22 MAY
And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar
off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more. Micah 4:3
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Isaiah
52
Micah now more fully explains how
the gospel of Christ will be to the nations a standard of peace, like a banner
that is raised up when soldiers engage in battle.
We learn that the real fruit of
the gospel will not grow in us unless we exercise love and benevolence among
one another and exert ourselves in doing good. The gospel may be purely
preached among us at the present time, but when we consider how little progress
we have made in brotherly love, we ought to be ashamed of our indolence. God
daily proclaims that Christ is our peace with God. He graciously makes Christ
propitious to us so that we may live in harmony with others. We indeed wish to
be regarded as children of God and to enjoy the reconciliation obtained for us
by the blood of Christ. But in the meantime, we tear one another apart and
sharpen our teeth against each other. Our dispositions are cruel.
If we truly desire to be
disciples of Christ, we must pay attention to the divine truth that each of us
must strive to do good to his neighbor. This cannot be done without opposing
the flesh, for we have a strong inclination to love self and to seek our own
advantage. We must therefore put off these inordinate and sinful affections so
that brotherly kindness may succeed in their place.
John Calvin
FOR MEDITATION:
The gospel brings peace and
reconciliation. When these things are absent, we can be sure the gospel is
absent, no matter how much religion is present. Are we agents of peace, or do
we cause strife and division wherever we go?
365 Days With Calvin
Selected and Edited by Joel R.
Beeke
No comments:
Post a Comment