Daily Devotional
December 11
Thine Is My Heart: Devotional Readings from the Writings of John Calvin
by John Calvin (compiled by John H. Kromminga)Reproduced from the OPC Website
Bible Text:
But thou, 0 man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. —I Timothy 6:11
Devotional:
Why are we Christians? Why are we baptized? Why do we call upon God? Is it only to live in this world and to have our pleasures and delights? No, no, but to climb up higher, and to know that we must drive to the kingdom of heaven, knowing that our inheritance is in heaven, whereunto we must run, and pass through this world, not delaying in it at all.
Considering that our condition is such that we have no certain and abiding dwelling place here, but we must go higher, and God calls us daily to come to him; if we be given to covetousness, shall we be excused, I ask you?
If we remain still entangled in these worldly things after God has showed us the brittleness and shortness of our life, are we not worse than mad?
And yet we see what pleasure covetous men take in it to plunge and drown themselves in this world; and again, though they be reminded of their temporary life, they think they shall live a hundred years after their death; there is no end nor measure with them; their desires are not to be satisfied.
But on the contrary, if we consider that our Lord sets us here as poor strangers, who are but passengers; and moreover that we must fight continually; this is enough to rid us of all covetousness. And again we must consider that we cannot push on to the kingdom of heaven unless we mortify and kill our fleshly affections.
It is said, Where thy treasure is, there will thine heart be also. If our treasures are in heaven, it is certain that this devilish rage will be quickly quenched, and we shall mortify and kill all that which hinders us from coming to God; all that will be beaten down, and we shall from day to day labor to cut off all these needless things which abuse us here beneath. —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.
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