I pressed through yet another birthday last week while on our family vacation at Mount Hermon. There was a season when birthdays caused me to look ahead at what could be, and now I find that birthdays sometimes cause me to look back at what should have been. But because I have hope, looking back still propels me to look ahead and believe that there's always time to incinerate impurities while on the journey to complete purity. So I decided this birthday to write down some core lifestyle practices that I've strived and still want even more to be characteristic of whatever God's got left for me. The idea came from Jonathan Edwards, one of the great reformers and puritans of our faith. I have one for each year of my life, and have decided to post them here for my children and wife to remember. I hope to read them frequently myself to serve as a reminder of the target I'm steering toward. Here they are:
With the grace of God...
1. I will strive every day to not read any other book until I've read The Book.
2. I will strive every day to not eat any other food until I've eaten from The Bread of Life.
3. I will strive every night not shut my eyes with my head on the pillow until I've sought the Lord one last time.
4. I will strive to pray for every member of my family every day.
5. I will strive to read through the entire Bible at least once per year.
6. I will strive to pray and thank God every day for my job and health.
7. I will strive to transcribe the entire Bible at least once before I meet my Jesus face-to-face.
8. I will strive to pray for one country/nation of the world at least once per day.
9. I will strive to tangibly demonstrate my love for Victoria every day.
10. I will strive to never say anything unkind about another.
11. I will strive to never willingly or intentionally gaze upon anything that will fain my affection for Jesus or my wife.
12. I will strive to give my body enough rest every day to ensure my focus upon Jesus is keen.
13. I will strive to never eat anything that is knowingly unhealthy for my body.
14. I will strive to always be fully focused and never distracted while in the presence of another.
15. I will strive to resist over-indulging in substances that alter my presence of mind.
16. I will strive to give each of my children ample love and attention that none ever feel neglected or cheated.
17. I will strive to always be memorizing or reviewing memorized Scripture on a daily basis.
18. I will strive to always journal my thoughts and experiences on a regular basis so that my wife and children will have a written remembrance of God's hand upon my heart.
19. I will strive to remain committed and devoted to a local church family until I meet my Jesus face-to-face.
20. I will strive to always speak the truth, never embellishing or limiting facts to self-adorn.
21. I will strive to always give money to anyone who asks, without judgment or hesitancy.
22. I will strive to always open my home to anyone in need.
23. I will strive to always serve myself last when in the presence of others, regardless of the context or content.
24. I will strive to always honor the Word of God with a fearful prayer of Psalm 119:17-18 before opening it.
1. I will strive every day to not read any other book until I've read The Book.
2. I will strive every day to not eat any other food until I've eaten from The Bread of Life.
3. I will strive every night not shut my eyes with my head on the pillow until I've sought the Lord one last time.
4. I will strive to pray for every member of my family every day.
5. I will strive to read through the entire Bible at least once per year.
6. I will strive to pray and thank God every day for my job and health.
7. I will strive to transcribe the entire Bible at least once before I meet my Jesus face-to-face.
8. I will strive to pray for one country/nation of the world at least once per day.
9. I will strive to tangibly demonstrate my love for Victoria every day.
10. I will strive to never say anything unkind about another.
11. I will strive to never willingly or intentionally gaze upon anything that will fain my affection for Jesus or my wife.
12. I will strive to give my body enough rest every day to ensure my focus upon Jesus is keen.
13. I will strive to never eat anything that is knowingly unhealthy for my body.
14. I will strive to always be fully focused and never distracted while in the presence of another.
15. I will strive to resist over-indulging in substances that alter my presence of mind.
16. I will strive to give each of my children ample love and attention that none ever feel neglected or cheated.
17. I will strive to always be memorizing or reviewing memorized Scripture on a daily basis.
18. I will strive to always journal my thoughts and experiences on a regular basis so that my wife and children will have a written remembrance of God's hand upon my heart.
19. I will strive to remain committed and devoted to a local church family until I meet my Jesus face-to-face.
20. I will strive to always speak the truth, never embellishing or limiting facts to self-adorn.
21. I will strive to always give money to anyone who asks, without judgment or hesitancy.
22. I will strive to always open my home to anyone in need.
23. I will strive to always serve myself last when in the presence of others, regardless of the context or content.
24. I will strive to always honor the Word of God with a fearful prayer of Psalm 119:17-18 before opening it.
25. I will strive to diligently save enough money so that I need not burden another for help when Victoria and I are aged.
26. I will strive to faithfully exercise and buffet my body to care for the temple that God has placed me in.
27. I will strive to loosely hold the things God has entrusted to me so that should they disappear I will not become despondent.
28. I will strive to care for the things God has entrusted to me so that I never take them for granted or abuse them and thereby dishonor Him.
29. I will strive to always be aware of the supernatural so that I give God credit for the obvious and the obscure.
30. I will strive to always give thanks in all circumstances, especially those difficult providences He places in my pathway.
31. I will strive to boldly make mention of Jesus and His saving grace at every opportunity the Spirit makes me aware of.
32. I will strive to always honor my mother and father, even if and after they meet the Lord before me.
33. I will strive to never seek opportunities that place me in positions of focus, and only be public when asked to do so.
34. I will strive to always extend a word, whether written or verbal, of thanks to anyone who gives to me.
35. I will strive to always immediately seek forgiveness to anyone I knowingly injure, whether intentional or not.
36. I will strive to regularly make connections with all members of my family, especially when we're physically apart from one another.
37. I will strive to always work so that all the physical needs of my family are attended to until they're able to care for themselves.
38. I will strive to personally and individually live on only enough cash each day so that I do not indulge in more than a majority of the world's population.
39. I will strive to be and remain debt-free.
40. I will strive to have my household in order so that when the Lord takes me home I have not left a burden to others.
41. I will strive to always let my "yes" be yes and my "no" be no, never committing to things I cannot follow through on and following through on things I've committed to.
42. I will strive to always give the other the benefit of the doubt, knowing that I cannot possibly know the heart of mankind.
43. I will strive to always force myself into positions of love so that I will resist the temptation to serve myself, which I'm always naturally inclined to do.
44. I will strive to always master any habit that has greater control over me than I of it.
45. I will strive to regularly and routinely fast and pray over matters where a clearly supernatural measure of God's grace is required.
46. I will strive to honor, respect and pray for those who God has placed in authority over me and never speak ill of them, regardless of whether I agree with or prefer their standards.
47. I will strive to at least one time per year place myself in isolation that I might seek the Lord for guidance and direction for the next twelve months.
48. I will strive to regularly surround myself with music that draws my gaze upward and enlivens my spirit with zealousness.
49. I will strive to always give faithfully and financially to the church to facilitate the greater furtherance of the Kingdom of God.
50. I will strive to always honor the Sabbath as a day of worship and rest, especially when I'm asked to either work or engage in extra curricular leisure as an exchange.
51. I will strive to never complain about anything.
52. I will strive to always forgive those who have wronged me, just as Jesus has forgiven all my wrongs against Him.
Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner.
Resolved,
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