Daily Readings for Sunday 10th November 2024

Dear Congregation,

I want to thank all of you who have prayed and supported the work of the Gospel through the church in 2023 and this first month of 2024. It is a great joy to minister at Westminster Baptist and I love the church here greatly. Through this past year, there have been heart-wrenching tragedies alongside blessings too. This is often the case in Christian life and yet we are called to keep trusting and believing. We often bear the battle scars of past experience and circumstance, as we live in this sinful world and anticipate heaven. We see Mordecai, mocked and scorned for years in Esther and on the brink of execution, yet he latterly knew blessing from God. The most important thing was he was faithful in serving the Lord.

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful - 1 Corinthians 4.2. This verse especially applies to ministers, church workers, but to all Christians. We are stewards of the oracles of God and to us has the light of the gospel been revealed. We should therefore be striving to be faithful, not popular, faithful. May that be our aim by the grace of God.

In the beginning month in recent years we have spent a week praying together on each day for certain things. As a reminder that with continuing faith that prayer is essential. Key to our hope and joy and endurance and love, and with new resolve to make time to pray regularly alone and with your family and with some group of fellow believers.

Alongside reading the Scriptures these should be our daily routine. There are various encouragements in the Scriptures to pray:
- Pray without ceasing (1 Th. 5:17).
- Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ep. 6:18).
- Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; (Col. 4:2).

These are a few verses of the many that encourage us to pray and undoubtedly set before us a biblical mandate that we should be concerned to pray. Maybe you have fallen out of the 'habit' or relegated prayer to a part time practice; or you only pray when trouble or danger comes. To that end I would ask the church to pray, if led, the suggested topics below so we might pray for the same things (roughly speaking) on the same day to encourage us.

Let us be prayerful people and realise we too need prayer. To say we are praying for someone should be an expression of concern but an indication of our own action to bring the matter before God, before the throne of Grace through the believers mediator and High Priest. Jesus Christ, Paul even requests prayer for himself and those labouring for the Gospel with him twice in 1 and 2 Thessalonians saying 'brethren pray for us'. May we be a prayerful church and prayerful individuals, knowing that we have a prayer hearing and answering God.

Pastor Jonathan Arnold


Daily Prayer - Sunday
- God thanks to God for His character, perfect, unchangeable, the same yesterday today and forever.
- Give thanks to God that we can meet in the church and have fellowship with one another.
- Pray the Lord would grant the preaching of his word power and clarity, and there are ready ears to hear and believe it. (2 Thes. 3.1.)
- Pray we would be granted faithful ministry and good spiritual food from God's Word. (1 Peter 2.2.)


Daily Reading
Preface - The prophet describeth the locusts as a mighty army led by God to destroy the land: he exhorteth to repentance, prescribeth a general fast and humiliation, and promiseth mercy from God: he comforteth Zion with present blessings, and prophesieth the effusion of the holy Spirit, and other blessings of the gospel.
Joel 2
Preface - David sheweth that in his trouble all his comfort was in prayer unto God.
Psalms 142


Daily Light - Morning
Fruitful in every good work,
and increasing in the knowledge of God.

I beseech you...brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable, unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. - As ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. - In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy.

Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. - I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask o fthe Father in my name, he may give it you.
Col. 1.10; Ro. 12.1-2; Ro. 6.19; Ga. 6.15-16
Jn. 15.8; Jn. 15.16


Daily Light - Evening
I sought him, but I found him not.

Return unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God... But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed... Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall stregthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD - It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. - Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation... My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Song 3.1; Hos. 14.1-2
Jas. 1.13,14,16-17
Ps. 27.14; Lam. 3.26; Lu. 18.7
Ps. 62.1,5


A Puritans Catechism
​Q 82 - What is meant by the words, "till he come," which are used by the apostle Paul in reference to the Lord's Supper?
A - They plainly teach us that our Lord Jesus Christ will come a second time; which is the joy and hope of all believers.


The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Christ the Mediator
Chapter 8
PARAGRAPH 10
​This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of His prophetical office;44 and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need His priestly office to reconcile us and present us acceptable unto God;45 and in respect to our averseness and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need His kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to His heavenly kingdom.46
44 John 1:18
45 Col. 1:21; Gal. 5:17
46 John 16:8; Ps. 110:3; Luke 1:74–75


Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Comfort for Christians
But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me,
I shall come forth as gold.
Job 23 v 10

This is precious comfort. THere will be an end of your affliction. Christians must have 'great tribulation,' but they come out of it. We must carry the cross, but only for a moment, then comes the crown. I remember one child of God's saying, that if it were God's will that she should remain in trials a thousand years, she could not but delight in His will. But this is not asked of us: we are only called 'to suffer a while'. There is a set time for putting into the furnace, and a set time for taking out of the furnace. There is a time for pruning the branches of the vine, and there is a time when the husbandman lays aside the pruning hook. Let us wait His time - 'he that believeth shall not make haste.' God's time is the best time. But shall we come out the same as we went in? Ah! no, 'we shall come out like gold.' It is this that sweetens the bitterest cup; this brings a rainbow of promise over the darkest cloud. Affliction will certainly purify a believer. How boldly he says it, 'I shall come out like gold.' Ah, how much dross there is in every one of you, dear believers, and in your pastor! 'When I would do good evil is preset with me.' Oh, that all the dross may be left behind in the furnace! What imperfection, what sin, mingles with all we have ever done! But are we really fruit-bearing branches of the true vine? Then it is certain that when we are pruned we shall bear more fruit. We shall come out like gold. We shall shine more purely as 'a diadem in the hand of our God.' We shall become purere vessels to hold the sweet smelling incense of praise and prayer. We shall become holy golden vessels for the Master's use in time and in eternity.