John Calvin was born a Roman Catholic in 1509. During his time as a student and graduate of law, as he practised, he gradually came to know Christ. When he was 27 years old, he wrote “The Institutes of the Christian Religion.”

Calvin left France and went to Switzerland where he became a pastor to French refugees in Switzerland. After writing “The Institutes”, as he was passing through Geneva, William Farrell convinced him to stay in Geneva to help with its reform. Soon after, Calvin left Geneva due to some influential men’s rejection of his preaching. But he was later called back to Geneva in September 1541 to help reform Geneva. Two days after arriving in Geneva, he adopted a personal seal (the Calvin seal) with a picture of a hand holding a heart, and with a Latin phrase meaning “My Heart, I Offer to You, O Lord, Promptly and Sincerely”. When a heretic, Michael Servetus, was found guilty concerning the doctrine of Trinity, he was sentenced to death. Calvin wanted Servetus beheaded, but the people in charge said that Servetus ought to be burned to death.

Recorded in Calvin’s correspondence: “I offer to the Lord promptly and sincerely, no area of my life is not included in my offer to you, O God, Most High, for all that you have done for me in Christ, Jesus, I gave my life back to you.” And he lived with this all the days of his life.

1) A Surrendered Heart (Deut 10:12). Calvin had a devoted and surrendered heart. Deuteronomy 10 was a chapter on the second giving of the Law. Calvin also returned to Geneva a second time. God told Moses to prepare two tablets of stone and bring them up the mountain. When Moses came down the second time, the people freely, deliberately, willingly accepted the Ten Commandments. One’s heart cannot be forced. It has to be a willing, surrendered heart.

2) A Biblical Heart (Deut 10:13). Calvin had a biblical heart. We must make sure that the experiences, described in Deuteronomy 10:12, are according to the scripture. It is more than just a feeling. It has to be a love that is anchored upon righteous doctrinal truths.

3) An Impactful Heart (Deut 10:14). Like Calvin, we too must have an impactful heart, and impact others for Christ. Before salvation, we impact others for self-gain and self-glory. But now we impact others for Christ. People will look at our holy testimony, and when we share the Gospel, we help them enter the kingdom of heaven.

What kind of heart do you have?