Daily Readings for Sunday 16th 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 calleth his sons to bless them. The blessing of Reuben; Simeon and Levi; Judah; Zebulun; Issachar; Dan; Gad; Asher; Naphtali; Joseph; and Benjamin. He chargeth them about his burial, and dieth.
Genesis 49
Preface - Augustus taxeth all the Roman empire: Joseph goeth with Mary to be taxed at Bethlehem. The birth of Christ: an angel bringeth news thereof to the shepherds: the heavenly host praise God. The circumcision of Christ. The purifying of Mary. Simeon's prophecy, and Anna's, concerning Christ. Jesus groweth, and increaseth in wisdom. At twelve years of age he goeth with his parents to Jerusalem, and questioneth with the doctors in the temple: he is obedient to his parents.
Luke 2

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Daily Reading - Morning
Thy name is as ointment poured forth.

Christ....hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. - Unto you therefore which believe he is precious. - God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow. - In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

If ye love me, keep my commandments. - The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unot us. - The house was filled with the odour of the ointment. - They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. - Emmanuel....God with us. - His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. - The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Song 1.3; Eph. 5.2; 1 Pe. 2.7; Phil. 2.9; Col. 2.9
Jn. 14.15; Ro. 5.5; Jn. 12.3; Ac. 4.13
Ps. 8.1; Mt. 1.23; Isa. 9.6; Pro. 18.10



Daily Reading - Evening
We that are in this tabernacle 
do groan, being burdened.

Mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.... Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee - O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves....which have the firstfruits of the Spirit....groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. - Now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations.

Shortly I must puf off this my tabernacle. - For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
2 Co. 5.4; Ps. 38.4,9; Ro. 7.24
Ro. 8.22-23; 1 Pe. 1.6
2 Pe. 1.14; 1 Co. 15.53-54


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A Puritans Catechism
Q 16 - Into what estate did the fall bring mankind?
A - The fall brought mankind into a state of sin and misery.



The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Baptism and the Lords Supper
Chapter 28
PARAGRAPH 2
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These holy appointments are to be administered by those only who are qualified and thereunto called, according to the commission of Christ.  (2)
(2)  Matt. 28.19; 1 Cor. 4.1

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Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Radiant saints
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Matthew 5 v 14

If the sun were to grow weary of running his daily journey, and were to give over shining, would you not say it should be taken down, for did not God hang it in the sky to give light upon the earth? Just so, dear Christians, if you grow weary in well-doing, in shining with Christ's beauty, in walking by Christ's Spirit, you, too, should be taken down and cast away - for did not Christ arise upon you for this very end, that you might be a light in the world? Ah! think of this, dark, useless Christians, who are putting your candle under a bushel. I tremble for some who will not lay themselves out for Christ. Ah! you are wronging yourselves and dishonouring Christ. Your truest happiness is in shining, the more you shine for Christ, the happier you will be. 'To me to live is Christ; and to die, gain.'