Daily Readings for Sunday 24th 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 - Jonah, being sent again, preacheth the overthrow of Nineveh. Upon their repentance God repenteth him of the evil.
Jonah 3
Preface - Christ preacheth through the cities, attended by his disciples, and ministered unto by devout women of their substance. The parable of the sower. Why Christ taught in parables. The parable expounded. Light is given to be improved and communicated. Christ sheweth whom he regardeth as his nearest relations: stilleth a tempest on the sea with his word: casteth out  the legion of devils, and suffereth them to enter into the herd of swine: is entreated by the Gadarenes to depart, and sendeth back him that was healed to declare God's goodness: is besought by fairus to go and heal his daughter: by the way he healeth a woman of an inveterate issue of blood: he raiseth Jairus' daughter to life.
Luke 8


Daily LIght - Morning
My mother and my brethren are these
which hear the word of God, and do it.

Both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. - In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. - Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. _Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. - My meat is to do the will of him that sent me. - If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. - Whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Lu. 8.21; He. 2.11-12; Ga. 5.6; Jn. 15.14; Lu. 11.28
Mt. 7.21; Jn. 4.34; 1 Jn. 1.6; 1 Jn. 2.5


Daily Light - Evening
What doest thou here, Elijah?

He knoweth the way that I take. - O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways... Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?... If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are. - The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe. - Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand. - A just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.

Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. - The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. - Like as a farther pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
1 Ki. 19.9; Job 23.10; Ps. 139.1-3,7,9-10
Jas. 5.17; Pro. 29.25; Ps. 37.24; Pro. 24.16
Ga. 6.9; Mt. 26.41; Ps. 103.13



A Puritans Catechism​
Q 14 - What is sin?
A - Sin is any want of conformity to, or transgression of the law of God.


The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Justification
Chapter 11
PARAGRAPH 5
​
God continues to forgive the sins of those that are justified,14 and although they can never fall from the state of justification,15 yet they may, by their sins, fall under God’s fatherly displeasure;16 and in that condition they usually do not have the light of his countenance restored to them, until they humble themselves, beg pardon, and renew their faith and repentance.17
14 Matt. 6:12, 1 John 1:7,9
15 John 10:28
16 Ps. 89:31–33
17 Ps. 32:5, Ps. 51, Matt. 26:75


Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
One hour with God
But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.
Psalm 73 v 28
You will get more knowledge in one hour with God than in all your life spent with man. You will get more holiness from immediate conversing with God than from all other means of grace put together. Indeed, all means are empty vanity, unless you come to God in them.