Daily Readings for Saturday 21st December 2024

Daily Prayer - Saturday
- Give thanks to God that we have good news of salvation to tell that the repentant sinner might have everlasting life through Jesus Christ. (John 3.16.)
- Pray the Lord would bless the Gospel outreach by the church in Westminster. Both on Saturday mornings and at services.
​- Pray the Lord would work in the contacts we have made both on Saturday mornings and at services; through personal conversations and online                   contacts.


Church Services
Sunday morning at 11:00am in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Doctrine Class - in church (after lunch) (and also available online via Facebook)
Sunday evening at 6:30pm in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Bible Study and Prayer
Wednesday evening at 7:00pm in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Lunch Hour Service
Thursday afternoon between 1:00pm and 1:30pm in church (and 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 - The restoration of Jerusalem. The people are encouraged to build the temple by a promise of God's blessing. Truth and Justice required of them. Joy and enlargement of the church promised.
Zechariah 8
Preface - The sickness and death of Lazarus: Jesus raiseth him to life after he had been dead four days: many Jews believe. The Pharisees hold a council against Christ: Caiaphas prophesieth: Jesus retireth from places of public resort. At the approach of the passover the Jews enquire about him: the rulers give orders to apprehend him.
John 11


Daily Light - Morning
The days of thy mourning
shall be ended.

In the world ye shall have tribulation. - The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan, within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. - We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Isa. 60.20; Jn. 16.33; Ro. 8.22-23; 2 Co. 5.4
Rev. 7.14-17


Daily Light - Evening
Master, carest thou not that we perish?

The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you: even as the green herb have I given you all things. - While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. - God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is... And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

Take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink?...for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.  - Trust...in the living God; who giveth us richly all things to enjoy.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Mk. 4.38; Ps. 145.9
Ge. 9.3; Ge. 8.22
Na. 1.7; Ge. 21.17,19
Mt. 6.31,32; 1 Tim. 6.17
1 Pe. 5.7


A Puritans Catechism
Q 41 - What is the sum of the ten commandments?
A - The sum of the ten commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves.


The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation
Chapter 18
PARAGRAPH 4
​
True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving of it,13 by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit;14 by some sudden or vehement temptation,15 by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light,16 yet are they never destitute of the seed of God17 and life of faith,18 that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived,19 and by the which, in the meantime, they are preserved from utter despair.20
13 Cant. 5:2–3,6
14 Ps. 51:8,12,14
15 Ps. 116:11; 77:7–8, 31:22
16 Ps. 30:7
17 1 John 3:9
18 Luke 22:32
19 Ps. 42:5,11
20 Lam. 3:26–31


Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
The eye of faith
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 3 v 1

When Christ ascended from the Mount of Olives, and passed through these heavens, carrying His bloody wounds into the presence of God, and when His disciples had gazed after Him, till a cloud received Him out of their sight - we are told that they returned to Jerusalem with great joy. What! are they joyful at parting with their blessed Master? When he told them He was to leave them, sorrow filled their hearts, and He had to argue with them and comfort them, saying, Let not your hearts be troubled; it is expedient for you that I go away, How, then, are they changed! Jesus has left them, and they are filled with joy. Oh! here is the secret - they knew that Christ was now going into the presence of God for them, that their great High Priest was now entering within the vail to make intercession for them.
Now believer, would you share in the great joy of the disciples? Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus. He is above yon clouds, and above yon sky. O that you would stand gazing up into heaven, not with the bodily eye, but with the eye of faith. Oh! what a wonderful thing the eye of faith is; it sees beyond the stars, it pierces to the throne of God, and there it looks on the face of Jesus making intercession for us, whom having not seen we love, in whom, though now we see Him not, yet believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.