On January 1, 1713, the Bible commentator Matthew Henry wrote the reflections below that feel especially timely as I enter the new year of 2026. As I read them, I am reminded how impossible it is to live up to such devotion without God’s help. May our gracious God guide and strengthen me, helping me to approach this year with the same spirit of submission and commitment that Henry exemplified in his writing:
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As the new year approaches, I’ve been hearing the phrase “New Year Resolutions” uttered in recent days. The best list of Resolutions I’ve ever read was written almost 300 years ago by the great preacher, author, and theologian Jonathan Edwards when he was about 20 years old. His 70 Resolutions guided the rest of his life. While Edwards’ resolutions are specific, the best new year devotion written in more general terms that I’ve read is Matthew Henry’s New Year reflections, written on January 1, 1713, where he solemnly devoted his ‘time, strength, and service’ to the honor of Christ. There is a timeless wisdom in these old principles that our modern “resolutions” often lack.
Continue reading “Jonathan Edwards’ 70 Resolutions: Timeless Guidance for a Godly Life”