Best of the Best

In the beginning of the year, I wanted to do everything I could for the Church, my friends, my family, my school, and my own hobbies to the glory of God. I became very aggressive to be a server in anyway I could. As a sinner, I failed many times. Sometimes I collapsed because I could not keep up with the work. Sometimes I ignored the work because it was to difficult. But the one thing that stopped me was just the fact that it was too much.

Jonathan Edwards 27th resolution is about omitting the things that he could not do:

27. Resolved, never to omit anything, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

He knew he was a man that can only take on so much. With this resolution he wanted to choose the best of the best that he saw fit that will glorify God the most.

"There were sermons to write, parishioners to shepherd, visits to make, individuals to counsel, letters to write, prayers to offer, books to read, and much more"

From Steve Lawson's book: The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards.

With so much he wanted to do, he just choose those he could do to the fullest, and those that will glorify God the most. One example that Steve Lawson depicted was Jonathan Edwards choice to be a missionary for the Native Americans. He was kicked out of the Church over who can partake in the Lord's Supper. After that incident he could have gone to Scotland, or another place in the colonies. But he omitted those choices and became a missionary.

The foolish boy that I am, I thought I could be the most holiest person by taking on so many tasks. I was even warned of this by my discipleship group. One of them said(paraphrased), "You don't want to be the jack of all trades, but a master of one." Just seeing this as a resolution of Jonathan Edwards, shows me how humble a man he is. The man that brought the Great Awakening, is the man who knows he can not take on everything. May this realization bring me to humbleness and be more disciplined on even the work that I choose to do to the glory of God.

Pursing The Glory of God

My spring semester is ending Wednesday, May 19, 2010 and that is tomorrow. As far as school goes, my work disciplines could have been more focused at the tasks that were at hand. I'm not even sure if I'm passing some of my classes. I kept making sinful excuses to not put my best foot forward in my homework and classwork. But God revealed to me my weakness in my studies and has disciplined me in this aspect of my life.

Jonathan Edwards main goal was to glorify God. All of his resolutions were to keep him fixed on the glory of God. This goal of Jonathan Edwards should also be the main goal of a true believing Christian. Yet for us, we see this as a very difficult goal because of our sin. "Edwards realized that living for the glory of God could never be easy." From Steve Lawson's book, The Unwavering Resolved of Jonathan Edwards. But knowing God is more powerful then any sin, Jonathan Edwards pushed and worked hard to fight the sin in his life with his zeal to live to the glory of God. This was reflective from his resolutions.

This pursuit of God glory in my life has been a weak pursuit. I have been so selfish in my studies, so lazy in my ministries, that I can't even call it a pursuit. I should have know that this pursuit is suppose to be hard. This is fighting sin, this is working hard at all that I do. May this conviction push me more towards Christ likeness and towards the Glory of God.
As summer comes along my New Years Resolution has come to a point where it could be vanishing.

May this realization of God Glory become an eternal boost in my spiritual disciplines, and bring to life my New Year's resolution. I also challenge you who read my blog, to live out this amazing calling of pursuing the Glory of God.

A Blast from the Past: Johnathan Edwards

The first time I heard of Johnathan Edwards was at College and Career Bible Study at Kuya Erick's home. Mark P. was talking about Resolved which is a Conference and about Johnathan Edwards resolutions. I wasn't really into it much, during the time I didn't plan on going to that conference. In the sovereignty of God, He made me go and learned a little bit more of Johnathan Edwards. After a few months later, my spiritual maturity grew and I began to seek some Puritan's to study as part of my devotion. Johnathan Edwards name reappears at Shepherd's Conference and I decided to focus my Puritan study on Him.

My first reading of Johnathan Edwards is a book called "The Unwavering Resolve of Johnathan Edward" by Steve Lawson who is a great preacher and teacher of God's Word. The first thing I learn about Johnathan Edwards is his pursuit of holiness. Something that every Christian should also pursue. This study has caused me to look closely into my heart and my actions. I am not trying to idolize Pastor Edwards but I am trying to learn from his accomplishments and failures.

The book mentioned earlier organizes his 70 resolutions in these six headings:

1. Pursuing the Glory of God
2. Forsaking Sin
3. Making Proper Use of God-Allotted Time
4. Living with All His Being for the Lord
5. Pursuing Humility and Love
6. Making Frequent Self-Examination

I plan to challenge myself and anyone else who would like to partake, to use these 6 headings as building blocks for discipline towards holiness. May God be Glorified in this and praise God for all He has done for me even in this early study of Johnathan Edwards.