April 13 Daily Devotional

Bible Text:

And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. —Acts 1:7

Devotional:

It was too curious of them to desire to know that whereof their Master would have them ignorant; but this is the true means to become wise, namely, to go as far forward in learning as our Master Christ goes in teaching, and willingly to be ignorant of those things which he conceals from us. But forasmuch as there is naturally aroused in us a certain foolish and vain curiosity, and also a certain rash kind of boldness, we must diligently observe this admonition of Christ, by which he corrects both these vices.

But to the end we may know what his meaning is hereby, we must notice the two things which he joins together. "It is not for you," he says, "to know those things which the Father has placed in his own power." He speaks, indeed, of the times and seasons; but seeing there is the like reason in other things, we must think this to be a universal precept, that being contented with the revelation of God, we think it an heinous crime to inquire any further. This is the true mean between the two extremes. —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.