Daily Readings for Sunday 9th March 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 - The ten commandments. The first table. The second table. The people are afraid; Moses comforteth them. Idolatry is forbidden. Directions concerning building an altar of earth, and altars of stone.
Exodus 20
Preface - Jesus is accused before Pilate, who sendeth him to Herod. Herod disappointed in his expectations mocketh him, and sendeth him back. Pilate will to release Jesus, is prevailed on by the clamours of the people to release Barabbas, and give Jesus to be crucified. Being, led to the place of execution, Jesus biddeth the women who lamented him to weep rather for themselves and their children: he is crucified between two m\lefactors: Prayeth for his enemies; is scoffed at; reviled by one of the malefactors, but confessed by the other, to whom he promiseth a place in paradise. The unusual darkness, and rending of the veil of the temple: Christ crieth unto God, and expireth: the centuriion's confession of him. Joseph of Arimathaea beggeth his body, and burieth it. The women prepare spices for the end of the sabbath.
Luke 23

​

Daily Reading - Morning
The living God, who giveth us richly
all things to enjoy.

Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein.... then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God....for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.

Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. - THey got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them - There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
1 Tim. 6.17; Deu. 8.11-12,14,18
Ps. 127.1-2; Ps. 44.3; Ps. 4.6



Daily Reading - Evening
They sung as it were a new song.

A new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us. - Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour. - By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory. - Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. - Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. - I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number....cried....saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Rev. 14.3; He. 10.20; Titus 3.5-6; Eph. 2.8-9
​Ps. 115.1; Rev. 1.5-6; Rev. 5.9; Rev. 7.9,10


​
A Puritans Catechism
Q 37 - What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A - At the resurrection, believers, being raised up in glory, shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment, and made perfectly blessed both in soul and body in the full enjoying of God to all eternity.



The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of the State of Man after Death and of the Resurrection of the Dead
Chapter 1
PARAGRAPH 4
​
The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, depends not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.  (7)
(7)  2 Pet. 1,19,20,21;  2 Tim. 3.16; 2 Thes. 2.13; 1 John 5.9

​

Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
A serious situation
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee,
because thou hast left thy first love
Revelation 2 v 4

There are times when, like Ephesus, many of God's children lose their first love, Iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxes cold. Believers lose their close and tender walking with God. They go out of the holiest, and pray at a distance with a curtain between. They lose their fervency, sweetness, and fullness in secret prayer. They do not pour out their hearts to God.
They have lost their clear, discovery of Christ. They see him but dimly. They have lost the sight of His beauty - the savour of His good ointment - the hold of His garment. They seek Him, but find Him not. They cannot stir up the heart to lay hold on Christ.
The Spirit dwells scantily in their soul. The living water seems almost dried up within them. The soul is dry and barren. Corruptions are strong: grace is very weak.
Love to the brethren fades. United prayer is forsaken. The little assembly no more appears beautiful. Compassion for the unconverted is low and cold. Sin is unrebuked, though committed under their eye. Christ is not confessed before men. Perhaps the soul falls into sin, and is afraid to return; it stays far off from God, and lodges in the wilderness.
Ah! this is the case, I fear, with many. It is a fearfully dangerous time. Nothing but a visit of the free Spirit to your soul can persuade you to return.