Daily Readings for Sunday 11th May 2025

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


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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.)

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Daily Reading Plan - First Year
Preface - The children of Israel come to Zin, where Miriam dieth. They murmur for want of water. Moses smiting the rock bringeth forth water. God is displeased with Moses and Aaron at Meribah. Moses at Kadesh desireth a passage through Edom, which is denied. At mount Hor Aaron resigneth his place to Eleazar, and dieth.
Numbers 20
Psalms 58) Preface - David reproving wicked judges, describeth the nature of the wicked, and devoteth them to God's judgments, whereat the righteous shall rejoice.
Psalms 59) Preface - David in great danger prayeth to be saved from his enemies: he complaineth of the cruelty: he trusteth in God: he prayeth for the destruction of his enemies: he promiseth to praise God continually.
Psalms 58-59

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Daily Reading - Morning
Awake to righteousness,
and sin not.

Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day.... Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

It is hight ime to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. - Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. - Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit. - Lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. - Little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
1 Co. 15.34; 1 Th. 5.5,6
Ro. 13.11-12; Eph. 6.13; Ezek. 18.31; Jas. 1.21; 1 Jn. 2.28-29



Daily Reading - Evening
My sheep hear my voice.

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled.... I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, ubt he gave me now answer.

Speak; for thy servant heareth. - When Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him. Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house: And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. - I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.
Jn. 10.27; Rev. 3.20
Song 5.2,6
​1 Sa. 3.10; Lu. 19.5-6; Ps. 85.8

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A Puritans Catechism
Q 18 - What is the misery of that state whereinto man fell?
A - All mankind by their fall, lost communion with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains of hell forever.



The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Repentance unto Life and Salvation
Chapter 15
PARAGRAPH 1
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Such of the elect that are converted at riper years, having sometime lived in the state of nature, and therein served divers pleasures, God in their effectual calling gives them repentance to life.  (1)
(1)-Titus 3.2-5

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Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Use it right
And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Revelation 22 v 12

The whole Bible shows that Christians will be rewarded in eternity just in proportion to the use they have made of their talents. Now, money is one talent. If you use it right you will in no wise lose your reward. Christ plainly shows that He will reckon with men in the judgement according as they have dealt by His poor Christians. They that have done much for Christ shall have an abundant entrance; they that have done little shall have little reward.
I thank God that there are some among you to whom Christ will say: 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.' Go on, dear Christians - live still for Christ. Never forget, day nor night, that you are yourselves bought with a price. Lay yourselves and your property all in His hand, and say: 'What wilt thou have me to do? Here am I, send me'; and then I know you will feel, now and in eternity. 'It is more blessed to gibe than to receive.'