Daily Readings for Friday 5th January 2024

Prayer - Friday
- Give thanks to God for many good things we enjoy and daily blessings.
- Pray the Lord would supply the needs of those in the congregation at Westminster and guide us as we help those destitute and suffering. Especially those we have met in the pandemic. (Numbers 6.24-26.)

Church Services
Sermons
Sunday morning at 11:00am in church (also available online via Facebook)
Sunday evening at 6:30pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Bible study and prayer
Wednesday evening at 7:00pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Lunch hour service
Thursday afternoon between 1:00pm and 1:30pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Outreach/Witnessing
Saturday morning at Victoria Street (outside the big Boots store) for 10:30am (across the road from Town Hall - No. 64). Afterwards we go back to church for prayer.

Daily Reading
Preface - Zerubbabel and Jeshua, incited by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, begin again to build in the reign of Darius. Totnai and Shethar-boznai are not able to prevent them from proceeding. The copy of their letter to Darius concerning the building.
Ezra 5
Preface - Ananias and Sapphira, profanely tempting the Holy Ghost with a lie, at Peter's rebuke fall down dead. The apostles work many miracles to the great increase of the faith. They are all imprisoned, but released by an angel, and sent to preach openly in the temple: being brought before the council, they support their witness with great freedom. The council are restrained fro killing them by the advice of Gamaliel, but beat and dismiss them with a charge not to speak in the name of Jesus. They rejoice in their sufferings, and cease not to preach Christ both in public and private.
Acts 5

Daily Light - Morning
We which have believed do enter into rest.

They...weary themselves to commit iniquity. - I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. ) wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you res. - Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

He that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works. - Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. - This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest: and this is the refreshing.
He. 4.3; Jer. 9.5; Ro. 7.23-24
Mt. 11.28; Ro. 5.1-2
He. 4.10; Phil. 3.9; Isa. 28.12

Daily Light - Evening
Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouths;
keep the door of my lips.

If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? - They provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.

A whisperer separateth chief friends. - There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword; but the tongue of the wise is health. The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment. - The tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison... Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

Put off...anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds. - This is the will of God, even your sanctification. - In their mouth was found no guile.
Ps. 141.3; Ps. 130.3; Ps. 106.33
Mt. 15.11
Pro. 16.28; Pro. 12.18-19; Jas. 8.8,10
Col. 3.8-9; 1 Th. 4.3; Rev. 14.5

A Puritans Catechism
Q25 - How does Christ execute the office of a king?
A - Christ executes the office of a king in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.

​BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH

Of Adoption
Chapter 12 
PARAGRAPH 1
All those that are justified, God conferred, in and for the sake of his only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of adoption,1 by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of the children of God,2 have his name put on them,3 receive the spirit of adoption,4 have access to the throne of grace with boldness, are enabled to cry Abba, Father,5 are pitied,6 protected,7 provided for,8 and chastened by him as by a Father,9 yet never cast off,10 but sealed to the day of redemption,11 and inherit the promises as heirs of everlasting salvation.12


1 Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:4–5
2 John 1:12; Rom. 8:17
3 2 Cor. 6:18; Rev. 3:12
4 Rom. 8:15
5 Gal. 4:6; Eph. 2:18
6 Ps. 103:13
7 Prov. 14:26; 1 Pet. 5:7
8 Heb. 12:6
9 Isa. 54:8–9
10 Lam. 3:31
11 Eph. 4:30
12 Heb. 1:14, 6:12

Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Believers shall grow like willows
And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses. - Isaiah 44 v 4
There is nothing more distressing in our day than the want of growth among the children of God. They do not seem to press forward, they do not seem to be running a race. When I compare this year with last year, alas! where is the difference? - the same weakness, the same coldness, nay, I fear, greater languor in divine things. How different when the Spirit is poured out! They shall be like willows. You have seen the willow, how it grows - ceases not day or night, ever growing, ever shooting out new branches. Cut it down - it springs again. Ah! so would you be, dear Christians, if there were a flood-time of the Spirit, a day of Pentecost.