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May 3 Daily Devotional

Thine Is My Heart: Devotional Readings from the Writings of John Calvin

John Calvin (compiled by John H. Kromminga)

SEPTEMBER 1 Bible Text: Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread. —II Thessalonians 3:12 Devotional: The Lord commands every one of us, in all the actions of life, to regard his vocation. For he knows with what great unrest the human mind is inflamed, with what desultory levity it is hurried hither and thither, and how insatiable is its ambition to grasp different things at once. Therefore, to prevent universal confusion being produced by our folly and temerity, he has appointed to all their particular duties in different spheres of life. And that no one might rashly transgress the limits prescribed, he has styled such spheres of life vocations or callings. Every individual's line of life, therefore, is, as it were, a post assigned him by the Lord, that he may not wander about in uncertainty all his days. And so necessary is this distinction, that in his sight all our actions are estimated according to it, and often very differently from the sentence of human reason and philosophy. There is no exploit esteemed more honorable, even among philosophers, than to deliver our country from tyranny; but the voice of the celestial Judge openly condemns the private man who lays violent hands on a tyrant. It is not my design, however, to pause to list examples. It is sufficient if we know that the principle and foundation of right conduct in every case is the vocation of the Lord, and that he who disregards it will never keep the right way in the duties of his station. He that is in obscurity will lead a private life without discontent, so as not to desert the station in which God has placed him. It will also be no small alleviation of his cares, labors, troubles, and other burdens, when a man owns that in all these things he has God for his guide. The magistrate will execute his office with greater pleasure, the father of a family will confine himself to his duty with more satisfaction, and all, in their respective spheres of life, will bear and surmount the inconveniences, cares, disappointments, and anxieties which befall them, when they shall be persuaded that every individual has his burden laid upon him by God. Hence also will arise peculiar consolation, since there will be no employment so mean and sordid (provided we follow our vocation) as not to appear truly respectable, and be deemed highly important in the sight of God. —Institutes, III, x, vi SEPTEMBER 2 Bible Text: Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages; —Isaiah 49:8 Devotional: How shall we reconcile these statements? By considering that Christ is not so much his own as ours; for he neither came, nor died, nor rose again, for himself. He was sent for the salvation of the Church, and seeks nothing as his own; for he has no want of anything. Accordingly, God makes promises to the whole body of the Church. Christ, who occupies the place of Mediator, receives these promises, and does not plead on behalf of himself as an individual, but the whole Church, for whose salvation he was sent. On this account he does not address Christ separately, but so far as he is joined and continually united to his body. It is an inconceivable honor which our heavenly Father bestows upon us, when he listens to his Son on our account, and when he even directs the discourse to the Son, while the matter relates to our salvation. Hence we see how close is the connection between us and Christ. He stands in our room, and has nothing separate from us. And the Father listens to our cause. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 3 Bible Text: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. —Deuteronomy 6:7 Devotional: If we desire to be exalted to the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, we must bear the reproach of his cross. Thus I entreat. you, according as necessity may remind you, to shake off your sloth and bestir yourself to do battle valiantly against Satan and the world, desiring to be dead unto yourself so as to be fully renewed in God. And because we must know before we can love, I entreat you also to exercise yourself in reading the holy exhortations that may be helps to this end. For the coldness we observe in certain persons arises from that carelessness which disposes them to fancy that it is enough to have briefly relished some passage of the Scriptures, without laying down as a rule to profit by it as need should require. On the contrary, we have to practise what is said by St. Paul, that by contemplating the face of Jesus Christ in the mirror of the gospel, we may conform ourselves to him from glory to glory. Whereby the apostle means that in proportion as we draw nearer to Jesus Christ, and know him more intimately, the grace and virtue of his Spirit will at the same time grow and be multiplied in us. So then be it your constant care to profit more and more. And besides all that, you have to think of your children, whom God has confided to your charge for this end, that they should be dedicated to him, and that he should be the supreme Father of them as of you. It is true that many persons are prevented from discharging their duties toward their children, because their single desire is to further the advancement of their offspring in the world. But this is a pitiful and perverse consideration. I entreat you then since God has bestowed on you a race of children gifted with good dispositions, and as you value this inestimable treasure, to take measures for having them brought up betimes in his fear, and preserved from the corruptions and pollutions by which we have been surrounded. I am aware that you have not waited for my exhortations to begin this happy work, but that you have provided for them a man endowed with knowledge to instruct them and zealous in the discharge of his functions; but because both father and children should be entirely devoted to God, and because the obstacles which Satan lays in the way of so good an end are almost insurmountable, it is highly necessary that you should train them up for the possession of a heavenly inheritance, rather than that of perishable wealth and honors here below. —Correspondence SEPTEMBER 4 Bible Text: Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth: Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children: Let them praise the name of the Lord: —Psalm 148:11–13a Devotional: "Kings of earth." He now turns his address to men, with a respect to whom it was that he called for a declaration of God's praises from creatures, both above and from beneath. As kings and princes are blinded by the dazzling influence of their station, so as to think the world was made for them, and to despise God in the pride of their hearts, he particularly calls them to this duty; and, by mentioning them first, he reproves their ingratitude in withholding their tribute of praise when they are under greater obligations than others. As all men originally stand upon a level as to condition, the higher persons have risen, and the nearer they have been brought to God, the more sacredly are they bound to proclaim his goodness. The more intolerable is the wickedness of kings and princes who claim exemption from the common rule, when they ought rather to inculcate it upon others and lead the way. He could have addressed his exhortation at once summarily to all men, as indeed he mentions peoples in general terms; but by thrice specifying princes he suggests that they are slow to discharge the duty, and need to be urged to it. Then follows a division according to age and sex, to show that all without exception are created for this end, and should unitedly devote their energies to it. As to old men, the more God has lengthened their lives the more should they be exercised in singing his praises; but he joins the young men with them, for though they have less experience from continued habit, it will be inexcusable for them if they do not acknowledge the great mercy of God in the vigor of their lives. Even the young women who are not so liberally educated as the male sex, being considered born for domestic offices, will omit their duty if they do not join with the rest of the Church in praising God. It follows that all from the least to the greatest are bound by this common rule. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 5 Bible Text: It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. —Hebrews 10:31 Devotional: Let us note, then, this sentence of the Apostle, that it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God; and therefore as often as there is any punishment, let us be moved by it. And thereby we shall be taught to pity those who are in distress, and say, "Alas, this poor creature; if it were some mortal man that affiicted him, a man might give him some relief. But God is against him, and ought we not to have pity as we see this?" Someone may say, "Are we not resisting God when we are sorry for those who are punished for their sins? Is this not a striving against God's justice?" No; for we may recognize God's justice and praise and glorify him for what he does; and yet nevertheless be sorry for those who are punished, because we ourselves may have deserved as much or more, and ought to seek the welfare of all men, especially those who are nearest to us. And when God has established any bond between them and us, we must pity them also. In like manner we recognize civil justice, which is a little mirror of God's justice, and yet do not cease to have pity on the offender. When a criminal is punished, men do not say that he has been wronged, or that the judge is cruel. But they say that those who are in the place of justice do their duty and render an acceptable sacrifice to God, when they put an offender to death. But yet in the meanwhile we do not cease to pity the poor creature that shall suffer for his evil deeds. If we are not touched by this, there is no humanity in us. If we grant this with respect to earthly justice, which is as a little spark of God's justice, I pray you when we come to the sovereign seat of justice on high, ought we not first to glorify God for all that he does, assuring ourselves that he is just and upright in all respects? And yet this shall not hinder us from pitying those who suffer punishment, to comfort them and aid them; and when we are unable to do them any good, to wish for their salvation, praying God to make their corrections' profitable, in drawing them home, and not to allow them to become hardhearted, and to strive against his hand. —Sermons SEPTEMBER 6 Bible Text: The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. —Romans 13:12 Devotional: Although it may be difficult to the weakness of our flesh to continue steadfast when we see no end to our warfare; nay more, see that things grow worse; yet when girt about with the armor which God bestows upon us, we must not fear but that we shall overcome all the devices of Satan. I call "the armor of God" not merely the promises and holy exhortations by which he strengthens us, but the prayers which are to obtain the strength we need. And therefore, sir, according to your necessity, get by heart what Scripture sets before us, both as to the present condition of Christians, and the miseries to which they must needs be subject, and also as to the happy and desirable issue promised them; and how, moreover, they shall never be forsaken in the time of their need. I know—long continued maladies being the most harassing——that it is extremely hard for you to languish for such a length of time. But if the enemies of the truth are thus obstinate in their fury, we ought to be ashamed of not being at least equally steadfast in well-doing; and most of all when it concerns the glory of our God and Redeemer, which, of his infinite goodness, he has bound up with our salvation. And I have no doubt that you put in practice what the Apostle tells you about strengthening the feeble knees and lifting up the hands which hang down. For it cannot be but that the first blows dismay, unless we rouse our virtue to resist temptation. —Correspondence SEPTEMBER 7 Bible Text: For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? —Romans 8:24 Devotional: Now wherever this living faith shall be found, it must necessarily be attended with the hope of eternal salvation as its inescapable counterpart. For if faith be, as has been stated, a certain persuasion of the truth of God, that it can neither lie, nor deceive us, nor be frustrated—they who have felt this assurance, likewise expect a period to arrive when God will accomplish his promises, which according to their persuasion, cannot but be true; so that, in short, hope is no other than an expectation of those things which faith has believed to be truly promised by God. Thus faith believes the veracity of God, hope expects the manifestation of it in due time; faith believes him to be our Father, hope expects him always to act towards us in this character; faith believes that eternal life is given to us, hope expects it one day to be revealed; faith is the foundation on which hope rests, hope nourishes and sustains faith. For as no man can have any expectations from God, but he who has first believed his promises, so also the weakness of our faith must be sustained and cherished by patient hope and expectation, lest it grow weary and faint. For which reason, Paul rightly places our salvation in hope. For hope, while it is silently expecting the Lord, restrains faith, that it may not waver in the Divine promises, or begin to doubt the truth of them; it refreshes it, that it may not grow weary; it extends it to the farthest goal, that it may not fail in the midst of the course, or even at the entrance of it. Finally, hope, by continually renewing and restoring faith, causes it frequently to persevere with more vigor than hope itself. —Institutes, III, ii, xlii SEPTEMBER 8 Bible Text: And said, Remember now, 0 Lord, I beseech thee, how I huoe walked before thee in truth and. with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore. —Isaiah 38:3 Devotional: "Remember now that I have walked before thee in truth." He does not plead his merits against God, or remonstrate with him in any respect, as if he were unjustly punished, but fortifies himself against a sore temptation, that he may not think that God is angry with him for correcting the vices and removing the corruptions which prevailed throughout the whole of his kingdom, and especially in regard to religion. Yet the Lord permits his people even to glory, in some degree, on account of their good actions, not that they may boast of their merits before him, but that they may acknowledge his benefits, and . may be affected by the remembrance of them in such a manner as to be prepared for enduring everything patiently. But sometimes the unreasonable conduct of their enemies constrains them to holy boasting, that they may commend their good cause to their judge and avenger; as David boldly meets the wicked slanders of enemies by pleading his innocence before the judgment seat of God (Ps. 7:8; 17 :2). But here Hezekiah intended to meet the craftiness of Satan, which believers feel, when, under the pretence of humility, he overwhelms them with despair; and therefore we ought earnestly to beware lest our hearts be swallowed up by grief. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 9 Bible Text: The morning is come unto thee, 0 thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding again of the mountains. —Ezekiel 7:7 Devotional: We know that hypocrites commit all their sins as if no eye were upon them; as long as God is silent and at rest they revel without shame or fear. But the chosen remain faithful even in secret; but God's word always shines before them, as Peter says—ye do well when ye attend to the Prophetic word, as a lamp shining in darkness. Although the faithful may be surrounded by darkness, yet they direct their eye to' the light of celestial doctrine, so that they are watchful, and are not children of the night and of darkness as Paul says (I Thess. 5:4, 5). But the impious are, as it were, immersed in darkness, and think they shall enjoy perpetual night. As the rising morning dispels the darkness of night, so also God's judgment, on its sudden appearance, strikes the reprobate with unexpected terror, but too late. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 10 Bible Text: Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? —Isaiah 53:1 Devotional: Let us reckon with this fact, that the world will never be so entirely converted to God that there will not be a majority possessed by Satan and remaining stupidly in his power, who would not rather perish than accept the blessing that is offered to us. And there are different sorts of men: some will be stupid, others will be so arrogant as to mock God and so madly presumptuous as to condemn everything in the Gospel; others will be wrapped up in the cares of this world, preoccupied with their refinements and delusions so that they have no taste at all for heavenly things; others will be so besotted that one cannot reach their minds so as to give them any teaching. So when we see this, let us reckon with the fact that, although the Gospel is preached and the voice of God resounds and echoes everywhere, many men will stay just as they were, quite unchanged, and all teaching will be, as it were, dead to them. And thus let us take note that the number of believers is small. But yet we must not be led astray by that. Rather we ought to realize that God is bringing to pass what he declared with his mouth. And meanwhile we ought to be so much the more careful to gather ourselves, as it were, under the wings of God, seeing that the world today is full of malice and rebellion.... When we see the whole world, trampling the Word of God under foot, let us devote ourselves to it. And not only that, but we must be all the more careful to cleave to our God when we see that scandals and bad examples might succeed in turning us from him; for we must remain in the integrity to which God calls us. —Sermons SEPTEMBER 11 Bible Text: ... ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. —John 16:20b Devotional: "Your sorrow will be turned into joy." He means the joy which they felt after having received the Spirit; not that they were afterwards free from all sorrow, but that all the sorrow which they would endure was swallowed up by spiritual joy. We know that the apostles, so long as they lived, sustained a severe warfare, that they endured base reproaches, that they had many reasons for weeping and lamenting; but renewed by the Spirit, they had laid aside their former consciousness of weakness, so that, with lofty heroism, they nobly trampled under foot all the evils that they had endured. Here then is a comparison between their present weakness and the power of the Spirit, which would soon be given to them; for, though they were nearly overwhelmed for a time, yet afterwards they not only fought bravely, but obtained a glorious triumph in the midst of their struggles. Yet it ought also to be observed, that he points out not only the interval that elapsed between the resurrection of Christ and the death of the apostles, but also the period which followed afterwards; as if Christ had said, "You will lie prostrate, as it were, for a short time; but when the Holy Spirit shall have raised you up again, then will begin a new joy, which will continue to increase, until, having been received into the heavenly glory, you shall have perfect joy." —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 12 Bible Text: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. —II Corinthians 4:7 Devotional: In the next place, I have something about which I wish to admonish yourself. For I understand the length of your discourses has furnished the ground of complaint to many. You have frequently confessed to us that you were aware of this defect, and that you were endeavoring to correct it. But if private grumblings are disregarded because they do not in the meanwhile give trouble, they may, nevertheless, one day break forth into seditious clamors. I beg and beseech of you to strive to restrain yourself, that you may not afford Satan an opportunity, which we see he is so earnestly desiring. You know that while we are not called upon to show too much indulgence to the foolish, we are nevertheless bound to give them something to allure them. And you are well enough aware that you have to do with the morose and choleric; and in truth their aversion arises simply from too much pride on their part. Yet, since the Lord commands us to ascend the pulpit, not for our own edification, but for that of the people, you should so regulate the matter of your teaching, that the word may not be brought into contempt by your tediousness. It is more appropriate also for us to lengthen our prayers in private, than when we offer them in the name of the whole Church. You are mistaken if you expect from all an ardor equal to your own. —Letter to Farel SEPTEMBER 13 Bible Text: Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: —Romans 5:1 Devotional: The following observation of Bernard is worthy of recital; "that the name of Jesus is not only light, but also food; that it is likewise oil, without which all the food of the soul is dry; that it is salt, unseasoned by which, whatever is presented to us is insipid; finally, that it is honey in the mouth, melody in the ear, joy in the heart, and medicine to the soul; and that there are no charms in any discourse where his name is not heard." But here we ought diligently to examine how he has procured salvation for us; that we may' not only know him to be the author of it, but, embracing those things which are sufficient for the establishment of our faith, may reject everything capable of drawing us aside to the right hand or to the left. For since no man can descend into himself and seriously consider his own character, without perceiving that God is angry with him and hostile to him, and consequently he must find himself under a necessity of anxiously seeking some way to appease him, which can never be done without a satisfaction —this is a case in which the strongest assurance is required. For sinners, till they be delivered from guilt, are always subject to the wrath and malediction of God, who, being a righteous Judge, never suffers his law to be violated with impunity, but stands prepared to avenge it. —Institutes, II, xvi, i SEPTEMBER 14 Bible Text: The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live. —Psalm 119:144 Devotional: Farther, he here teaches that men cannot, properly speaking, be said to live when they are destitute of the light of heavenly wisdom; and as the end for which men are created is not that, like swine or asses, they may stuff their bellies, but that they may exercise themselves in the knowledge and service of God, when they turn away from such employment, their life is worse than a thousand deaths. David therefore protests that for him to live was not merely to be fed with meat and drink, and to enjoy earthly comforts, but to aspire after a better life, which he could not do save under the guidance of faith. This is a very necessary warning; for although it is universally acknowledged that man is born with this distinction, that he excels the lower animals in intelligence, yet the great bulk of mankind, as if with deliberate purpose, stifle whatever light God pours into their understandings. I indeed admit that all men desire to be sharp-witted; but how few aspire to heaven, and consider that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Since then meditation upon the celestial life is buried by earthly cares, men do nothing else than plunge into the grave, so that while living to the world, they die to God. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 15 Bible Text: These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. —Acts 1:14 Devotional: Luke expresses two things which are proper to true prayer, namely that they persisted and that they were all of one mind. This was an exercise of their patience, in that Christ made them wait a while, when he could have immediately sent the Holy Spirit; as God often delays, and as it were suffers us to languish, that he may accustom us to persevere. The hastiness of our petition is a corrupt, yea hurtful plague. Wherefore it is no marvel if God sometimes corrects it. In the meantime he exercises us to be constant in prayer. Therefore if we would not pray in vain, let us not be wearied with the delay of time. As touching the unity of their minds, it is set against that scattering abroad which fear had caused before. Yet, notwithstanding, we may easily gather, even by this, how needful a thing it is to pray generally, in that Christ commands every one to pray for the whole body, and generally for all men, as it were, in the person of all men: Our Father, Give us this day, etc. Whence comes this unity of their tongues but from one Spirit? Wherefore when Paul would prescribe to Jews and Gentiles a right form of prayer, he removes far away all division and dissension. That we may, says he, being all of one mind, glorify God ( Rom. 15; 6) . And truly it is needful that we be brethren and agree together like brethren, that we may rightly call God Father. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 16 Bible Text: But he shall say, 1 am no prophet, 1 am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth. —Zechariah 13:5 Devotional: Zechariah mentions these two particulars—the false prophets will give up their office and that they will then spend their labor in doing what is right and just, supporting themselves in a lawful and innocent manner, and affording aid to their brethren. It is the first thing in repentance when they who had been previously the servants of Satan in the work of deception cease to deal in falsehoods, and thus put an end to their errors. Now follows the progress—that they who lived before in idleness and in pleasures under the pretext of sanctity, willingly devote themselves to labor. A half reformation might probably succeed with many at this day. But the second part of reformation is very hard, which requires toil and labor; in this case the stomach has no ears, according to the old proverb. And yet we see what the prophet says, that those are they who truly and from the heart repent who not only abstain from impostures, but who are also ready to get their own living, acknowledging that they had before defrauded the poor, and procured their support by rapine and fraud. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 17 Bible Text: Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness. —Psalm 143:10 Devotional: "Teach me that I may do thy will." He now rises to something higher, praying not merely for deliverance from outward troubles, but, what is of still greater importance, for the guidance of God's Spirit, that he might not decline to the right hand or to the left, but be kept in the path of rectitude. This is a request which should never be forgotten when temptations assail us with great severity, as it is peculiarly difficult to submit to God without resorting to unwarrantable methods of relief. As anxiety, fear, disease, languor, or pain, often tempt persons to particular steps, David's example should lead us to pray for divine restraint, and that we may not be hurried, through impulses of feeling, into unjustifiable courses. We are to mark carefully his way of expressing himself, for what he asks is not simply to be taught what the will of God is, but to be taught and brought to the observance and doing of it. The former kind of teaching is of less avail, as upon God's showing us our duty we by no means necessarily follow it, and it is necessary that he should draw out our affections to himself. God therefore must be master and teacher to us not only in the dead letter, but by the inward motions of his Spirit; indeed, there are three ways in which he acts the part of our teacher, instructing us by his word, enlightening our minds by the Spirit, and engraving instruction upon our hearts, so as to bring us to observe it with a true and cordial consent. The mere hearing of the word would serve no purpose, nor is it enough that we understand it; there must be besides the willing obedience of the heart. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 18 Bible Text: He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep hefore her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. —Isaiah 53:7 Devotional: Moreover, we are also exhorted to conform to his example; not that we shall be able to humiliate ourselves perfectly before God, but yet we must force ourselves towards it. I say, that when God is pleased to chastise us and we feel great roughness at his hand, so that it seems as if we are overwhelmed, we must nevertheless keep silence, confessing that God is righteous and fair, and not letting one murmur be heard from our mouths. Let us glorify God by our silence; even as if we were poor sinners convicted of their crimes and without an excuse. St. Peter applies the passage like this: when we are afHicted by the hand of God, even persecuted by the hand of men, we must not cease to bear patiently all the injuries done to us: knowing that God wishes to test us, or even to punish us for our faults. And let us take care not to make frivolous excuses, like many do, who bring forward their infirmity and say that they are too weak and cannot stay quiet while God presses them so straitly. We must therefore be conformed to the Son of God, for he is our mirror and pattern—not, as I have said, that we can have goodness equal to his; but although we cannot come near it, we must strive towards it. —Sermons SEPTEMBER 19 Bible Text: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. —I Corinthians 6:20 Devotional: This is a very important consideration, that we are consecrated and dedicated to God; that we may not hereafter think, speak, meditate, or do anything but with a view to his glory. For that which is sacred cannot, without great injustice towards him, be applied to unholy uses. If we are not our own, but the Lord's, it is manifest both what error we must avoid, and to what end all the actions of our lives are to be directed. We are not our own; therefore neither our reason nor our will should predominate in our deliberations and actions. We are not our own; therefore let us not propose it as our end, to seek what may be expedient for us according to the flesh. We are not our own; therefore let us, as far as possible forget ourselves and all things that are ours. On the contrary, we are God's; to him, therefore, let us live and die. We are God's; therefore let his wisdom and will preside in all our actions. We are God's; towards him, therefore, as our only legitimate end, let every part of our lives be directed. Oh, how great a proficiency has that man made, who, having been taught that he is not his own, has taken the sovereignty and government of himself from his own reason, to surrender it to God! For as compliance with their own inclinations leads men most effectually to ruin, so to place no dependence on our own knowledge or will, but merely to follow the guidance of the Lord, is the only way of safety. Let this, then, be the first step, to depart from ourselves, that we may apply all the vigor of our faculties to the service of the Lord. —Institutes,, III, vii, i SEPTEMBER 20 Bible Text: Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. —I Timothy 1:4 Devotional: These are the two causes for which many forsake the pure doctrine of salvation; namely, because they are moved with their pride to seek out new matters, and God will have his students to be humble. Do we wish to profit in his school? Let us have this humility, not to presume to know too much, but only to be taught by him as he pleases. And again, there are others so shallow that they have no desire to master what is contained in the gospel, and wish often to change their pasture, and think that their ears are being abused if anyone repeat often to them a thing which is to their profit; as when we preach of the virtue of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of his grace, it seems to them that they already know this too well and that they are too much accustomed to it. Inasmuch as this curiosity tickles many brains, God allows them to feed themselves with wind; for indeed they are not worthy to be nourished with good pasturage. Therefore if we wish God to hold us in the purity of his Word, let us first of all be humble and modest, and then let us be sober and not desire by vain curiosity to know more than is lawful for us. —Sermons SEPTEMBER 21 Bible Text: And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. —Acts 1:26 Devotional: It came to pass as no man would have looked for; for we may gather by that which goes before that there was not so great account made of Matthias as of the other; for, besides that Luke gave him the former place, the two surnames which Barsabas had show that he was in great estimation. He was called Barsabas, as if he were some mirror, either of faithfulness and innocency, or of a quiet and modest nature. The other name indicated singular honesty. This man, therefore, in men's judgment, was superior; but God preferred Matthias before him. Whereby we are taught that we must not glory if we be extolled unto the skies in the opinion of men, and if by their voices and consents we be judged to be most excellent men; but we must rather have regard of this, to approve ourselves unto God, who alone is the most lawful and just judge, by whose sentence and judgment we stand or fall. And we may oftentimes mark this also that God passes over him who is the chiefest in the sight of men, that he may throw down all pride which is in men. —Commentaries . SEPTEMBER 22 Bible Text: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. —John 3:16 Devotional: "He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him may not perish." This, he says, is the proper look of faith, to be fixed on Christ, in whom it beholds the breast of God filled with love; this is a firm and enduring support, to rely on the death of Christ as the only pledge of that love. The word "only-begotten" is emphatic, to magnify the fervor of the love of God towards us. For as men are not easily convinced that God loves them, in order to remove all doubt, he has expressly stated that we are so very dear to God that, on our account, he did not even spare his only-begotten Son. Since, therefore, God has most abundantly testified his love towards us, whoever is not satisfied with this testimony, and still remains in doubt, offers a high insult to Christ, as if he had been an ordinary man given up at random to death. But we ought rather to consider that, in proportion to the estimation in which God holds his only-begotten Son, so much the more precious did our salvation appear to him, for the ransom of which he chose that his only-begotten Son should die. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 23 Bible Text: Devotional: Depart from evil, and do good; and dwell for evermore. —Psalm 37:27 If the meek possess the earth, then everyone, as he regards his own happiness and peace, should also endeavor to walk uprightly, and to apply himself to works of beneficence. It should also be observed, that he connects these two things: first, that the faithful should strictly do good; and, secondly, that they should restrain themselves from doing evil; and this he does not without good reason; for as is shown in the thirty-fourth Psalm, it often happens that the same person who not only acts kindly towards certain persons, but even with a bountiful hand deals out largely of his own, is yet all the while plundering others, and amassing by extortion the resources by means of which he displays his liberality. Whoever, therefore, is desirous to have his good offices approved by God, let him endeavor to relieve his brethren who have need of his help, but let him not injure one in order to help another, or afflict and grieve one in order to make another glad. Now David, under these two expressions, has briefly comprised the duties of the second table of the law; first, that the godly should keep their hands free from all mischief, and give no occasion of complaint to any man; and, secondly, that they should not live to themselves, and to the promotion merely of their own private interests, but should endeavor to promote the common good of all according to their opportunities, and as far as they are able. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 24 Bible Text: I poured out my complaint before him; I shewed before him my trouble. —Psalm 142:2 Devotional: He tells us still more clearly in the next verse that he disburdened his cares unto God. To pour out one's thoughts and tell over his afHictions implies the reverse of those perplexing anxieties which men brood over inwardly to their own distress, and by which they torture themselves, and are chafed by their afHictions rather than led to God; or it implies the reverse of those frantic exclamations to which others give utterance who find no comfort in the superintending providence of God. In short, we are left to infer' that while he did not give way before men to loud and senseless lamentations, neither did he suffer himself to be tormented with inward and suppressed cares, but made known his griefs with unsuspecting confidence to the Lord. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 25 Bible Text: One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple. —Psalm 27:4 Devotional: Call to mind, I beseech you, the continual sighs you have been heaving for so long a time. Although you had many kinds of grief, I doubt not that your chief regret was that of not being permitted to devote yourself entirely to the service of God. Consider well, whether you have not vowed daily before God, that you wished for nothing but the means of getting rid of the servitude in which you were held. Now that your wish is granted, rely upon it that God holds you to your promise. It is for you to anticipate him, even as your conscience prompts you, without incitements from without. And yet further, call to remembrance that Saint Paul, in saying that married persons are as it were divided, but that widows have nothing to do but to apply themselves entirely to God, takes away from you the excuse which you have hitherto alleged. It is certain that nothing whatever ought to hinder us from the discharge of what is due our heavenly Father, and to that kind Redeemer whom he has sent to us; but the better the opportunity of each, so much the more guilty does he become if he does not the more readily discharge his duty. I am well aware that you have regard to your children, and I do not say but that this is right, provided that the sovereign Father of both you and them is not left out. But consider that the greatest benefit which you can confer on them is to show them the way to follow God. —Letter to Madame De Pons SEPTEMBER 26 Bible Text: And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. —Romans 16:20 Devotional: But, as the promise respecting breaking the head of Satan belongs to Christ and his members in common, I therefore deny that the faithful can ever be conquered or overwhelmed by him. They are frequently filled with consternation, but recover themselves again; they fall by the violence of his blows, but are raised up again; they are wounded, but not mortally; finally, they labor through their whole lives in such a manner as at last to obtain the victory. This, however, is not to be restricted to each single action. For we know that, by the righteous vengeance of God, David was for a time delivered to Satan, that by his instigation he might number the people; nor is it without reason that Paul admits a hope of pardon even for those who may have been entangled in the snares of the devil. Therefore the same Apostle shows, in another place, that the promise before cited is begun in this life, where we must engage in the conflict; and that after the termination of the conflict it will be completed. "And the God of peace," he says, "shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." In our Head this victory, indeed, has always been complete, because the prince of this world had nothing in him; in us, who are his members, it yet appears only in part, but will be completed when we shall have put off our flesh, which makes us still subject to infirmities. —Institutes, I, xiv, xviii SEPTEMBER 27 Bible Text: Incline thine ear, 0 Lord, and hear; open thine eyes, o Lord, and see: and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent to reproach the living God. —Isaiah 37:17 Devotional: "Incline thine ear, 0 Jehovah." From these words we conclude how great was the perplexity of Hezekiah; for the earnestness that pervades the prayer breathes an amazing power of anguish, so that it is easily seen that he had a struggle attended by uncommon difficulty to escape from the temptation. Though his warmth in prayer shows the strength and eminence of his faith, yet at the same time it exhibits, as in a mirror, the stormy passions. Whenever we shall be called to sustain such contests, let us learn by the example of the pious king to combat our passions by everything that is fitted to strengthen our faith, so that the very disturbance may conduct us to safety and peace, and that we may not be terrified by a conviction of our weakness, if at any time we shall be powerfully assailed by fear and perplexity. It is, indeed, the will of the Lord that we shall toil hard, and sweat and shiver; for we must not expect to gain the victory while we repose in indolence, but after diversified contests he promises us a prosperous issue, which he will undoubtedly grant. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 28 Bible Text: Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. —Ezekiel 3:17 Devotional: It is now added, "Thou shalt hear words from my mouth, and shalt announce them to the people from me." Here a general rule is prescribed to all prophets and pastors of the Church, namely that they should hear the word from the mouth of God; by which God wishes to exclude whatever men fabricate or invent for themselves. For it is evident when God claimed to himself the right of speaking that he orders all men to be silent and. not to offer anything of their own, and then, when he orders them to hear the word from his mouth, that he puts a bridle upon them that they should neither invent anything, nor hanker after their own devices, nor dare to conceive either more or less than the word; and, lastly, we see that whatever men offer of their own selves is here abolished, when God alone wishes to be heard, for he does not mingle himself here with others as in a crowd, as if he wished to be heard only in part. He assumes to himself, therefore, what we ought to attribute to his supreme command over all things, namely that we should hang upon his lips. —Commentaries SEPTEMBER 29 Bible Text: And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. —Colossians 1:21 Devotional: For if it were not clearly expressed that we are obnoxious to the wrath and vengeance of God, and to eternal death, we should not so fully discover how miserable we must be without the Divine mercy, nor should we so highly estimate the blessing of deliverance. For example, let any man be addressed in the following manner: "If, while you remained a sinner, God had hated you, and rejected you according to your demerits, horrible destruction would have befallen you; but because he has voluntarily, and of his own gratuitous kindness, retained you in his favor, and not permitted you to be alienated from him, he has thus delivered you from that danger;" he will be affected, and will in some measure perceive how much he is indebted to Divine mercy. But if, on the contrary, he be told what the Scripture teaches, "that he was alienated from God by sin, an heir of wrath, obnoxious to the punishment of eternal death, excluded from all hope of salvation, a total stranger to the Divine blessing, a slave to Satan, a captive under the yoke of sin, and, in a word, condemned to, and already involved in, a horrible destruction; that in this situation Christ interposed as an intercessor; that he has taken upon himself and suffered the punishment which by the righteous judgment of God hung over all sinners; that by his blood he has expiated those crimes which render them odious to God; that by this expiation God the Father has been appeased; that this is the foundation of peace between God and men; that this is the bond of his benevolence towards them;" will he not be the more affected by these things in proportion to the more correct and lively representation of the depth of calamity from which he has been delivered? In short, since it is impossible for the life which is presented by the mercy of God to be embraced by our hearts with sufficient ardor, or received with becoming gratitude, unless we have been previously terrified and distressed with the fear of the Divine wrath, and the horror of eternal death, we are instructed by the sacred doctrine that irrespective of Christ we may contemplate God as in some measure incensed against us, and his hand armed for our destruction, and that we may embrace his benevolence and paternal love only in Christ. —Institutes, II, xvi, ii SEPTEMBER 30 Bible Text: Be careful for nothing; but in ever)' thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. —Philippians 4:6 Devotional: Wherefore, although we are stupid and insensible to our own miseries, he vigilantly watches and guards us, and sometimes affords us unsolicited help, yet it highly concerns us faithfully to pray to him, that our heart may be always inflamed with a serious and ardent desire of seeking, loving, and worshipping him, while we accustom ourselves in all our necessities to resort to him as our sheet anchor. Further, that no desire or wish, which we should be ashamed for him to know, may enter our minds; when we learn to present our wishes, and so to pour out our whole heart in his presence. Next, that we may be prepared to receive his blessings with true gratitude of soul, and even with grateful acknowledgments; being reminded by our praying that they have come from his hand. Moreover, that when we have obtained what we sought, the persuasion that he has answered our requests may excite us to more ardent meditations on his goodness, and produce a more joyful welcome of those things which we acknowledge to be the fruits of our prayers. Lastly, that use and experience itself may yield our minds a confirmation of his providence in proportion to our weakness, while we realize that he not only promises never to forsake us, and freely opens a way of access for our addressing him in the very moment of necessity; but that his hand is always extended to assist his people, whom he does not feed with mere words, but supports with present aid. On these accounts our most merciful Father, though liable to no sleep or languor, yet frequently appears as if he were sleepy or tired, in order to exercise us, who are otherwise slothful and inactive, in approaching, supplicating, and earnestly beseeching him to our own advantage. It is extremely absurd, therefore, in them who, with a view to divert the minds of men from praying to God, pretend that it is useless for us by our interruptions to weary the Divine Providence, which is engaged in the conservation of all things; whereas the Lord declares, on the contrary, that he "is nigh to all that call upon him in truth." —Institutes, III, xx, iii

Bible Text:

I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. —Luke 11:8

Devotional:

In our supplications, let us have a real and permanent sense of our need, and seriously considering our necessity of all that we ask, let us join with the petitions themselves a serious and ardent desire of obtaining them. For multitudes carelessly recite a form of prayer, as though they were discharging a task imposed on them by God; and though they confess that this is a remedy necessary for their calamities, since it would be certain destruction to be destitute of the Divine aid which they implore, yet that they perform this duty merely in compliance with custom, is evident from the coldness of their hearts, and their inattention to the nature of their petitions. They are led to this by some general and confused sense of their necessity, which nevertheless does not excite them to implore a relief for their great need as a case of present urgency.

Now what can we imagine more odious to God than this hypocrisy, when any man prays for the pardon of sins, who at the same time thinks he is not a sinner, or at least does not think that he is a sinner? What open mockery of God himself!

But such depravity pervades the whole human race, that as a matter of form they frequently implore God for many things which they either expect to receive from some other source independent of his goodness, or imagine themselves already to possess. The crime of some others appears to be smaller, but yet too great to be tolerated; who, having only imbibed this principle, that God must be appeased by devotions, mutter over their prayers without meditation.

But believers ought to be exceedingly cautious never to enter into the presence of God to present any petition without being inflamed with a fervent affection of soul, and feeling an ardent desire to obtain it from him.

Moreover, although in those things which we request only for the Divine glory, we do not at the first glance appear to regard our own necessity, yet it is our duty to pray for them with equal fervor and vehemence of desire. As when we pray that his name may be hallowed, or sanctified, we ought (so to speak) ardently to hunger and thirst for that sanctification. —Institutes, III, xx, vi


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.

 

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