i

April 3 Daily Devotional

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

John Calvin (compiled by John H. Kromminga)

Bible Reading

JUNE 1 Bible Text: And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, 0 Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? —Zechariah 3:1, 2 Devotional: Let us know that Christ never performs the work of the priesthood but that Satan stands at his side, that is, devises all means by which he may remove and withdraw Christ from his office. It hence follows that they are much deceived who think that they can live idly under the dominion of Christ; for we all have a warfare, for which each is to arm and equip himself. Therefore at this day, when we see the world seized with so much madness, that it assails us and would wholly consume us, let not our thoughts be fixed on flesh and blood, for Satan is the chief warrior who assails us, and who employs all the rage of the world to destroy us, if possible, on every side. Satan then ever stands at Christ's right hand, so as not to allow him in peace to exercise his priestly office. —Commentaries JUNE 2 Bible Text: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites 1 for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation. —Matthew 23:14 Devotional: But this diligence in prayer, although it chiefly respects the particular and private devotions of each individual, has, notwithstanding, some reference also to the public prayers of the Church. But these cannot be unceasing, nor ought they to be conducted otherwise than according to the polity which is appointed by the common consent. This, indeed, I confess. For therefore also certain hours are prescribed and fixed, though indifferent with God, yet necessary to the customs of men, that the benefit of all may be regarded, and all the affairs of the Church administered, according to the direction of Paul, "decently and in order." But this by no means prevents it from being the duty of every Church often to stimulate themselves to a greater frequency of prayer, and also to be inflamed with more ardent devotion on the pressure of any necessity unusually great. Moreover these things form no encouragement to those vain repetitions which Christ has chosen to condemn; for he does not forbid us to pray long or frequently, or with great fervor of affection; but he forbids us to confide in our ability to extort anything from God by stunning his ears with garrulous loquacity, as though he were to be influenced by the arts of human persuasion. —Institutes, III, xx, xxix JUNE 3 Bible Text: Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite] of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled] because he justified himself rather than God. —Job 32:2 Devotional: If a man be angered by a Heshly passion, he has respect to himself, and intends to maintain himself. Again, if he shows special favor to his friends, this is respect of persons, and he is really seeking his own advancement. We should rather be angry with ourselves, if we desire God to recognize our anger and permit it. And how is that dope? It is when a man enters into his own conscience, and searches himself earnestly, and does not look at others as much as at himself, to condemn himself, and to fight against his own passions. You see then how we ought to be angry, and where our anger ought to begin, if we expect God to permit it. That is, every man ought to look at himself, and be angry with his own sins and vices. Let us direct our anger there, seeing that we have provoked God's wrath against us, and are full of so much wickedness. Let us be angry and grieved at that; let that be the point at which our anger begins. And afterwards let us condemn evil wherever it may be found, in ourselves as well as in our friends. And let us not be led by personal hatred to cast our rage at any man just because we are already pre-occupied with some evil feeling toward him. So our anger will be laudable, and we shall show that it proceeds from a true zeal for God. It is true that we shall not always be able to control ourselves; for although we were motivated by a godly zeal, we would still exceed the proper bounds if God did not restrain us. Therefore in this zealousness it is fitting that we should have discretion and keep a check upon ourselves. Nevertheless, this anger will be allowable, if it springs from the fountain which we have described; that is to say, if we hate evil wherever it may be found, even if it be in our own persons. —Sermons JUNE 4 Bible Text: So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for lion with a great jealousy. —Zechariah 1:14 Devotional: When God says that he was moved with great zeal for Jerusalem and Zion it is according to the common language of Scripture. For as God cannot otherwise sufficiently express the ineffable favor which he has towards his elect, he is pleased to adopt this similitude, that he undertakes the defence of his people, according to what is done by a husband who fights with the greatest zeal for his own wife. This is the reason why he says that he was zealous for Jerusalem. And we ought especially to notice this mode of speaking, that we may not think that God is indifferent when he delays and defers his aid; for as we are hasty in our wishes, so we would have God to be hasty in the same manner, and we impute to him indifference when he does not hasten according to our desires. These doubts God checks when he testifies that he is zealous: for he intimates that his slowness did not proceed from neglect, or because he despised or disregarded them; but that there was another reason why he held them in suspense. We may therefore be fully persuaded that even when God withholds his aid, he is not otherwise affected towards us than the best of fathers towards his own children. And further, that the signs of his love do not appear because it is not always expedient for us to be delivered soon from our troubles. Let this then be our shield against all hasty desires, so that we may not indulge our too ardent wishes, or think that our salvation is neglected by God, when he hides himself for a time and does not immediately stretch forth his hand to help us. —Commentaries JUNE 5 Bible Text: In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; —II Timothy 2:25 Devotional: And therefore Saint Paul says precisely, If at any time God should give them repentance. As if he should say, My friends, it is a very grievous and hard matter to bear with men that resist God and set themselves against his grace and cannot at the first hear the good doctrine that is for their salvation. Men fret against them, and so they cast them off. But what? For all that we must be gentle in this behalf and though we see men lewd for a season, if there be no obstinate malice in them, if they are not deliberately rebellious against God, so that they seem past all correction, we must labor to mortify and tame them; for they are, says he, in God's hand. On the one hand he says, If at any time; showing that if the conversion of unbelievers should not come so soon as we would wish, we must not leave them for all that. For God has them in his hands. And again he adds, if a man be stubborn today, we do not know what he will be tomorrow. And why so? For the conversion of men does not come from themselves nor of their own strength, nor of their own moving; it is God that reforms them, that makes them new creatures. And shall we hinder God to work in a marvelous way and such as passes all our senses? So then let us wait for more at God's gracious goodness than we can think of. —Sermons JUNE 6 Bible Text: He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satis~ed: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. —Isaiah 53:11 Devotional: Since, then, our Lord Jesus Christ puts his Word in our hearts, let us pray him that he will be gracious to us, so that we may have a pure and sincere disposition to seek in him all that we lack. This is how we shall be justified by his knowledge. For there is question of bringing some satisfaction which will content God; it is not a question of coming to bargain and saying: "Lord, we deserve to be received by you;" but "We confess that we are poor sinners, that we are liable to thy judgment, that it is impossible for us ourselves to satisfy it, and that only Jesus Christ must be regarded as sufficient to satisfy it." We shall confess that with all humility; we shall protest that we are creatures lost and damned until our Lord Jesus Christ holds out his hand to us to draw us back from the chasms and depths of hell. Now, have we confessed that? We know also that our Lord Jesus Christ supplies all that we lack. If we are unclean and full of filth, his blood is our washing, by which we shall be cleansed; if we are plunged in debt, not only to God but also to Satan, as our adversary, the payment has been made in the death and passion of the Son of God; if we are polluted and detestable, the sacrifice that our Lord Jesus offered has a sweet odour, so that all the evil in us is destroyed. This, then, is how we are justified by the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. —Sermons JUNE 7 Bible Text: That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Shew yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. —Isaiah 49:9 Devotional: If therefore we desire liberty, if we desire the light of the kingdom of God, let us listen to Christ when he speaks; otherwise we shall be oppressed by the unceasing tyranny of Satan. Where then is the liberty of our will? Whosoever claims for himself light, or reason, or understanding, can have no share in this deliverance of Christ; for liberty is not promised to any but those who acknowledge that they are captives, and light and salvation are not promised to any but those who acknowledge that they are plunged in darkness. Yet it is probable that indirectly he warns believers not to desire excessive luxury; because they will never have so great abundance as not to be attended by many difficulties; and likewise not to become effeminate, because they will be beset by dangers; for we know that "the ways" are exposed to the attacks of enemies and robbers, and that the tops of mountains are for the most part barren. The Church is governed by Christ in such a manner as not to be free from the attacks and insults of men, and is fed in such a manner as frequently to inhabit barren and frightful regions. But though enemies are at hand, God protects us from their violence and oppression. If we are thirsty or hungry, he is abundantly able to supply everything that is necessary for food and maintenance; and amidst perils and difficulties of this nature we perceive his care and anxiety more clearly than if we were placed beyond the reach of all danger. —Commentaries JUNE 8 Bible Text: Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. —Ephesians 5:14 Devotional: As soon as the smallest particle of grace is infused into our minds, we begin to contemplate the Divine countenance as now placid, serene, and propitious to us; it is indeed a very distant prospect, but so clear that we know we are not deceived. Afterwards, in proportion as we improve—for we ought to be continually improving by progressive advances—we arrive at a nearer, and therefore more certain view of him, and by continual habit he becomes more familiar to us. Thus we see that a mind illuminated by the knowledge of God is at first involved in much ignorance, which is removed by slow degrees. Yet it is not prevented either by its ignorance of some things, or by its obscure view of what it beholds, from enjoying a clear knowledge of the Divine will respecting itself, which is the first and principal exercise of faith. For, as a man who is confined in a prison, into which the sun shines only obliquely and partially through a very small window, is deprived of a full view of that luminary, yet clearly perceives its splendor and experiences its beneficial influences—thus we, who are bound with terrestrial and corporeal fetters, though surrounded on all sides with great obscurity, are nevertheless illuminated, sufficiently for all the purposes of real security, by the light of God shining ever so feebly to discover his mercy. —Institutes, III, ii, xix JUNE 9 Bible Text: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. —John 12:32 Devotional: "If I be lifted up." Next follows the method by which the judgment shall be conducted; namely, Christ, being lifted up on the cross, shall gather all men to himself, in order that he may raise them from earth to heaven. The Evangelist says that Christ pointed out the manner of his death; and, therefore, the meaning undoubtedly is, that the cross will be, as it were, a chariot, by which he shall raise all men, along with himself, to his Father. It might have been thought, that at that time he was carried away from the earth, 'so as no longer to have any interests in common with men; but he declares that he will go in a very different manner, so as to draw upwards to himself those who were fixed on the earth. Now though he alludes to the form of his death, yet he means generally that his death will not be a division to separate him from men, but that it will be an additional means of drawing earth upwards towards heaven. "I will draw all men to myself." The word all, which he employs, must be understood to refer to the children of God, who belong to his flock. Yet I agree with Chrysostom, who says that Christ used the universal term, all, because the Church was to be gathered equally from among Gentiles and Jews, according to that saying, "There shall be one shepherd, and one sheepfold." —Commentaries JUNE 10 Bible Text: But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: —John 12:37 Devotional: "And though he had done so many signs." That no man may be disturbed or perplexed at seeing that Christ was despised by the Jews, the Evangelist removes this offence by showing that he was supported by clear and undoubted testimonies, which proved that credit was due to him and to his doctrine; but that the blind did not behold the glory and power of God, which were openly displayed in his miracles. First, therefore, we ought to believe that it was not owing to Christ that the Jews did not place confidence in him, because by many miracles he abundantly testified who he was, and that it was therefore unjust and highly unreasonable that their unbelief should diminish his authority. But as this very circumstance might lead many persons to anxious and perplexing inquiry how the Jews came to be so stupid, that the power of God, though visible, produced no effect on them, John proceeds further, and shows that faith does not proceed from the ordinary faculties of men, but is an uncommon and extraordinary gift of God, and that this was anciently predicted concerning Christ, that very few would believe the Gospel. —Commentaries JUNE 11 Bible Text: When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overf1.ow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. —Isaiah 43:2 Devotional: "When thou shalt pass through the waters." By fire and water he means every kind of miseries to which we are liable in this life; for we must contend not with calamities of one kind only, but with infinitely diversified calamities. At one time we must pass through water and at another through fire (Psalm 66: 12). In like manner the Apostle James exhorts believers not to faint when they "fall into various temptations" (James 1:2). And, indeed, faith needs to be put to the trial in many ways; for it often happens that he who has been victorious in one combat has been baffled by another kind of temptation. We are therefore tried by afflictions, but are at length delivered; we are baffled by the billows, but are not swallowed up; we are even scorched by the Hames, but are not consumed. We have, indeed, the same feeling of pain as other men, but we are supported by the grace of God, and fortified by the spirit of patience, that we may not faint; and at length he will stretch out his hand and lift us up on high. —Commentaries JUNE 12 Bible Text: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. —Isaiah 40:31 Devotional: "They shall run and not be weary." It is as if he had said that the Lord will assist them, so that they shall pursue their course without any molestation. It is a figurative expression, by which he suggests that believers will always be ready to perform their duty with cheerfulness. But it will be said, "There are so many troubles which we must endure in this life; how then does he say that we shall be "free from weariness?" I reply, believers are indeed distressed and wearied, but they are at length delivered from their distresses, and feel that they have been restored by the power of God; for it happens to them according to the saying of Paul, "While we are troubled on every side, we are not overwhelmed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; we suffer persecution, but are not forsaken; we are cast down, but are not destroyed." Let us therefore learn to Bee to the Lord, who, after we have encountered many storms, will at length conduct us to the harbor; for he who has opened up a path, and has commanded us to advance in that course in which he has placed us, does not intend to assist us only for a single day and to forsake us in the middle of our course, but will conduct us to the goal. —Commentaries JUNE 13 Bible Text: For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. —Zechariah 4:10 Devotional: This doctrine may also be applied to us; for God, to exhibit the more his power, begins with small things in building his spiritual temple; nothing grand is seen, which attracts the eyes and thoughts of men, but everything is almost contemptible. God indeed could immediately put forth his power, and thus rouse the attention of all men and' fill them with wonder; he could indeed do so; but as I have already said, his purpose is to increase, by doing wonders, the brightness of his power; which he does when from a small beginning he brings forth what no one would have thought; and besides, his purpose is to prove the faith of his people; for it behooves us ever to hope beyond hope. Now when the beginning promises something great and sublime, there is no proof and no trial of faith; but when we hope for that which does not appear, we give due honor to God, for we depend on his power and not on the proximate means. Thus we see that Christ is compared to a shoot which arises from the stem of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1). God might have arranged that Christ should have been born when the house of David was in its splendor, and when the kingdom was in a flourishing state; yet his will was that he should come forth from the stem of Jesse, when the royal name was almost cut off. Again, he might have brought forth Christ as a full-grown tree; but he was born as an insignificant shoot. So also he is compared by Daniel to a rough and unpolished stone cut off from a mountain (Dan. 2:45). The same thing has also been accomplished in our age, and continues still at this day to be accomplished. If we consider what is and has been, the beginning of the growing gospel, we shall find nothing illustrious according to the perceptions of the flesh: and on this account the adversaries confidently despise USj they regard us as the offscourings of men, and hope to be able to cast us down and scatter us by a single breath. —Commentaries JUNE 14 Bible Text: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will ~ee from you. —James 4:7 Devotional: Yet, notwithstanding, because of your singular piety, and that good will which you express toward me, you will not, perhaps, be unwilling to recognize in my letter thoughts which have spontaneously occurred to your own mind at some other time. The son whom the Lord had lent you for a season he has taken away. There is no ground, therefore, for those silly and wicked complaints of foolish men; O blind death! O horrid fate! O implacable daughters of destiny! O cruel fortune! The Lord who had lodged him here for a season, at this stage of his career has called him away. What the Lord has done, we must, at the same time, consider has not been done rashly, nor by chance, neither from having been impelled from without; but by that determinate counsel, whereby he not only foresees, decrees, and executes nothing but what is just and upright in itself, but also nothing but what is good and wholesome for us. Where justice and good judgment reign paramount, there it is impious to remonstrate. —Correspondence JUNE 15 Bible Text: There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews .... Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? —John 3:1, 9 Devotional: "Of the Pharisees." This designation was, no doubt, regarded by his countrymen as honorable to Nicodemus. But it is not for the sake of honor that it is given to him by the Evangelist, who, on the contrary, draws our attention to it as having prevented him from coining freely and cheerfully to Christ. Hence we are reminded that they who occupy a lofty station in the world are, for the most part, entangled by very dangerous snares; nay, we see many of them held so firmly bound that not even the slightest wish or prayer arises from them towards heaven throughout their whole life. "How can these things be?" We see what is the chief obstacle in the way of Nicodemus. Everything that he hears appears monstrous, because he does not understand the manner of it; so that there is no greater obstacle to us than our own pride; that is, we always wish to be wise beyond what is proper, and therefore we reject with diabolical pride everything that is not explained to our reason; as if it were proper to limit the infinite power of God to our poor capacity. We are, indeed, permitted, to a certain extent, to inquire into the manner and reason of the works of God, provided that we do so with sobriety and reverence. —Commentaries JUNE 16 Bible Text: And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein. —Isaiah 34:17 Devotional: "And he hath cast the lot for them." Hence we infer that it is vain for men ever to promise themselves a permanent abode, unless so far as every person has obtained his place "by lot," and on the express condition that he shall instantly leave it whenever God calls. We lead a dependent life wherever he supports us; and either on our native soil, or at a distance from our fatherland, we are strangers. If he shall be pleased to give us a peaceable habitation for a long time in one place, it will only be by his special favor that we shall dwell there; and as soon as he thinks proper, he will constrain us to change our abode. Besides, if we acknowledge that a residence in this or that country has been appointed to us by God, we may dwell in it with safety and composure; for if he keeps wild beasts in possession of the place which he has allotted to them, how much more will he preserve men, for whose sake he created heaven, earth, the seas, and all that they contain? —Commentaries JUNE 17 Bible Text: But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared. —Psalm 130:4 Devotional: Though all men confess with the mouth that there is no human being in the world whom God may not justly adjudge to everlasting death, should it so please him, yet how few are persuaded of the truth which the Prophet now adds, that the grace of which they shall stand in need shall not be denied them! They either sleep in their sins through stupidity, or fluctuate amidst a variety of doubts, and, at length, are overwhelmed with despair. This maxim, "that no man is free from sin," is, as I have said, received among all men without dispute, and yet the majority shut their eyes to their own faults, and settle securely in hiding places to which, in their ignorance, they have betaken themselves, if they are not forcibly roused out of them, and then, when pursued close by the judgment of God, they are overwhelmed with alarm, or so greatly tormented as to fall into despair. The consequence of this want of hope in men, that God will be favorable to them, is an indifference about coming into the Divine presence to supplicate for pardon. When a man is awakened with a lively sense of the judgment of God, he cannot fail to be humbled with shame and fear. Such self-dissatisfaction would not however suffice, unless at the same time there were added faith, whose office it is to raise up the hearts which were cast down with fear, and to encourage them to pray for forgiveness. At the same time let it be understood that he does not here speak of a confused knowledge of the grace of God, but of such a knowledge of it as enables the sinner to conclude with certainty, that as soon as he seeks God he shall find him to be reconciled to him. —Commentaries JUNE 18 Bible Text: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. —Psalm 51:17 Devotional: The man of broken spirit is one who has been emptied of all vainglorious confidence, and brought to acknowledge that he is nothing. The contrite heart abjures the idea of merit, and has no dealings with God upon the principle of exchange. Is it objected that faith is a more excellent sacrifice than that which is here commended by the Psalmist, and of greater efficacy in procuring the Divine favor, as it presents to the view of God that Savior who is the true and only propitiation? I would observe that faith cannot be separated from the humility of which David speaks. This is such a humility as is altogether unknown to the wicked. They may tremble in the presence of God, and the obstinacy and rebellion of their hearts may be partially restrained, but they still retain some remainders of inward pride. Where the spirit has been broken, on the other hand, and the heart has become contrite, through a felt sense of the anger of the Lord, a man is brought to genuine fear and self-loathing, with a deep conviction that of himself he can do or deserve nothing, and must be indebted unconditionally for salvation to Divine mercy. That this should be represented by David as constituting all which God desires in the shape of sacrifice need not excite our surprise. He does not exclude faith, he does not condescend upon any nice division of true penitence into its several parts, but asserts in general that the only way of obtaining the favor of God is by prostrating ourselves with a wounded heart at the feet of his Divine mercy, and supplicating his grace with ingenuous confessions of our own helplessness. —Commentaries JUNE 19 Bible Text: But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom 1 have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. —Isaiah 41:8 Devotional: "My friend." It was an extraordinary honor which the Lord bestowed on Abraham when he called him his friend. To he called "the servant of God" is high and honorable; for if it be reckoned a distinguished favor to he admitted into the family of a king or a prince, how much more highly should we esteem it, when God accounts us as his servants and members of his family? But, not satisfied with that, he bestows on him even a higher honor and adorns him with the name of "friend." What is here said about Abraham relates to all believers; and Christ declared more plainly, "Now I call you not servants, but ye are my friends; for servants know not their Lord's will, but to you have been revealed secret and divine mysteries, and hence you may know my friendly and kind disposition towards you" (John 15: 15). Having therefore obtained from God so great an honor, we ought to remember our duty, that the more abundantly he has testified his kindness towards us, we may the more earnestly and with deeper reverence worship him continually. —Commentaries JUNE 20 Bible Text: Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. —Ezekiel 3:19 Devotional: The Prophet is here taught how usefully he will layout his labor, although he should appear to fail, for he ought to be satisfied with this alone, that God approves his efforts. Although, therefore, those who were to be brought back by holy exhortations remain obstinate, yet God's servants ought not, through fastidiousness, to throw up their commission as if it were useless, for they free their own souls. It 'has been formerly said that a necessity was imposed upon them, but if they are dumb dogs the destruction of souls will be imputed to them; but when they have executed their duty and satisfied the Almighty, ought it not to suffice them to be absolved in his opinion? We see then that the Prophet was animated by this consolation, lest he should be weary of admonishing abandoned and obstinate men, because, if they were not profited by his teaching, yet its fruit should return to himself. That expression of Christ's is well known, "Into whatsoever house ye enter, salute it; if the house be unworthy, your blessing shall return to yourselves." So also when the Prophets anxiously desired to reclaim the wandering sheep and to collect them within the fold, if they experienced such petulance that their labor did not profit them, yet their usefulness shall return to themselves. —Commentaries JUNE 21 Bible Text: Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble. —Psalm 10:12 Devotional: "Arise, 0 Jehovah." It is a disease under which men in general labor, to imagine according to the judgment of the Hesh, that when God does not execute his judgments, he is sitting idle, or lying at ease. There is, however, a great difference with respect to this between the faithful and the wicked. The latter cherish the false opinion which is dictated by the weakness of the flesh, and in order to soothe and flatter themselves in their vices, they indulge in. slumbering, and render their conscience stupid, until at length, through their wicked obstinacy, they harden themselves into a gross contempt of God. But the former soon shake from their minds that false imagination, and chastise themselves, returning of their own accord to a due consideration of what is the truth on this subject. Of this we have here set before us a striking example. By speaking of God after the manner of men, the Prophet declares that the same error which he has just now condemned in the despisers of God had gradually stolen in upon his own mind. But he proceeds at once to correct it, and resolutely struggles with himself, and restrains his mind from forming such conceptions of God, as would reflect dishonor upon his righteousness and glory. It is therefore a temptation to which all men are naturally prone, to begin to doubt of the providence of God, when his hand and judgment are not seen. The godly, however, differ widely from the wicked. The former, by means of faith, check this apprehension of the Hesh, while the latter indulge themselves in their froward imaginations. —Commentaries JUNE 22 Bible Text: And I said unto the angel that talked with me, What be these? And he answered me, These are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem. —Zechariah I:19 Devotional: If then we neglect not these helps which God affords us, and especially if we ask him to guide us by his Spirit, there will certainly be nothing obscure or intricate in the prophecies, which he will not, as far as it is necessary, make known to us. He does not indeed give the Spirit in an equal degree to all; but we ought to feel assured that though prophecies may be obscure, there will yet be' a sure profit derived if we be teachable and submissive to God; for we find that Zechariah was not deprived of his request, as the angel gave him an immediate answer. —Commentaries JUNE 23 Bible Text: Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth, —II Timothy 2:14, 15 Devotional: And therefore when any of us comes to a sermon, let it not be to hear some pleasant matter and to have our ears tickled and to have the preacher make Bowery discourses; but let us do it to grow in the fear of God and humbleness, and stir us up to call upon him and to confirm ourselves in patience. And so, if we have heard one exhortation today and hear the same tomorrow again, let us not think it needless, let us not be grieved at it; for if every one of us will rightly examine himself, he shall perceive that he is far wide, and has not remembered his lesson well to practise it aright. This it is that we have to note in this place, when Saint Paul says, "Put them in mind of these things." —Sermons JUNE 24 Bible Text: And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God. —Zechariah 13:9 Devotional: After the greater part, both of the world and of the Church (at least such as profess to belong to it) shall be destroyed, we cannot be retained in our position, except God often chastises us. Let us then remember what Paul says, that we are chastened by the Lord that we may not perish with the world; and the metaphors which the Prophet adopts here are to the same purpose; for he says, "I will lead them through the fire." He speaks here of the faithful whom God has chosen unto salvation, and whom he has reserved that they might continue safe; yet he says that they shall be saved through fire, that is, hard trials. But he sets forth this still more clearly, "He will prove them," he says, "as silver and gold." The stubble and the chaff, as John the Baptist teaches us, are indeed cast into the fire (Matt. 3:12), but without any benefit; for the fire consumes the refuse and the chaff, and whatever is corruptible. But when the gold and the silver are put in the fire and are purified, it is done that greater purity may be produced, and also that what is precious in these metals may become more apparent. For when the silver is drawn out of the mine, it differs not much from what is earthly. The same is the case with gold. But the furnace so purifies the gold and silver from their dross that they attain their value and excellency. Hence Zechariah says that when God casts his faithful people into the fire, he does this according to his paternal purpose in order to bum out their dross and thus they become gold and silver who were before filthy and abominable, and in whom much dross abounded. We see then that the elect of God, even those who may be rightly counted his children, are here distinguished from the reprobate, however they may profess God's name and worship. —Commentaries JUNE 25 Bible Text: Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. —Isaiah 55:1 Devotional: So, because the Apostles have sent us to Jesus Christ, and have declared to us that it is to him we must look, and since he also invites us so sweetly to himself, saying, "Come unto me," let us not hang back or go wandering away; let us approach him boldly. For he did not say that for the prophets alone, or for the apostles and martyrs, or for the virgin Mary; but he wants to keep us all to himself, as also it is very necessary for us. Let us undertake, I say, not to wander here and there when we pray to God, and let us know the good he has done for us when he was pleased to draw us back from the abyss and confusion of the Papacy and to show us the open door to come to him—that is, because Jesus Christ intercedes for us. Let us hold to that, without wandering from one side to the other. For it is certain that, if our prayers are not ruled according to the Word of God, they are trifling and God rejects them. Nor can they be made in faith unless the assurance comes from the same source—that is, from the truth of God. And now, if we want our prayers to be grounded in faith, they must be conformed to the will of God, and we must follow what he commands us—that is, we must have Jesus Christ as our Intercessor, Advocate and Mediator. —Sermons JUNE 26 Bible Text: And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: —I Thessalonians 3:12 Devotional: He who forbids the character of our brother to be bespattered with falsehood wills also that as far as the truth will permit, it be preserved immaculate. For although he only guards it against falsehood, he thereby suggests that it is committed to his charge. But this should be sufficient to induce us to defend the fair character of our neighbor—that God himself is its protection. Wherefore detraction is without doubt universally condemned. This commandment also extends so far as to forbid us to affect a pleasantry tinctured with bitter sarcasms, severely lashing the faults of another under the appearance of sport; which is the practice of those who aim at the praise of raillery, to the prejudice of the modesty and feelings of others. For such wantonness sometimes fixes a lasting stigma on the characters of our brethren. Now if we turn our eyes to the Legislator whose proper right it is to rule our ears and our minds, as much as our tongues, it will certainly appear that an eagerness to hear detraction, and an unreasonable inclination to unfavorable opinions respecting others, are equally prohibited. For it would be ridiculous for anyone to suppose that God hates slander in the tongue and does not reprobate malice in the heart. Wherefore, if we possess the true fear and love of God, let us make it our study, that as far as is practicable and expedient, and consistent with charity, we devote neither our tongues nor our ears to vicious raillery, nor by chance listen to unfavorable suspicions; but that, putting fair constructions on every man's words and actions, we regulate our hearts, our ears, and our tongues, with a view to preserve the reputation of all around us. —Institutes, II, viii, xlvii JUNE 27 Bible Text: Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: —Philippians 3:8 Devotional: On the other hand, we know not what it is to part with everything for the love of him, until he has brought us to the test. True it is, that he who has taken off his affection from the goods of this world has already sold all, and has made himself poor, so far as depends on himself; but the fruit and the proof of this spiritual poverty are, patiently to endure the loss of worldly goods, and without any regret, when it pleases our heavenly Father that we should be despoiled of them. I do not set these things before you as to one who is ignorant, or who has need of lengthy remonstrances, but for the love that I bear you, of which God is my witness. I pray our good Lord that he would so work in you now more powerfully than ever, to make you despise all that is in the world, and to make you breathe upwards direct to him with your whole heart, without being turned aside by anything whatsoever, making you taste what is the worth of the hope which he reserves for us in heaven; and that it may please him to lighten your burden as regards the body, in order that you may be all the better disposed well to meditate upon the favors he has bestowed on you, and to take delight in them, acknowledging the love which he has shown you. Whatsoever may happen, if we have the patience to hearken to our Saviour, he will always give us wherewithal to rejoice our spirits, and will make us taste and feel, in a lively way, that it is not in vain that he has promised to make us unconquerable in tribulations. Now, then, learn in reality what that beautiful promise is worth, that we are indeed happy, when all the world shall speak ill of us, and shall hate us, and shall persecute us for his name's sake. Therefore it is, that he has prepared you, long before exposing you to danger. —Correspondence JUNE 28 Bible Text: There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. —Job 1:1 Devotional: It is true that we may withhold ourselves from evildoing, and that we may have a fair reputation before men; but that will amount to nothing if we are hypocrites at heart or misrepresent our actions before God, who sees the heart. What must we do then? We must begin with the heart. And then to have perfect soundness, it is proper that our eyes, our hands, our feet, our arms, our legs, be conformed to this standard; so that in our whole life we may show that it is our desire to serve God, and that this is a sincere desire and not a mere pretense. And that is also why Saint Paul exhorts the Galatians to walk by the Spirit if they live in the Spirit; as if he should say, "Verily it behooves us to have the Spirit of God living in us." For it is to no purpose to have a gay life that pleases men and is held in high estimation, unless we are renewed by the grace of God. But what then? We must walk, that is to say, we must show in fact, and by our works, that the Spirit of God reigns in our souls. For if our hands are stained with robbery, with cruelty, or with any other vices; if the eyes are carried away with lewd and unchaste looks, with coveting other men's goods, with pride or with vanity; or if the feet, as the Scripture says, are swift to do evil; thereby we will declare that our heart is full of wickedness and corruption. For there are neither feet, nor hands, nor eyes, which are led by themselves; the leading comes from the Spirit and the heart. Therefore let us endeavor to have the consistency which the Scripture shows us, when it is said that Job, having this soundness and integrity, also lived uprightly, that is to say, conversed with his neighbors without injury, without annoying them, without seeking his own profit, but kept equity with all the world. —Sermons JUNE 29 Bible Text: To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him? —Isaiah 40:18 Devotional: "To whom then have ye likened God?" The Prophet, as we formerly suggested, does not address merely the men of his own age, but posterity; who would have a still severer contest with the mockeries of the nations whose captives they were, and likewise with bad examples and customs; for when, in consequence of being mingled with heathen nations, they daily beheld many corruptions of piety, it was more difficult for them steadily to persevere, That they might not entertain any foolish notion that high prosperity attended the worshippers of false gods, the Prophet meets this error, and reminds them that God, whom they and their fathers worshipped, ought not to be compared with the gods of the Gentiles; for these were made by men, and were composed of gold or sliver, wood or stone; but God created all things; and therefore that the highest injury is done to God, not only by comparing his majesty with things of no value, but even by not placing him far above the angels and everything that is reckoned divine, —Commentaries JUNE 30 Bible Text: Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; —I Timothy 6:17 Devotional: And seeing this fault reign in us, they have need of this correction that Saint Paul gives here. For he speaks not of an exhortation that is common to all, but that must precisely serve as a medicine to them that presume under color of their riches, and set themselves aloft, and make no more account of the kingdom of God, being too much given to fleeting and fading things. Therefore Paul says here not to Timothy, that he should command all men without exception to walk humbly and not to put their confidence in Reeting things of this world, but he will have him exhort the rich man in this matter. And why so? Because they have need. True it is that it is a great irritation to them to be so restrained, for they think they should be spared more than other men; because they stand looking upon their feathers like peacocks, they would have all men to stoop to them, and not to be so bold as to look upon them, not between the eyes and under the brows. Such is the pride of rich men. But Saint Paul on the other hand, to beat down this pride, says that they that are rich have but a vain appearance and show that passes and vanishes away very quickly. They must not therefore presume because they abound in gold and silver, and have great possessions, for these things shall soon be taken away from them. And that this is so, what is the life of men, but a very swift race? Is there any such matter then, to give occasion of pride and make them haughty that have riches? For after that Saint Paul has warned that they are rich but for a short time, and that their great wealth shall pass away very quickly, he sets this down beside, that they should behave themselves humbly. —Sermons

Devotional

Bible Text:

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. —Romans 8:26, 27

Devotional:

By means of prayer, then, we penetrate to those riches which are reserved with our heavenly Father for our use. For between God and men there is a certain communication; by which they enter into the sanctuary of heaven, and in his immediate presence remind him of his promises, in order that his declarations, which they have implicitly believed, may in time of necessity be verified in their experience. We see, therefore, that nothing is revealed to us, to be expected from the Lord, for which we are not likewise enjoined to pray; so true is it, that prayer digs out those treasures, which the gospel of the Lord discovers to our faith.

Now the necessity and various utility of the exercise of prayer no language can sufficiently explain. It is certainly not without reason that our heavenly Father declares that the only fortress of salvation consists in invocation of his name; by which we call to our aid the presence of his providence, which watches over all our concerns; of his power, which supports us when weak and ready to faint; and of his goodness, which receives us into favor, though miserably burdened with our sins; in which, finally, we call upon him to manifest his presence with us in all his attributes.

Hence our consciences derive peculiar peace and tranquillity; for when the affliction which oppressed us is represented to the Lord, we feel abundant composure even from this consideration, that none of our troubles are concealed from him whom we know to possess both the greatest readiness and the greatest ability to promote our truest interest. —Institutes, III, xx, ii


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.

 

CONTACT US

+1 215 830 0900

Contact Form

Find a Church