Do Not Neglect Your First Love
It is Monday morning,16th November 2020, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for the day.
If we go to the Book of Revelation, the last Book in the Bible, Chapter 2 and verse 4, and The Lord says:
“Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place--unless you repent.”
A good idea is not always a God idea.
We need to be very careful not to neglect our first love.
When we obey God, things go very well.
In 2003, July, Jill and I went to the Mkhuze Game Reserve to have a rest.
I was very tired. I had been preaching all over and just needed a rest.
This very Scripture came to me and it really rocked me.
You see, I had been preaching all over the world.
I thought I was doing such wonderful work for The Lord and The Lord says, “Yes, you have, but I have this against you. You have forsaken your first love.”
I was shattered.
Now, The Lord was speaking to me through the Word.
You need to read the bible when you want direction from God.
What must I do, Lord?
I felt The Lord say to me, “Go home. Cancel all your preaching appointments and I want you to mentor young men. There are very few spiritual fathers in the world.”
And so I went home.
I canceled every single meeting and the first miracle took place - not one of those men was angry with me.
Some of them had booked me a year in advance and said to me, “If God has told you not to come, we don’t want you to come.”
Then I sent out one simple email.
I know how to advertise. I am an evangelist.
But I sent out one email - that’s all - a couple of lines, “Come to the farm. We want to speak to you.”
240 men arrived in 2004.
The next year 600 men.
The next year 1060.
The next year 7,400 men arrived on Shalom Farm.
The ladies were distraught.
We were feeding the men in those days.
They had only prepared enough food for 5000 men.
Madam, how would you like 2,400 men to descend upon your home for the weekend?
Quite scary, hey?
But you see, when you do things God’s way, God makes a way for us.
Then the big, big change.
In 2008 we hired the biggest tent in the whole world.
It was built in Britain, enlarged in Europe, shipped out to Johannesburg for the World Earth Summit and we brought it to the farm - 17 x 30-ton rigs.
60,000 men arrived, 30,000 inside and 30,000 outside.
Then 2009 - look when you are doing God’s work you are in a war.
I had two heart attacks, one on the platform and one at home but the men prayed for me and God healed me in fifteen minutes.
2010, the biggest crowd of men I have ever seen in my life, and then The Lord said, “Stop now and pass on the baton.”
We are having Mighty Men Conferences all over the world.
In fact, last night, I saw a beautiful online Mighty Men Conference that I had nothing to do with and it was amazing.
Just do what He tells you to and He will tell you through the Word.
Have a wonderful week, God bless you, and goodbye.