February 26 Daily Devotional

Bible Text:

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; —I Timothy 6:17

Devotional:

Whereby we protest that it is God's part to feed us, as a father cherishes his children. God has so referred this to himself, that he will have us crave our nourishment at his hands. And Paul says that he gives us all things richly. Not that we have all that we wish for, and that God fills us; for we know that our appetites will never be satisfied; and if God should give us whatever we would ask, it would be enough to choke us, for we are unsatiable whirlpools, and the question is not only to content us in measure and soberly, but everyone of us would swim in the pleasures of this world and play the gluttons without measure, yes, and we would not only cram in without all order and excessively, but we would have and scrape goods together such as to put our eyes out, and to stifle us with abundance. Such we are by nature. Therefore God does not give us richly according to our own desire whatever we want, but yet he is not so niggardly but that he nourishes us his children as he knows is best and most suitable for us. Thus we see God's bounty, that he does not fail the poor world, but feeds them that commit themselves to him and call upon him. And if he has a care over all, will he despise his faithful? Will he forget them? —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.