Only By God's Grace

I greet you in Jesus’ precious name! It is Tuesday morning, the 26th of May, 2026, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. We go to Deuteronomy 8:17: “…then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.” Then we go to the New Testament, Luke 12:19 (This is a very successful farmer): “And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’But what happens after that? The Lord says, ‘Foolish man! This very night your soul will be required of you...”We need to be very careful how we stand, lest we fall. Bragging is a very dangerous thing, and I really want to stress today that the Lord was warning the Children of Israel in the first scripture verse I read to you in Deuteronomy, that all these riches that you had were given to you by Me, not by your own hand, but only by the love of God. Don’t forget who gave it to you! We really need to be careful of that one. Never forget to say, if somebody says, “Wow, you have done so well”, - it is only by God’s grace.” If we go to James 4:15, instead of bragging, the Bible says we ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that” because we don’t know how much time we have left on this earth. So it worries me when I see a young man who has been very successful in sport, commerce, industry, even the ministry, and he starts to take the glory. Never, ever touch God’s glory. That is the most dangerous thing you could ever do. We need to let our words be sweet when we talk because one day we might have to eat them! So just say, “God has been kind”. I love to drive around a farm where I see a hard-working successful young farmer and I say, “You have done so well here. Your crops are looking good, your cattle are fat, your sheep are looking great,” and to hear the young man say, “Yes sir, but it is only because of the kindness and the grace of God that I have them.’But when I see a young man who is arrogant, “Oh yes, I am going to work for a couple more years and then I am going to retire, and I am just so pleased with myself.” Be careful, it is only through God’s grace.Jesus bless you and have a wonderful day.Goodbye.