December 12 Daily Devotional

Bible Text:

And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land. —Zechariah 13:2

Devotional:

We may deduce that the Word of God not only shows the way to us, but also uncovers the delusions of Satan; for hardly one in a hundred follows what is right, unless he is reminded of what he ought to avoid. It is then not enough to declare that there is but one true God, and that we ought to put our trust in Christ, unless another thing be added, that is, that we warn men of those intrigues by which Satan has from the beginning deceived miserable mortals.

Even at this day he has by various means withdrawn the simple and unwary from the true God and entangled them in a maze of superstitions. Unless therefore men be thus warned, the Word of God is made known to them only in part.

This also ought to be carefully observed; for we see at this day how some unprincipled men adopt this sentiment—that the Church is not free unless every one is allowed with impunity to teach whatever he pleases, and that it is the greatest cruelty to punish a heretic; for they would have all liberty to be given to blasphemies.

But the Prophet here shows that the Church cannot be preserved in a pure state, and, in a word, it cannot exist as a healthy and sound body, except the rashness and audacity of those who pervert sound and true doctrine be restrained. —Commentaries

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.