I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 25th of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

”Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”
John 15:2

Pruning is a painful operation, but we need to get rid of the deadwood so that we can grow strong, straight and healthy. That deadwood must be disposed of.

We live in a most beautiful area here in KwaZulu-Natal. At Shalom, we are surrounded by beautiful forests of eucalyptus trees, of pine trees, and when the forester plants those seedlings, they are the size of my little finger, and they look so beautiful when they grow up to waist height, but as they grow older they start to crowd into each other. Then the forester comes and starts to take out the trees that are too cluttered so that the ones that remain can grow strong. If he leaves them, he will have a forest which will be entangled and starved of nutrients. It will be wasted. The same thing applies with a fruit tree. I remember I had a beautiful plum tree. It was the smallest tree in our orchard. It had been pruned naturally when it was small and yet eventually when it grew up, it produced the sweetest plums that I’ve ever eaten.

Now, we need to prune our children, and it’s called discipline. If you see a young man or a young woman who is disciplined, they are a pleasure to be around. They are very well-mannered, totally selfless, they care about other people, not themselves, and they are very popular because people want to be near them. But the person who has never been disciplined is self-centred, they are not interested in the things of God, only themselves, because they have never been pruned. Now the one who does the pruning is Jesus Christ, and it is very painful sometimes, but let it happen so that the end result will be profitable, and the produce will be acceptable to God.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Saturday morning, the 24th of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in the Book of Exodus 16:15:

”So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.”

Then we go straight to John 6:35:

”And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.”

Oh, folks, what a gracious God we serve! I mean those people were starving, over a million of them, and God fed them from heaven. Just enough, never too much and never too little. They got manna from heaven. This is very important, many of us are worrying about things that will never happen. Many of us are trying to make provision for things that we’ll never have to use. We need just enough. People are getting stomach ulcers, they are having nervous breakdowns because they are worrying about things that they will never have to account for. We really need to put our trust in the One who said, ”I am the bread.” I am the manna of your life. That’s what I’m delivering to you, hot out of the oven. The bread which will sustain you for today, not for yesterday, not for tomorrow, just for today.

You see, when they tried to gather more than they needed, what happened? It went rotten, it started to smell. The maggots started to eat it, just enough for today is all we need and then the Lord said, ”And then the day before the Sabbath, you are allowed to take up twice as much because you’ll need it because you are not going work on the Sabbath.” Jesus will take care of every one of your needs, not your wants, but your needs. Big difference! Do not work yourself to death to make money that you will never need to use, and by so doing, shorten your life and become a pain to everybody around you because you are constantly worried about things which will never take place.

Start to thank God for manna every morning and live your life for Him. Let Him be your sustenance, let Him be everything you need.
Jesus bless you and goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Friday morning, the 23rd of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

John 14:27 - this is Jesus speaking:

”Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

Oh my dear friend, how this world of ours is desperate to find peace. All we hear about is peace, peace, everywhere but there’s no peace, is there? They have conferences on peace. Nations get together at the United Nations, but no one can find peace. There are some homes that you’ll go into, there’s anything there but peace. There are arguments, there’s jealousy, there’s even hatred but no peace. Why? Because peace cannot be found, peace cannot be bought, peace cannot be earned at university. You can’t get a degree in peace. If you could, the university would be full of students studying the subject of peace! So how do you get peace? Peace comes from a person whose name is the Prince of Peace. Oh yes, I’m talking about my beloved Jesus Christ. I hope He is yours too. That’s where you’ll find peace!

You know, I have shared with you previously about Brother Lawrence, the French monk who lived in a monastery 300 years ago. He had the lowliest job of all. He was the one who had to wash the pots and the pans and cook the food. He also sewed sandals for his brothers, although he himself walked barefoot, but continually there were monks around him when he was trying to cook and wash the dishes and the pots and pans, and mend their sandals. Why were they always around him? Because he pervaded, he gave off like a fragrance of peace because he had found the Prince of Peace!

You know, I want to tell you something very personal, there is somebody in my home, I’m not going to say anymore - and she always gives off that beautiful fragrance of peace. I can have a hard day, a tough day, as they say, at the office. When I come home to my little house, she is there waiting for me and she just gives the fragrance of peace. You know why? Because she spends lots of time with Him. You see, when you spend lots of time with a person, you become like that person.

Now today, ask Jesus to give you a revelation of Himself, that you too go around this troubled world, and people will be drawn to Jesus Christ.

God bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Thursday morning, the 22nd of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in Isaiah 42:3:

”A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench;…”

We’re talking about the gentleness of our beloved Lord Jesus. And that same scripture is confirmed in Matthew 12:20:

”A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench,…”

Just the other day, I heard a beautiful saying, ”We are strongest when we are tender.” You know, if you look at Proverbs 15:1, the Lord talks about a gentle answer turns away anger and wrath. Jesus is so gentle.

I want to tell you something now, He is the most tender person who has ever walked on the face of this earth. He will not hurt you. We need to be the same.

I love watching a bushman when he wants to start a fire. Unlike many of us, he doesn’t go with a fire-lighter, put half a ton of wood on the fire and cause an explosion to make the fire so that he can have his braai or his barbecue! No, he comes and he takes a little bit of grass and he takes that stick and he spins that stick on a log and he blows gently on it and what happens? It just bursts into flame. So beautiful to watch.

On our farm here, you know by now, we love horses. Snowy is my horse, he’s twenty years old now. I want to tell you something now, there’s a man by the name of Monty Roberts, he’s in his late eighties, and he is the one they call ”The Horse Whisperer.” He started off getting a horse under saddle by being gentle with it. You see, in the old days, his father was one of them, actually; they would tie that poor horse up so that he couldn’t walk, he had to hobble. They would beat him till they broke his spirit. That’s where the saying goes, ”I’m going to break in a horse.” No, we don’t do that on this farm. We gentle a horse, tenderly, and that horse will take the bridle, take the saddle. He’ll be spirited, he’ll have lots of personality. He won’t be broken and crushed. We must do the same with each other.

Mom, don’t break your daughter down, be tender with her and she will make you so proud. Dad, don’t be hard on your son, be gentle with him. This is a tough world that we live in. Be tender with him and he’ll be tender with others.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Wednesday morning, the 21st of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in Leviticus 25:23:

”The land shall not be sold permanently, for the land is Mine, you are strangers and sojourners with Me…”

Wow, there’s a statement! You say, ”But I’ve got the title deeds.” Well, let’s wait and see what Jesus says. If we look at Mark 8:36, the Lord says very clearly:

”For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? “

Now, I have been a landowner. The first farm I owned was in Zambia. I sold it for a mere pittance, packed up everything I had, came down to South Africa with a truck and trailer. I then started from square one. The only thing I wanted was to own my own piece of land. Well, in the process it nearly killed me, but I got it, and I got the title deeds, and then I bought the farm across the road, the same thing again, then the farm on the other side of the road, but I want to tell you, it didn’t bring me any peace, any joy. Yes, I had the title deeds, but oh, my dear friend, the land does not belong to us. The land belongs to God! He has given you and I the privilege to enjoy it, the privilege of working it, developing it, making a place for others to live as well, but the land does not belong to us.

You see when we die, this land will remain right here. The land was here before we were born, the land will be here after we die. The land belongs to the Lord and the Lord reminded us today that we are sojourners passing by. We are travellers, our home is in heaven. That is our permanent abode. That’s why the Lord says, ”What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?”

Let us put our priorities in order. Let us seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then all these things shall be added to us. When you are stressing about that piece of land and the piece of paper you’ve got to prove that it’s yours, in the process, you can end up with stomach ulcers, nervous breakdowns, divorce in your family because you are busy working yourself to death. For what? At the end of the day, it’s His anyway.

Let’s enjoy it, and let us focus on heavenly things. Let us focus on spending time with our loved ones, telling others about Jesus Christ, and enjoying the privilege He has given us.

God bless you and have a wonderful day.
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 20th of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to John 15:8:

”My Father is glorified and honoured by this, when you bear much fruit, and prove yourselves to be My [true] disciples.”

Now I happened to read a beautiful little quotation from a book written by a man named Mr Jennings. He lived many years ago. He said, ”What a possibility, what an inspiration that we can enhance the glory of our Father.” Think about that. ”Our hearts leap at the thought. How can this be done? By bearing leaves, a profession of love for Him, no, by bearing some fruit, no, that you bear much fruit is what the Lord Jesus is asking. In the abundance of the yield is the joy, the glory of the husband man. That’s the farmer. We should therefore aim to be extraordinary. One hundredfold Christians. Satisfied with none but the largest yield. Our lives should be packed with good deeds, then at harvest time we will be able to say, ’Father, I have glorified You on the earth.’”

Oh, my dear friend, I know, as a farmer when we have a good harvest, it is a beautiful time and we give Jesus all the glory. We even have harvest festivals and bring tokens of our love to the Lord. I remember bringing cabbages and pockets of potatoes, yes, and what an incredible time it is! We are to bear a hundredfold of fruit for the Lord because it makes Him happy. I’m talking about souls. I’m talking about people, I’m talking about uplifting folks and encouraging them, praying with them, laughing with them, singing to them if need be, but we need to bear much fruit and herein we will glorify our Heavenly Father.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful harvest today.
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Monday morning, the 19th of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We go to John 14:14: Jesus says:

“If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Wow! Now that is a promise. Remember, Jesus does not tell lies, but there is a condition and it is found in verse 15:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

You see, if you keep God’s commandments, then you will ask correctly and the Lord will answer that prayer. I have experienced it in my own life.

Now, I want to ask, are you looking at a mountain in your life, and you are saying, “I am never going to get through this!” Or are you looking at a little molehill, through Jesus’ eyes, who says, “There is nothing which is too hard for me”? You know, Madam, our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, said to an old woman, who was close to 100 years old, “You are going to have a baby. You are going to have a son.” The Bible tells us in Genesis 18:14, when she went behind the tent, she started to laugh. She said, “Can an old woman like me bear a son?” What was the response? This is God talking to Sarah, Abraham’s wife. He said,

“Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”

I want to say to you today, ask correctly, and I want to tell you right now that our beloved Jesus will diminish that mountain and make it a mere molehill that you can walk through, but you have got to do it conditionally. You cannot say to the Lord, “Do this and do that,” but you are not serving Him. You know the thing in your life that is holding you back, and I am going to pray for you this morning. That habit, that addiction, that anger, that unforgiveness, is holding the Lord back from giving you the desires of your heart. Please pray this prayer after me:

Heavenly Father,

In the name of Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I ask you to give me the strength today to obey Your commandments. Please forgive me from holding Your blessing back in my life, because of unconfessed sin and that thing Lord, I confess it today. I put it away and I trust that that mountain will be removed.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God bless you and have a wonderful day,
Goodbye.

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Sunday morning, the 18th of January, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today.

We start in 1 Kings 17:16:

”The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.”

It did not run out. There was enough for the widow and for her little boy. How is it with you today? Do you feel that you don’t even have food for tomorrow, what is this year 2026 going to do for me? I don’t know how I am going to make it. Am I talking to you, my dear friend? I don’t know whether I’m going to be made redundant. I don’t know whether my work will not be available when I go back. Well, let’s go now to Matthew 6:25:

“Therefore I say to you (Jesus said), do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?”

Don’t worry about what you will eat or what you will wear. Be more concerned about your spiritual well-being. Ask yourself a question this morning, I’m going to ask myself the very same question. Has He ever let us down? Have we ever gone truly hungry? No, that’s why we are still alive. As a farmer, I have been through some terrible droughts. I’ve been through some terrible floods. I’ve been through some terrible economic recessions, political unrest, but I’ve always been able to put food on the table for my wife and my children. No, it might not be fancy food but we’ve never gone to bed hungry.

I want to encourage you to start to praise God because He’s a good Father. He sent Elijah to that old lady. She was preparing her last meal, but the prophet tested her, ”Give me something to eat.” She said, ”I only have one meal.” “Give me something to eat.” She did and the flour never ran out and the oil never ran out until the drought was over. It’s happened on this very farm Shalom. Many a year I’ve thought, Lord, I’ve driven around in my bakkie early in the morning and there’s just nothing there, just drought looking me in the eye. Oh, but supernaturally we reap the crop. We paid our debt and we got through one more year.

This year look to the Lord of the harvest, and He will take care of every one of your needs.

Jesus bless you and have a wonderful year.
Goodbye