Happy New Year!

Hey everyone (whoever "everyone" is)...

Happy New Year!

It seems like it was just a few weeks ago we were celebrating the dawn of a new millenium, and here we are ten years later!  It is hard to believe.  As the new decade lies before us, I wanted to encourage you to make your walk with the Lord a first place priority in your life.  Trust Him, and step out in faith every day.  Sure, its OK to make plans.  Just make sure those plans are secondary to what the Lord has planned for your life.  His word assures us he does have plans for us.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 ESV

In light of this, and in celebration of the dawning of a new decade, for the next seven days I am going to be sharing the resolutions of Jonathan Edwards.  Edwards continues to be the most influential theologian to ever come out of the US, and his words continue to exhort, inspire, and encourage many around the world. 

Edwards didn't draft new resolutions every year.  Instead, he drafted one set of 70 resolutions and he revisited them every week over the duration of his life.  I'll be publishing these in sets of 10 over the next seven day.

I pray these will be challenging and encouraging to you in your walk with the Lord.

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 myriad's 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 soever.

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and contrivance to promote the aforementioned 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.

11-20 tomorrow!