Daily Readings for Thursday 14th December 2023

Prayer - Thursday
- Give thanks to God that we are part of a global church made up of true Christians across the world.
- Give thanks to God for the freedoms we have to share the Gospel in England and pray that it may continue.
- Pray for missionaries across the world who are seeking to preach the Gospel and establish a faithful church.
- Pray for those in persecuted countries who have to meet in secret. Even those who are now in prison for their faith. Give thanks to God that we are part of a global church made up of true Christians across the world.

Church Services
Sermons
Sunday morning at 11:00am in church (also available online via Facebook)
Sunday evening at 6:30pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Bible study and prayer
Wednesday evening at 7:00pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Lunch hour service
Thursday afternoon between 1:00pm and 1:30pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Outreach/Witnessing
Saturday morning at Victoria Street (outside the big Boots store) for 10:30am (across the road from Town Hall - No. 64). Afterwards we go back to church for prayer.

Daily Reading
Preface - Asa maketh a league with Ben-hadad king of Syria against Baasha, who is thereby diverted from the building of Ramah; Asa with the stones thereof buildeth Geba and Mizpah. Hanani the seer, reproving him for applying to the Syrians for aid rather than to God, is imprisoned by him. Asa in his sickness seeketh not to God, but to the physicians. His death and burial.
2 Chronicles 16
Preface - The book sealed with seven seals, which no man is worthy to open. John weeping at this is comforted. The Lamb that was slain taketh the book to open it. The beasts and the elders praise him that had redeemed them with his blood. The angels join with them in ascribing glory to God and to the Lamb.
Revelations 5

Daily Light - Morning
Make his praise glorious.

This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise. - I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities, whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth. - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell. - Who is like unto thee, O LORD...glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? - I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. - They sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty.
Ps. 66.2; Isa. 43.21; Jer. 33.8-9; He. 13.15
Ps. 86.12-13; Ex. 15.11; Ps. 69.30; Rev. 15.3

Daily Light - Evening
By nature the children of wrath, even as others.

We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. - Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? - Job answered the LORD, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. - David...to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy.

That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Eph. 2.3; Titus 3.3; Jn. 3.7
Job 1.8; Job 40.3-4
Ps. 51.5; Ac. 13.22
1 Tim. 1.12-13
Jn. 3.6

A Puritans Catechism
Q3 - What do the Scriptures prinicipally teach?
A - The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.


BAPTIST CONFESSION OF FAITH

Of Christ the Mediator
Chapter 8 
PARAGRAPH 4
​This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake,21 which that He might discharge He was made under the law,22 and did perfectly fulfill it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have born and suffered,23 being made sin and a curse for us;24 enduring most grievous sorrows in His soul, and most painful sufferings in His body;25 was crucified, and died, and remained in the state of the dead, yet saw no corruption:26 on the third day He arose from the dead27 with the same body in which He suffered,28 with which He also ascended into heaven,29 and there sits at the right hand of His Father making intercession,30 and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world.31


21 Ps. 40:7–8; Heb. 10:5–10; John 10:18
22 Gal 4:4; Matt. 3:15
23 Gal. 3:13; Isa. 53:6; 1 Pet. 3:18
24 2 Cor. 5:21
25 Matt. 26:37,38; Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46
26 Acts 13:37
27 1 Cor. 15:3–4
28 John 20:25,27
29 Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9–11
30 Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24
31 Acts 10:42; Rom. 14:9–10; Acts 1:11; 2 Pet. 2:4
Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Love's overflow
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me. - John 14 v 6
It is the saying of an old divine, that God often orders it, that when He is in hand with the greatest mercies for us, then we are most of all sinning against Him; which He doth to magnify His love the more.
In the words I have read, we find an example of this. At no time did the heart of Jesus overflow with a tenderer and more sovereign love to His disciples, than when He said 'Let not your heart be troubled.' They were troubled by many things. He had told them that He was going to leave them; He had told them that one should betray Him - that another should deny Him - that they should all be offended because of Him that very night; and perhaps they though He was going from them in anger But, whatever the cause of their trouble was, Jesus' bosom was like a vessel full to overflowing, and these words were the overlapping drops of love - 'Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.