Resolutions
Nehemiah 10:28-31
[They] entered into . . . an oath to walk in God’s Law, . . . and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord. —Nehemiah 10:29
In 1722, Jonathan Edwards drew up a list of 70 resolutions, dedicating himself to live in harmony with God and others. The following resolutions give a picture of the serious purpose with which Edwards approached his relationship with God. He resolved:
• To do whatever is most to God’s glory.
• To do my duty, for the good of mankind in general.
• Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
• To study the Scriptures steadily, constantly, and frequently.
• To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month, and year if I could possibly have done better.
• Until I die, not to act as if I were my own, but entirely and altogether God’s.
In Nehemiah 10, God’s people made an oath, vowing to follow all the commands, laws, and regulations of the Lord. This oath was so serious that they were willing to accept the curse of God if they failed to keep these commands.
Our resolutions need not be so serious as that. But any resolution to follow God is not a casual promise. Rather, it is a solemn and serious declaration that—with the help of the Holy Spirit—we can renew every day.
2 comments:
Those are great resolutions, but boy are they tough to stick to! We so badly require the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives to give us any hope of maintaining and growing in our faith.
NLD said it well in this mornings devotion...
"Making resolutions is easy. Keeping them is another story. When we think back on all our broken resolutions, it reminds us that we can't do anything without God's strength.
Jonathan Edwards wrote seventy resolutions for his life. And he said, "Being conscious that I am unable to do anything without God's help, I do humbly plead with Him, by His grace, to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will."
Like Edwards, we can't do anything apart from God's power. Rather than creating just another set of resolutions this year, ask God what He wants you to do—then ask Him for grace to do it."
Jon Edwards...one of my FAVORITE of the "old dead guys"! I shall search for him right after I see Paul and Timothy! :)
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