Daily Readings for Sunday 4th 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 burning at Taberah is quenched by Moses' prayer. The people lust for flesh, and lothe manna. Moses complaineth of his charge. God promiseth to divide the burden of it among seventy elders, and to give the people flesh for a month. Moses' faith is staggered. God giveth of his spirit unto the seventy elders. Quails are given in wrath at Kibroth-hattaavah.
Numbers 11
Preface - The ornaments and privileges of the church.
Psalms 48

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Daily Reading - Morning
Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened,
that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy,
that it cannot hear.

In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. - Whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. - Be not thou far from me, O LORD: O my strength, haste thee to help me.

Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee. - Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us. - Shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily.
Isa. 59.1; Ps. 138.3; Dan. 9.21
Ps. 27.9; Ps. 22.19
Jer. 32.17; 2 Co. 1.10; Lu. 18.7-8



Daily Reading - Evening
I have glorified thee on the earth.

My  meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. - I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. - Thi sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby... said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man. - Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. - All bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.

Thou art worthy....for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign no the earth.
Jn. 17.4; Jn. 4.34; Jn. 9.4
Lu. 2.49-50; Jn. 11.4,40
Lu. 2.52; Lu. 3.22; Lu. 4.22
​Rev. 5.9-10

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A Puritans Catechism
Q 11 - What are God's works of providence?
A - God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.



The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Justification
Chapter 11
PARAGRAPH 6
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The justification of believers under the Old Testament was, in all these respects, one and the same with the justification of believers under the New Testament.  (18)
(18)-Gal. 3.9; Rom. 4.22-24

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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.'