by Pastor John Kim
Greetings to the LBC family and friends!
Jonathan Edwards Resolution #41
Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. (Jan. 11, 1723)
Conscious and purposeful reflection on our lives is a healthy discipline that many people probably don’t practice because it can often become either a point of constant guilt or it just doesn’t seem to be that important enough to do on a regular basis. Here Edwards makes a pretty simple point and he gives some clear markers as to what would be helpful time frames to do some evaluation and contemplation on improvement.
Daily reflection would be helpful as it gives closure to the day and a more immediate opportunity to take some time and look back at the day and consider the attitudes and actions that were committed throughout the day. We often get so busy and are so tired that we don’t make time to think about the day and it’s no wonder that we are often forgetful, not only of plans, but also of the direction of our life.
Weekly reflection helps us look back at the past seven days and to see the routines of the week and see if there is movement toward improvement in a way that shows discipline. For various things we will set aside a number of days throughout the week, for instance exercising three times a week, and as the week goes by, it is helpful to know that at the end of the week there will be a time to look back and see if there is consistent effort being put into the goals for the week that might differ from day to day.
Monthly reflection increases the time frame by seeing it as a portion of the year (1/12th) and to start looking at some significant marking posts for growth and maturing.
Yearly reflection puts the big picture in perspective as we take inventory of twelve months and see (especially if it’s our birthday) and see if there is some actual evidence that has lasted regarding the various areas of our life that we hope to improve.
This seems like an almost impossible task, but the key here is to discipline and focus as to WHY this exercise would be helpful. It seems as though Edwards really was not just about theology per se, but really about how it was changing his life to the glory of God. When you read his works that he wrote later on in his life, you can see that much of the fruit of his earlier disciplines is shown as his deep thinking and meditating on God’s truth is really presented in such a God-glorifying way that you can’t help but see a life that is truly given over to following Christ.
As I shared this past Sunday, it really is my hope as a shepherd to see you fix your eyes on Christ and run the race with endurance. It is not always easy and there are definitely times where there are challenges and even failures that can be disheartening, but that is why the grace and mercy of God gives us hope as we confess our weakness and our sinfulness and then allow the cross to do its work of pointing us to the Savior.
Don’t just look for short-term, fast-food mentality satisfaction. Let us RUN the RACE (it’s a marathon) with a persevering, enduring, unified fixing of our eyes on Christ and together as a church family we can look forward to seeing Christ be magnified in us and through us to His glory alone!
In His grace,
Pastor John