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May 5 Daily Devotional

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

John Calvin (compiled by John H. Kromminga)

Bible Text:

Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. —I Timothy 1:2

Devotional:

Let this be well understood, that when God receives us into his love, there is nothing that moves him to this but our wretchedness and miserable state; yes, the mercy of God, in that he pities us and has compassion on us, shows that there is on our part a wretchedness and misery to be pitied, so that the one answers to the other.

Note well, then, do we want him to love us? Then we must begin at this end, namely with a feeling that we are wretched creatures, that we are castaways and damned. Whoever they would be that would hope for salvation, and have no taste or feeling of their wretchedness, are like a man who would try to leap above the clouds.

Let us learn, let us learn the way to come to this grace of God, which is no other than this, that we shall stand aghast at our wretchedness and be ashamed and cast down within ourselves, because there is nothing in us but naughtiness and wickedness. And then let us flee to that infinite mercy and pity wherewith God is moved to love us. —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.

 

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