Over the past three days, just 72 hours, I'm beginning to feel my spirit benefit from the absence of my normal daily routine and the opportunity to immerse myself in the Word of God and the thoughts of great men and women of the faith who have preceded me.
I've had time to read a recently published compilation of biographical thoughts on John Calvin entitled "John Calvin: A Heart for Devotion, Doctrine and Doxology." It's beyond humbling when we realize that men and women 500 years ago had deeper passion and even purity than we who have benefitted from so much since that time have been able to develop.
I quote the authors here when I say "The secret of Calvin's greatness and the source of his strength unveiled to us is in the fact that no man ever more unreservedly surrendered himself to the divine direction. This is Calvin's greatness - his ultimate surrender to God."
Most of my exposure to John Calvin over the years has been debating the five points of his theology and not understanding this one simple truth: He was fully and totally surrendered to Jesus. Somehow, that statement simplifies my mission in these years of my life and helps me to understand that it's not so much the details of what I believe, it is the surrenderedness of my heart that will be my ultimate legacy.
It's fascinating how such things escape us until we make the time to allow the Spirit to crack through the shell of busyness and responsibilities to be able to hear such things. I'm grateful to all those who help to allow that to happen for me in these early days of November.
May you be blessed with the reality of just how much the Lord loves you in the midst of whatever you may be carrying in these days.
Blessings in Jesus,
Dr. Jay
No comments:
Post a Comment