February 14 Daily Devotional

Bible Text:

Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? —Isaiah 53:1

Devotional:

And therefore we must be equipped and armed against this sight—put before our eyes by the devil—of so many men resisting the Gospel, even the greatest men and those with some reputation in the world. For then it seems to us not to be God's Word. And why? Because we pay too much regard to men. In this way our faith is shaken.

So let us rise above all that is earthly and know that when God speaks we must submit to him, and though none should be on our side but all against us, let us not fail to accept with a sincere faith what God declares.

And, moreover, lest we should be surprised that men are so perverse as to fight against their God, against him who has created them, even him who has declared that he is their Redeemer, let us know that faith is not given to all, but is a singular gift that God keeps as a treasure for those he has chosen; and let us know that our duty is to cleave to him, knowing the while that none of us gains faith by his own effort, but God has enlightened us and given us eyes by his Holy Spirit, and in so doing has declared his power—that is to say, he has given us a lively feeling of it in our hearts, so that we know that the Gospel comes, not from men, but from him. —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.