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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 soever, and how great soever.
My modern paraphrase:
1. Determined, to do whatever I believe will most glorify (honor, exalt, esteem) God, and be for my own good, benefit and joy, for my entire life, no matter how long it takes, forever. Committed to do whatever I believe I am responsible for and whatever is most for the good and benefit of other people in general. Determined to do this, no matter what obstacles come into my way, and no matter how many there are or how difficult they are.
Picture an umbrella. In your mind's eye, entitle it "Glorifying God."
What would be included underneath of this umbrella? For Edwards, it was:
- Doing whatever led to his own personal good, profit, and pleasure.
- Doing his duty.
- Doing whatever was to the good and advantage of mankind in general.
When we live a life bent on glorifying God, we find that all of the other things fall into place. It's been said that "The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever" (John Piper, Desiring God). There is joy in knowing God and living a life that glorifies Him!
We find that as we live in obedience to Him and walk humbly with Him, that He alone satisfies the desires and cravings of our heart. Glorifying God will lead to our own personal good, profit, and pleasure.*
Furthermore, glorifying God means doing my duty. What is is that God has called me to do? First, He's called me to be a Christian. It is my duty to read His Word, seek Him in prayer, and obey Him- to be a God-glorifying Christian.
He has also called me to be Niall's wife. It is my duty to love, respect, honor, help, submit to, and serve Niall. As I fulfill this calling to the best of my ability, I am glorifying God.
The same thing goes for motherhood- God has called me to be a mom. It is my duty to raise S (and whatever other children the Lord may bless me with in the future) in the fear and admonition of the Lord. To love, nurture, discipline, and train her. As I do this faithfully, I am glorifying God.
Finally, underneath our umbrella of glorifying God, we see that it leads to doing what is to the good and benefit of mankind in general. The man or woman set on glorifying God will love their neighbor, do good to others, and share the ultimate good of the Gospel with others.
This is Edwards' first resolution. To glorify God, which leads to my own good and the good of others. What was the level of his commitment to this resolution?
He resolved to do whatever lent itself to these things for the entire course of his life, no matter how long such a task took him, no matter what deterred him or made the road difficult. Nothing could be allowed to stop him, or to get in the way of this all-encompassing mission.
That's quite a commitment. Are we willing to step up to the plate and follow in his footsteps? Will we do whatever it takes to glorify God and love others, even when its hard, and saps all of our strength, time and energy?
Lord, please give us this mind set.
We need His grace and help to constantly be looking at our lives through the lens of glorifying God. To be thinking, "What would most glorify God in this situation? How can I best honor Christ in my words, work, and play?"
May He grant us the grace needed to live this Resolution.
*Note here that I'm not referring to a health, wealth and prosperity gospel. The wisdom of the world is folly to God; the world values money and health as their ultimate good. While God sometimes blesses His children with these things, He also uses pain, suffering and poverty for their growth and good. Only eternal things are of ultimate value (God, His Word, and people's souls).
Linked with: Better Mom.
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