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February 11 Daily Devotional

Thine Is My Heart: Devotional Readings from the Writings of John Calvin

John Calvin (compiled by John H. Kromminga)

Bible Text:

Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us. —II Timothy 1:13 14

Devotional:

They that have received any grace are so much the more bound to God, and their burden is so much the greater. And if a man should give his friend all his goods to keep, and the key of his strongbox where all his treasure is, and should deliver all his writings into his hands, this is a charge committed to a man.

So God commits to us that which he has, and that which pertains to him only; he commits it to us, not that we should be lords of it and keep it to ourselves. Truth it is that the graces which we have received of God are ours, and we may also call them so; but it is not to be said that he has given up all his rights to us, that he must not always be glorified by them, and that we must not refer them all to him.

We see then how Paul warns them here, which have received graces, which have any charge and commission, that they must give up an account to God. And therefore let them not think that they may apply them to whatever use they wish, but they must make them serve their neighbors, that God may be honored by them, and that Jesus Christ may always have the pre-eminence.

And if they do not shoot at this mark, they are sacrilegious, and God will plead the matter with them. For if a man should deceive his friend when he has delivered his goods into his hands, putting his trust in him, if such a one be a thief and keep away that which was committed to his charge, or waste that which was committed to him, shall we not be guilty before God if we abuse his graces? —Sermons


John Calvin was the premier theologian of the Reformation, but also a pious and godly Christian pastor who endeavored throughout his life to point men and women to Christ. We are grateful to Reformation Heritage Books for permission to use John Calvin's Thine Is My Heart as our daily devotional for 2013 on the OPC Web site. You can currently obtain a printed copy of that book from Reformation Heritage Books.

Dr. Joel Beeke, who is editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, has this to say:

"Calvin shows us the piety of a Reformed theologian who speaks from the heart. Having tasted the goodness and grace of God in Jesus Christ, he pursued piety by seeking to know and do God’s will every day. He communed with Christ, practicing repentance, self-denial, and cross-bearing. Moreover, his theology worked itself out in heart-felt, Christ-honoring piety. The selections of this devotional bear this out, and hopefully will be used by God to direct pious hearts in our own day."

These devotional readings from John Calvin were compiled by John H. Kromminga. Be sure to read his "Introduction" to John Calvin's Thine Is My Heart.


John Calvin was the premier theologian of the Reformation, but also a pious and godly Christian pastor who endeavored throughout his life to point men and women to Christ. We are grateful to Reformation Heritage Books for permission to use John Calvin's Thine Is My Heart as our daily devotional for 2013 on the OPC Web site. You can currently obtain a printed copy of that book from Reformation Heritage Books.

Dr. Joel Beeke, who is editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, has this to say:

"Calvin shows us the piety of a Reformed theologian who speaks from the heart. Having tasted the goodness and grace of God in Jesus Christ, he pursued piety by seeking to know and do God’s will every day. He communed with Christ, practicing repentance, self-denial, and cross-bearing. Moreover, his theology worked itself out in heart-felt, Christ-honoring piety. The selections of this devotional bear this out, and hopefully will be used by God to direct pious hearts in our own day."

These devotional readings from John Calvin were compiled by John H. Kromminga. Be sure to read his "Introduction" to John Calvin's Thine Is My Heart.

 

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