It’s safe to presume Jonathan Edwards was devoted to self-examination. Perhaps that’s one of the things that has made this the perfect topic for the year of listening up. That’s because, though 1Glories is ever-evolving, one element is pretty constant; “refining life, on purpose.” It is what I aspire to daily, and hope I inspire others to do the same.
And, at the heart of this vision, is self-examination, for without it, even if there is a state of refining, there’s no measurement of purpose. And purpose is an important component of that vision.
With that said, let’s unpack Edwards’s 41st resolution.
Jonathan Edwards Resolution 41
Edwards’ Resolution #41 (in my modernized language) Resolved: To think about daily, weekly, monthly, and annually, where I could have been more value-adding.
Why is There a Need for Self-Examination?
Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the Lord! – Lamentations 3:40 (ESV)
“Refining life, on purpose” is a matter of conventionality as much as it is a practice. The “on purpose” part of that vision addresses it. And the intention, is one of purpose. I address this more in the 1Glories Manifesto, which you can read here.
This simple verse from Lamentations shows us the Biblical mandate to identify within our selves, what our motivations and ambitions are. What the matters of our heart really seek and desire.
Are those matters of sin or glorifying the lord? You might be surprised when it is and isn’t one of the other. Edwards considered this and took intentional action to ensure his heart pursued glory of God more often than sin.
The practice of self-examination is a key to refining life, on purpose. It is a heart matter that is not a matter of self-help. It’s why Edwards’s 41st resolution is one of intentionality.
Self-examination is Not Self-Help
Just before he wrote this resolution, Edwards was pondering much about things of the flesh and his relations to them. He saw his then-present condition as one that envied others. Perhaps was even jealous when they experienced good fortune. He thought about that, and resolved to think otherwise.
His reason for that was not what most would think. He instead resolved (in a sense) to find happiness in affliction. But the root of that happiness was a desire to not dishonor God by giving into the worldly emotions of selfishness and greed. He, in fact, further committed himself to being genuinely happy for those he once envied. His goal was to remove his desire for happiness from others who experienced such moments.
For Edwards became a matter for helping himself but it was much different from that of “self-help.” To help explore this more, note his diary entry for this day:
“I think it would be advantageous, every morning to consider my business and temptations, and the sins to which I shall be exposed on that day, and to make a resolution how to improve the day, and avoid those sins… I never knew before what was meant by not setting our hearts on those things. It is, not to care about them, nor depend upon them nor to afflict ourselves with the fear of losing them, nor to please ourselves with the expectation of obtaining them, or with the hopes of their continuance. “
Self-Examination, Holy Communion, and New Creations
“Lord, as I use my hands to strip from this simple bread the things that this world adds to it, I unleaven it. I pray that you work in me to strip from me the corruption of what this world add to my heart. Unleaven it and restore it according to your will.”
I call this “my communion prayer” because I quietly pray it as smoosh the small square of bread during Holy Communion. It’s a humbling time in which I have come to genuinely please for my heart’s release from the world and into God’s more than capable hands.
That also involves confession, which I try to do no less than nightly. Often, it’s many times a day.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)