Resolved to Live for Eternity

The words thundered of the lips of the preacher and shook me to the core. “"In Malachi, it says that God has a book of remembrance. And I think it would do you good before you go to bed every night this week to ask God, 'What did You put in Your book today for my life?'” I had never heard such a resolve to live life in light of eternity, and it left me quaking. Christ called for nothing less than every moment of every day, and yet my resolve to serve Him often does not permeate me 24/7. The prayer the preacher kept coming back to was from Jonathan Edwards, “Lord, stamp eternity on my eyeballs.” I suppose if eternity were stamped on my eyes so that everything I looked upon was viewed in its light, I would live life quite differently. I think I'd be a little slower to anger, quicker to share the gospel and would hardly ever touch the TV remote.

The man who prayed for God to stamp eternity on his eyeballs certainly lived with a resolve to dedicate his every moment to serve God. In 1722, while pastoring in New York, Jonathan Edwards began to write 70 resolutions he would reread every week. He added to them over the years, and although the language is a little tough, the dedication to live for God's glory is obvious.

It is unwise to aspire to be like other man. Our model is Christ, not Jonathan Edwards. But there is much to learn from this man's commitment, and certainly from his resolutions. Here I have copied the first 30 (both for brevity and repetition’s sake) of his resolutions. His dedication is far more than my own. I am challenged and humbled, and pray you will feel the same.

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory...in the whole
of my [life], without any consideration of the time...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...

2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new invention and
[method] 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. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to
do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances don’t hinder.

12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any
such account, immediately to throw it by.

13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and [generosity].

14. Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge.

15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger to irrational beings.

16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor,
more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

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

18. Resolved, to live so at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and
when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it
would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking
.
21. Resolved, never to do anything, 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.

22. Resolved, to endeavor to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other 

world, as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigor, and vehemence, yea 

violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be 

thought of. 

23. Resolved, frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely 

to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs 

and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’s glory, to repute it as a breach of 

the 4th resolution. 

24. Resolved, whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I 

come to the original cause; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and 

to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it. 

25. Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, 

which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my 

forces against it. 

26. Resolved, to cast away such things as I find do weaken my assurance. 

27. Resolved, never willfully to omit anything, except the omission be for the glory 

of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

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. 

29. Resolved, never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that 

as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will 

answer it; nor that as a confession, which I cannot hope God will accept. 

30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, 

and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.