Blogotional

I am not a big fan of attaching good practice to specific celebrations. For example, I think we should remember the incarnation year-round, not just at Christmas, and likewise the resurrection is far too important to celebrate but annually.

Few calendar based practices; however, strike me more silly that the "New Year's Resolution." Effective change in your life occurs throughout the year and with constancy. So I thought it best to talk about this excellent, and well circulated at the time, post from Out of Ur on the resolutions of Jonathon Edwards. Reprinting the resolutions printed in the post:

• Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God's help, I do humbly intreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to His will, for Christ's sake.
• 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.
• 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 soever.
• Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.
• Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
• Resolved, To be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
• Resolved, To maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.
• Resolved, Never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise Him for, or to think any way the more meanly of Him.
• Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.
• Resolved, To strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher excercise of grace, than I was the week before.
• Resolved, To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better.
• Resolved, Frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism, which I solemnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church; and which I have solemnly re-made this twelfth day of January, 1722-3.
• Resolved, Never hence-forward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God's.
• Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world.
• Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
• Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them, what good I have got by them, and what I might have got by them.

I cannot help but note the radical difference in tone between these resolutions and the often silly, and generally self-centered resolutions we hear about these days. Even when he resolves something that almost anyone today would resolve ("temperance in eating and drinking") he strike quite a different sound than we would. He resolves not for himself, but in pledging "temperance," he focuses on God's will, not the self-improvment focus on self that we would expect today.

For whom do we make resolutions? Are not resolutions motivated by self-improvement a sin of sorts? Focused not on God's will but our own? Note he chooses to "fight his 'corruptions'" How many of us would even dream to refer to ourselves in such a manner? And yet, when we view ourselves from God's perspective, what better word could their be?

What is the tone of your life and your resolutions? - Where is the focus? If not sacrificial on Christ, should not that and that alone be your resolution?

Related Tags: resolutions, Jonathon Edwards, focus, sacrifice, tone