October 23 Daily Devotional

Bible Text:

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. —I Timothy 1:5

Devotional:

Saint Paul shows that when God published his law he had before his eyes a certain end at which we also must aim; and when we do so, we shall have the true life of the law; it shall not be a dead letter to us; and not that only, but having the pure knowledge of what is contained in it, we shall be quickened.

What we have to gather from the law is, in sum, love out of a pure heart and out of a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. In another place it is said that Holy Writ is profitable to teach and to reprove and to admonish, and to make the man of God perfect. Likewise in this text he shows that it was God's purpose to confirm us in godliness, when he gave us his law. For it was not to tickle our ears at all, and to feed us with vain trifles, but it contains a doctrine very profitable to us.

And in what does it consist? It is true that Saint Paul puts love here in the first place, but yet he shows that love comes from a higher fountain, that is to say, from faith, which carries with it a good conscience and a pure heart; and then love is the fruit of it. —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.