August 14 Daily Devotional

Bible Text:

Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. —Isaiah 53:12

Devotional:

So then, to be submissive to our Lord Jesus Christ, let us confess him as our King and do it sincerely. There is no doubt we obtain from him liberty in the first place; and after that, the blessings we need and which we lack unless we receive them at his hand.

See how wretched we should be if Satan had not been plundered; for he possesses us, he enjoys us at his ease, just as our Lord Jesus declares. In a word, we are like his own possession and property.

So we have need that the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ brings forth its fruit in us, and that our enemies may be not only overcome but also put to flight; that Jesus Christ may, as it were, keep his foot on their throats, so that they may be powerless, though they scheme to do us harm. —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.