Resolved for Vigorous Glory

God designed life to bring Him glory. Therefore, He determines the purpose of our lives. We are stewards, expected to offer our lives back to God as a tribute to His honor based on achieving the purpose of glorifying Him.

In his sixth resolution, Jonathan Edwards resolves to steward his life with unparalleled dedication and vigor for the glory of God. He challenges us to scrutinize the extent of our stewardship and the power with which we live to achieve the same chief end.

Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

Jonathan Edwards

Stewarding Life for the Glory of God

Life is short. Although we all know this, most of us don’t ponder it until we are older. Edwards was a teenager when he penned this resolution, determined “to live” for God’s glory. To him, life was meant to be actively apprehended. He wanted to live purposefully, not carelessly, striving to see every moment bring honor to God because it was rapidly passing.

For the apostle Paul, there was no other option in life. “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). According to him, all of existence was meant for the enjoyment of God’s glory, even death. But before his life ended, he was determined to steward all of life for the glory of God (Phil. 1:26). Our existence is for God’s honor.

Devoting Might for the Glory of God

Edwards qualified his determination to live with the strongest quality, “with all my might.” He had no other natural might to employ. So, with the little he had, he was resolved to use it all—all energy, all heart, all strength—vigorously in every aspect of his life to maximize honor the Lord as the Lord commands (Matt. 22:37). 

Again, the apostle Paul admonishes believers to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men” in whatever we do (Col. 3:23). This kind of strong, sincere striving is motivated by “knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward” because “you are serving the Lord Christ” (Col. 3:24). From Christ we have received the greatest gift—namely, our salvation and entrance into the good presence of God—so the greatest offering we can seek to give Him is our very life. His mighty atonement deserves our mighty worship.

Fleeting Moments for the Glory of God

Finally, Edwards accepted the inevitable end for us all, “while I do live.” He knew that time was passing and life was brief. No one can possess time. It continues whether we want it or not. In fact, we are not promised tomorrow. By the time Edwards wrote this resolution, he had already suffered the loss of several loved ones who died while still relatively young. Life, although it is short and primarily because it is short, is to be vigorously lived.

In his epistle to the scattered believers, James taught that no one knows what tomorrow will bring. He asks rhetorically, “What is your life?” He meant that we are like a “mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (Ja. 4:14). It is a sobering exercise to breathe into the cold air and count the milliseconds it takes to see the mist of your breath disappear. The brevity of life ought to fuel our resolve to make the most of the life we have today and to endure all things.

Life has meaning, but not when it is floundered to lesser glory. Let us be convinced, as Paul was, to “not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). Live your life with all your might for the glory of God.

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