Inciting God’s Wrath

6 MAY

Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; As the vine tree among the trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so will I give the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Ezekiel 15:6

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Matthew 3:7-12

As often as we are favored with God’s gifts, by which we approach Him and overcome the world, we ought also to remember what we were before God took us up. Acknowledging our original condition will erode all arrogance and prevent us from being ungrateful to God.

But that is not sufficient; we must also recognize that not only has God’s free grace raised us to such a height, but it also sustains us. Thus our continued state of grace is not because of our efforts but depends only on His will. Remembering our origin ought to humble us but also impress on us the sense of our infirmity. From this we learn that we cannot persevere unless God daily, yes, even momentarily, strengthens us and follows us  with His favor.

Finally, if God afflicts or chastises us with His rod, we should know that He chooses this means to beat out of us the foolish confidence by which we deceive ourselves. We thus ought to diligently weigh the meaning of the phrase “the wood of the vine is useless when it is torn up,” especially when dry. For although profane nations perish, yet it is not surprising that God’s judgments will be even more severe toward the reprobate who are members of the church and have been enriched with spiritual gifts, yet who persist in unbelief.

The punishment of such ingratitude will make us an example to others, so that whole world may be astonished at such dreadful signs of God’s anger. The Jews will become such objects of God’s wrath that they will cause hissing and abhorrence in the nations around them. They will be an astonishment and curse to the profane nations.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION:

The judgments that God will exact on those who belong to His church but are not true members are a terrifying prospect! The discipline that He uses to humble our pride is to be welcomed. It may be painful, but it reminds us that we owe everything to God’s grace.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Success at Work

29 MARCH

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep. Psalm 127: 2

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Matthew 6:25-34

Solomon, the writer of this psalm, identifies two means that people believe contribute in an eminent degree to the amassing of riches. It is not surprising to find that those who become rich in a short time spare no exertion but work night and day in their occupations, allowing themselves only scanty payment from the product of their labor.

Solomon, however, says that neither living on a small salary nor diligence in work will by itself profit us. He does not forbid us to practice temperance in our diet or to rise early to engage in worldly business, but rather stirs us up to prayer and to calling upon God. He also recommends that we express gratitude for divine blessings and bring to naught whatever would obscure the grace of God.

Consequently, we shall rightly enter our worldly vocations when our hope depends exclusively upon God. Our success then will correspond to our wishes. But if a person takes no account of God as he eagerly makes haste, he will bring ruin upon himself by his precipitous course. 

The design of the prophet is not to encourage men to give way to sloth, so that they think about nothing all their long life long and abandon themselves to idleness. Rather, his meaning is that they execute what God has asked them to do. They should begin each day with prayer and call upon God's name, offering Him their labors so that He may bless them.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: No matter how diligent we are, if our work is not blessed by God, it will fail miserably. Sadly, this principle is far from our minds during most workdays when we so easily slip into the mentality that our success depends solely on us. Make a conscious effort today to remember that any success in work is a blessing from God.

365 Days With Calvin 

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Waiting for God

18 MARCH

Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul. Psalm 109:20

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Isaiah 30:18-26

David did not rashly or unadvisedly utter curses against his enemies but strictly adhered to what the Spirit dictated. I acknowledge that many people pretend to have similar confidence and hope, but who nevertheless recklessly rush beyond the bounds of temperance and moderation. But what David beheld by the unclouded eye of faith, he also uttered  with the zeal of a sound mind; for, having devoted himself to the cultivation of piety under the protection of Gods hand, he was aware that the day was approaching when his enemies would experience the punishment they had earned.

We learn that David's trust was placed in God alone. He did not look to people to direct his course according to whether the world smiled or frowned upon him. We can be sure that whosoever places his dependence on people will find that the most trifling incident will annoy him.

Therefore, even if the whole world abandons us, we, like this holy man, should lift up our heads to heaven and look there for our defender and deliverer. If God intends to use human instruments for our deliverance, He will soon raise up people to accomplish that purpose. But if He chooses to try our faith by depriving us of all earthly assistance, we should not regard that as any negative reflection upon the glory of His name. Rather, we should wait until the proper time when God fully  makes known His decision in which we can calmly acquiesce.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: Patience in waiting for an answer to prayer, especially a prayer for deliverance, must be consciously cultivated if we are to avoid losing confidence in God and His ways. But while waiting is a challenge, the Spirit often uses it to teach us to look to heaven, not people, for deliverance. What lessons have you learned about the Lord or about yourself while waiting on Him in prayer?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited By Joel R. Beeke

Directing the Work of our Hands

7 MARCH

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it. Psalm 90:17

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Nehemiah 6:10-19

God has promised that the church will be perpetuated to the end of the world. In a special manner that should lead us to pray for the welfare of the church as well as for our prosperity, who are yet unborn. We should also note the word beauty, for in it we learn that the love that God bears toward us is unparalleled. In enriching us with His gifts, God gains nothing for Himself, yet He would have the splendor and beauty of His character manifested in bountifully dealing with us, as if His beauty would be obscured when He ceases to do us good.

In the clause establish Thou the work of our hands upon us, Moses intimates that we cannot undertake or attempt anything with the prospect of success unless God becomes our guide and counselor and governs us by His Spirit. It then follows that the reason why the enterprises and efforts of worldly men have a disastrous end is that, in not following God, they pervert order and throw everything into confusion.

Though God converts to good in the end whatever Satan and the reprobate plot and practice against Him or His people, yet the church, which God rules with undisturbed sway, has in this respect a special privilege. By His providence, which is incomprehensible to us, He directs His work with the reprobate externally but governs His believing people internally by His Holy Spirit. Therefore we can properly say that He orders and directs the work of their hands.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: How often haven’t we found that, despite our native abilities and best efforts, we are unable to make progress in some task? At other times, with the Lord’s blessing, we can accomplish things far beyond our normal abilities. It is humbling and also refreshing to recognize that we are so dependent on the Lord’s blessing. In what areas in your life has this recently been manifested?

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and Edited by Joel R. Beeke

Defending our Cause

27 January

But Thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. 

Psalm 3:3

SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: 2 Samuel 15:1-30

In dependence on God, David courageously encounters who are waging an ungodly and wicked war against him to prevent him from becoming king. Having acknowledged his sin, David now considers the merits of his present cause.

Likewise it becomes the servants of God to respond like David when molested by the wicked. Having mourned over their sins and humbly come to the mercy of God, they may now fix their eyes on the obvious and immediate cause of their afflictions and call upon God to help them. When undeservedly subjected to evil treatment, especially that which opposes the truth of God, they should be greatly encouraged by the assurance that God will maintain His promises to help them against such perfidious treatment.

David might appear to have claimed these things without grounds, seeing he had deprived himself of the approbation and help of God by offending Him. But David was persuaded that he was not utterly cut off from the favor of God and that God’s decision to make him king remained unchanged, so he allowed himself to hope for a favorable resolution of his present trial. In comparing God to a shield, David means that he was defended by God’s power. He also says that God is his glory, because God would maintain and defend the royal dignity that He was pleased to confer upon David. Because of this, David is so bold that he declares he can walk with an uplifted head.

John Calvin

FOR MEDITATION: The knowledge that we are sinners should not keep us from fighting for God’s truth. If the accusation of sin was enough to silence God’s children, no one would be left herald to His truth. Having confessed our sin, we should not be afraid of calling our cause righteous and go forward in God’s strength.

365 Days With Calvin

Selected and edited by Joel R. Beeke