Resolved, To Teach Him Diligently
My wife recently brought my new born son into the world. It was a special
day for my wife and me along with other family members. We have been
anticipating for this day to be closer to the 22nd of January. But through God’s
providence and sovereign will He chose New Year’s Day (2011).
New Year’s Day has become the closest thing to a global public holiday.
For most of the world this is a day of New Year resolutions. In fact, according to
The Barna Group, 61% of the nations (U.S.) population has made resolutions
sometime during their lives and 41% will make resolutions for this 2011 year.
The term resolution is defined as a determination upon an action or
resolving a course of action. In other words, people set this day apart to make
commitments in their lives to achieve a goal whether it is related to health,
financial, personal improvement, addictions, spirituality, educational, or job
related. To put it more bluntly the majority of the world that sets resolutions
make resolutions for their own selfish desires or passions. They commit
themselves for the most part for more vain things. They take this day and use it
to their own improvement in a destructive life.
The day my son was born on 1/1/2011. I was pondering over the decision
of why God chose this day for him. I asked God, “What sets this day apart from
the rest?” The answer came very suddenly.
During this past spring I’ve read a book by Steven Lawson on the life-long
resolutions on Jonathan Edwards called “The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan
Edwards.” This book was a short but a very thoughtful book. For the most part
this book gave me an idea of how to discipline myself towards godliness. It
pursued me to think holiness and dedicate my life more to Christ and His ways
in order to grow in sanctification. In other words, Jonathan Edwards was
perhaps one of the greatest Christians that ever lived in the American west and
most agree he was one of the greatest theologians that America has ever had. Not
only this, but Jonathan Edwards lived a life of preparation in order to die. His
DwellingWithGod.com Resolved, To Teach Him Diligently By Jay Gheen
Resolved, To Teach Him Diligently
life was dedicated to his death with the help of his 70 resolutions. This book gave
me the thought of why God chose my son’s birth to be on New Year’s Day. The
thought that suddenly came to me was “Resolved.”
Every birthday that my son will have it will be a reminder to me of the
resolutions I make towards the training I persist of raising my boy to become
Christ like. God chose this day in order to diligently train him up for His glory.
This is my son in the flesh but he is God’s. I am simply the steward of this
precious boy that God has created for Himself.
In the book of Deuteronomy it is written, “And these words that I command
you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and
shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when
you lie down, and when you rise” (6:6-7).
My first resolution to my son for the glory of God is “Resolved, to
teach him diligently God’s word and truth.”
DwellingWithGod.com Resolved, To Teach Him Diligently By Jay Gheen