December 18 Daily Devotional

Bible Text:

Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: —Acts 2:26

Devotional:

Joy of the soul, gladness of the tongue, and quietness of the whole body, result from sure hope and confidence. For unless men are quite past feeling they must be anxious and sorrowful, and, consequently, miserable and tormented, as long as they feel themselves destitute of the help of God.

But that sure trust which we repose in God not only delivers us from anxiety, but also replenishes our hearts with wonderful joy and gladness. This is the joy which Christ promised to his disciples should be full in them and which he testified could not be taken away from them. —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.