<< previous week's letter | next week's letter >>

return to CATALOGUE

Dear brothers and sisters,

I don’t know what you think about New Year’s Resolutions. Perhaps you make them and then break them. Perhaps because you’ve broken many over the years you’ve become sceptical about their value. Perhaps you’re one of those rare people who make them and keep them to your own benefit!

Whatever the case, at this time of year when people are at least thinking about the year ahead with some measure of reflection, I want to encourage you to consider what resolutions you might make for your own spiritual health and growth in the year ahead.

The great American Puritan preacher of the 18th Century, Jonathan Edwards, wrote his own set of resolutions in the early 1720s in which Christians have found great encouragement ever since. In order to make sure he didn’t fail to work on keeping his resolutions, he read over them once a week (a simple but effective idea). They make for very edifying reading and you could read all 70 resolutions at:

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/2007/1924_The_Resolutions_of_Jonathan_Edwards/

But let me give you a taste.

Some are immensely practical. For example:

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

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

28. 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.

Some are simple but very wise:

54. Resolved, whenever I hear anything spoken in commendation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, that I will endeavour to imitate it.

56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

My favourite is probably:

17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

I hope you might find some inspiration from Edwards for the year ahead – either by taking on some of his resolutions for yourself, or by writing (and then continuing to pray over) your own. Whatever you do, I hope you won’t fail to aim for progress towards spiritual maturity in 2010 (Philippians 2:12–13).

Yours in the fellowship of godly ambitions,

Simon Flinders.

RETURN TO TOP OF PAGE  

  |  HOME  |  SITE INDEX  |  FEEDBACK |