Daily Readings for Sunday 4th August 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 - Jeremiah, imprisoned by Zedekiah for foretelling the taking of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, by God's direction buyeth Hanameel's field. Baruch is charged to keep the evidences safe, as tokens of the people's return. Jeremiah in prayer reasoneth earnestly with God. God confirmeth his threats against Judah for their sins, and his promise of a gracious return.
Jeremiah 32
Psalm 1) Preface - The happiness of the godly. The unhappiness of the ungodly.
​Psalm 2) Preface - The kingdom of Christ. Kings are exhorted to accept it.
Psalms 1-2


Daily Light - Morning
It is finished:
and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. - I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. - We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. - Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.

I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. - Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Jn. 19.30; He. 12.2; Jn. 17.4; He. 10.10-14; Col. 2.14
Jn. 10.17-18; Jn. 15.13


Daily Light - Evening
He sent from above, he took me,
he drew me out of many waters.

He brought me up...out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. - You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world...among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh.

Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. - Out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. - We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee.
Ps. 18.16; Ps. 40.2; Eph. 2.1-2,3
Ps. 61.1-2; Jon. 2.2-3; Ps. 66.12
Isa. 43.2


​A Puritans Catechism
​Q 66 - Are all transgressions of the law equally heinous?
A - Some sins in themselves, and by reason of various aggravations, are more heinous in the sight of God than others.


The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Lawful Oaths and Vows
Chapter 23
PARAGRAPH 1

A lawful oath is a part of religious worship, wherein the person swearing in truth, righteousness, and judgment, solemnly calls God to witness what he swears,1 and to judge him according to the truth or falseness thereof.2
1 Exod. 20:7; Deut. 10:20; Jer. 4:2
2 2 Chron. 6:22–23


Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Forewarned is fore-armed
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts 14 v 22

We naturally shrink from pain. Many would like to go round; no, we must go through. Many would be willing to have a little; but no, we must through much tribulation enter the kingdom. There are three streams of trouble peculiar to believers.
Persecution - let us go without the camp bearing His reproach - take up our cross daily. This is what Moses had to bear, and Lot, and all God's children, - trials of cruel mocking and scourging.
Temptations - There is a 'need be' for this also. Satan is a fearful enemy. Before conversion, we know little of him. Those who are determined to win glory, will feel his fiery darts. There is a design on Satan's part. He will not suffer us to go quietly into the kingdom. And on God's part, too, He wants us to know what we are saved from.
Concern for unconverted souls. - This is one of the deep afflictions of a child of God. He is afflicted for unconverted kindred. It may be farther, mother, sister, brother, friend; the wife of his bosom, or the children of his love; unconverted neighbours, and unbelieving world. This is a sorrow he must carry with him to the grave.
O dear friends, make up your minds to carry the cross daily. Forewarned is to be fore-armed. All God's children go through these tribulations.