I am teaching a class on the Great Awakening.  Today we are looking at Jonathan Edwards.  As part of the class we are going to look at his Resolutions, or at least the first 10 of his 70 (time constraints!).  They are well worth reading.  I have included the first 10 to challenge us with a few observations following:

Excerpt from Jonathan Edward’s Resolutions

Being sensible that I am unable to do anything without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake.

Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great so ever.

 2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the fore-mentioned things.

 3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

 4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.

 5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

 6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

 7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.

 8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God.

9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

Three Observations

First, his focus.  He has a clear focus, a purpose in life.  He isn’t just coasting along.  And his focus is summed up in his first resolution: to live for God’s glory, his own profit and pleasure, and the good of mankind.  One may wonder how the middle one relates to the others, but in Edward’s mind his profit and pleasure were found in God.  So living for God and his own pleasure were the same thing.  And of course, living for the good of others is part of living for God.  The question for us then is:  Are we living focussed lives, and if so, what is our focus? 

Second, his sense of time.  He wants to remember that this life is brief.  Death is certain (#9), and so he wants to live each moment as if it were his last (#7).  He wants to live with all of his might (#6), not wasting a single hour (#5).  His desired intensity is incredible.  Meanwhile we talk about wasting time here and killing time there.  Life is short – are we living it well? 

Third, his humility.  He recognizes how feeble he is.  In his introduction, he recognizes his need of God’s help and grace to keep these resolutions – he can’t do them in his own power.  He further sees the possibility of failure, and recognizes the need to repent and start again (#3).  Finally, rather than condemning the failures of others, he wants the failures of others to remind him of his own failings (#8).  Essentially he wants to remember that he is a sinner saved by grace.  What about us?  Do we recognize our own sins and see our daily need for grace?

Maybe with God’s help we need to make some of our own resolutions for life….