Over the next few months, we have decided to take a different approach to our devotional time. There have been countless theologians, writers, and authors that have inspired us and given us some spiritual food for our journeys. Each week for the next months, we will choose one of these authors and share some of their writings with some reflection for our devotional time. We hope that you might cherish their words as much as we do and delight in how God works through them to help us connect, inspire, and launch us into Christian discipleship.
John Calvin
One of the theologians that I grew to truly appreciate in my time in seminary was John Calvin. Often considered the father of Presbyterianism, I enrolled in a course devoted to his two volume set entitle the Institutes of the Christian Religion. It ended up being one of my favorite classes in seminary. It was about 12 students gathered around an oval table reading cover to cover these two volumes. As nerdy as it sounds, we poured through his words and it did not disappoint. This quote felt appropriate for a Monday.
No one can travel so far that he does not make some progress each day. So let us never give up. Then we shall move forward daily in the Lord’s way. And let us never despair because of our limited success. Even though it is so much less than we would like, our labour is not wasted when today is better than yesterday! John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian
Sometimes when my eyes first crack open in the morning, the first thoughts in my head begin with my to-do list for the day or also the list that I did not accomplish the day before. I might walk into a kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink that I did not feel like tackling the night before. I might kick myself for how my diet went off the rails or even some bigger regrets. It is all too easy for us to be overwhelmed by the challenges that we have and not the progress that we make daily. This quote serves to remind us that we have to keep looking forward and moving toward God. We could spend our thoughts mired in the sadness of all the “could haves” or “should haves” when God calls us to just keep going. We celebrate the successes when they come and with hope we delight in what we can do today.
Prayer
God of grace, we thank you for today and every day. Help us to keep our eyes on the horizon ahead and remain focused on you. Remind us that you want us to keep going and make progress. Inspire us to not despair and see your love and grace that surrounds us through every breath. Amen.