I’m realizing that I have a lot to learn from Jonathan Edwards. It’s difficult for me to write on this resolution. Resolution #60 says…

Resolved, Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. 

When I read this resolution from Edwards, I’m tempted to think that he was overdoing it. I want to tell him to “lighten up.” I think the reason I want to respond this way is because this is really convicting. Jesus didn’t pay the price that he paid so that we could live mediocre and normal lives. He died for abundance. He died for love. He died for relationship. He died for freedom. I believe that Edwards took his call from God seriously.

There is a new “normal” that we must embrace if we are to take the Christian life seriously. The words in the Bible and the commands that are in it are not there just to encourage us and make us feel better about ourselves. If we really believe that the Bible is inspired, we must then take the words in it to heart. Edwards was holding himself accountable even down to the level of his feelings and emotions.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” This is, in essence, what Edwards was saying. He resolved to guard his heart and make sure that his life reflected his highest values and the call that God had on him. A lot of times I just want to coast through life. I want to say whatever I want, do whatever I want and eat whatever I want. I want to shy away from accountability and go in whichever direction the wind takes me. This is not the life we are called to live.

The life we are called to live is way more than that. It involves an intentional ascent up the mountain of God’s grace and truth. Jesus told his followers in Luke 14 that they would need to count the cost of following him. There are forks in the road that we face as Christians where we need to decide if we truly want the narrow road that Jesus described in Matthew 7. It will be difficult. It will demand all that we have. And it will….be more than worth it.