Daily Readings for Sunday 9th February 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


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 Plan - First Year
Preface - Jacob sendeth ten of his sons to buy corn in Egypt. They are imprisoned by Joseph for spies, but set at liberty on condition to bring Benjamin. Their remorse for Joseph, who commandeth his tenderness, and detaineth Simeon for a pledge. They return with corn and their money. Their relation to Jacob. He is afraid, and refuseth to send Benjamin.
Genesis 42
Preface - In the parable of the vineyard let out to wicked husbandmen Christ foretelleth the reprobation of the Jews, and the calling of the Gentiles: his reply to the insidious question concerning paying tribute to Caesar: he refuteth conclusively the Sadducees who questioned him concerning the resurrection: he sheweth which are the two great commandments of the law: he proposeth a difficulty to the scribes concerning the character of Christ: he cautioneth the people against their ambition and hypocrisy; and valueth the poor widow's two mites above all the gifts of the rich.
Mark 12

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Daily Reading - Morning
Now he is comforted.

Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. - He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth. - These are thy which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters. - God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Lu. 16.25; Isa. 60.20; Isa. 25.8; Rev. 7.14-17; Rev. 21.4



Daily Reading - Evening
The night cometh, when no man can work.

Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord....they....rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. - THere the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. - Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. - The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.

There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Jn. 9.4; Rev. 14.13; Job 3:17; 1 Sa. 28.15
Ec. 9.10; Ps. 115.17
2 Tim. 4.6-8
​He. 4.9-10



A Puritans Catechism
Q 9 - What is the work of creation?
A - The work of creation is God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.


The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Marriage
Chapter 26
PARAGRAPH 12
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As all believers are bound to join themselves to particular churches, when and where they have opportunity so to do; so all that are admitted unto the privileges of a church, are also under the censures and government thereof, according to the rule of Christ. (25)
(25)  1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Thess. 3:6.14-15

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Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Where you are
.... and to every man his work ....
Mark 13 v 34

Learn, my dear friends, to keep to your own work. When the Lord has hung up a lamp in one corner, is there no presumption in removing it to another? Is not the Lord wiser than man? Every on eof you have your work to do for Christ where you are. Are you on a sick-bed? Still you have your work to do for Christ there as much as the highest servant of Christ in the world. The smallest twinkling star is as much a servant of God as the mid-day sun. Only live for Christ where you are.