well, DL Moody said, ”One day you will read in the newspapers that D L Moody has died. Do not believe a word of it.” He said, ”I will not have died. I will simply have changed my address.” Isn’t that beautiful? Maybe today you are mourning the loss of a loved one that has died. If they know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, they are not dead. They have just gone ahead of you to Heaven and they will be waiting there for you to come. Their prayer for you today would be, “Please, do not mourn. Do not cry over me. Make sure that you are a Christian, and then I will see you in Heaven.”

One of the most beautiful little scripture verses I really love, especially at a time when we are mourning the loss of a loved one and maybe we are a little bit confused, is found in Psalm 116:15. It says:

”Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

If your loved one knows Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, just like D L Moody, they have not died, they have simply changed their address. They are waiting for you in Heaven, and they are saying to you today, ”Please believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and you will be with me also in Heaven.”

Have a wonderful day,
God bless you and goodbye.