What were you doing at age 19? Jonathan Edwards is considered to be America's greatest theologian, and during his nineteenth year (1722–1723) he composed a list of resolutions to guide his life. They weren't legalistic rules—he wrote that he could only accomplish them by God's grace. But as a Puritan Christian, he knew he was prone to wander. He wanted his resolutions to be a track that would guide his life.

During that year Edwards wrote 70 resolutions, including the following (which I have summarized or paraphrased):¹

No. 1: Resolved . . . to do everything for God's glory and man's good.

No. 13: Resolved . . . to continually look for suitable objects of charity and generosity.

No. 40: Resolved . . . to inquire every night whether I did the best I could during the day with regard to eating and drinking.

No. 55: Resolved . . . to act at all times as if I had already seen the glories of heaven and torments of hell.

His goal was to read all 70 resolutions at least once each week. Many famous people who had great impact on our world crafted and followed a vision statement. They were putting into words the mission of their lives. Or, to use contemporary language, it doesn't fit within their mission statement. Mission statements keep the “good” from getting in the way of the “best.”

Shouldn't we, as Christians, be able to verbalize our spiritual mission in life? Shouldn't we also ask ourselves, “What spiritual business am I in?” and “How's business?” I definitely think we should.

But you can't answer the second of those questions without knowing the answer to the first. And you can't know the answer to the first without knowing your personal spiritual mission in life.

Is there biblical precedent for this? I believe there is.

• Moses' mission statement was given to him by God: “Go to Egypt and bring up the children of Israel to the land of Canaan that I have given them as a homeland forever” (paraphrase of Exodus 3:16–17).

• Solomon's mission statement was given to him by his father, David: “Follow the commands of God, possess the land, and build a temple for God in Jerusalem” (paraphrase of 1 Chronicles 28:8–12).

• John the Baptist's mission statement was given to John's father by the angel Gabriel: “John will be set aside unto the Lord. He will call many Jews back to the Lord. He will go before the Lord in the spirit of Elijah to make the people of Israel ready to receive their Lord” (paraphrased from Luke 1:14–17).

• Jesus Christ: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

• The apostle Paul's mission statement came from Christ: “I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (paraphrase of Acts 26:17–18).

What I like about each of these statements is their specificity. Each one is unique. That's what we're talking about—a personal mission statement. Here's another way to think about it: The Great Commission of Christ is a corporate mission statement given to the Church as a whole (Matthew 28:19–20). The Church's mission is to make disciples in all nations. But what is your part in that mission? What is your personal mission statement? What has God equipped and called you to do as part of the Body of Christ to help the Church fulfill the Great Commission?

Writing Your Mission Statement of Faith

What is a mission statement of faith? For me, it might read, “Faithfully using my God–given gifts and abilities, my mission is to expand and build up the Church of Jesus Christ by teaching the Bible as the pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church and the lead teacher of Turning Point ministry.” It is so specific that it could only be mine. It clearly reflects what I believe God has called me to do. My mission as a husband and father and grandfather is understood, of course, but that mission applies to every Christian man who is married with a family.

I encourage you to write a personal mission statement of faith for yourself. To prime the pump, here are five steps to guide you (courtesy of career development expert Dr. Randall S. Hansen):³

1. Identify past successes. How has God used you in the past? What have you most enjoyed doing in the past? Where do others think you've been fruitful?

2. Identify core values. Brainstorm the values and beliefs that most define who you are. Yes, Christians should share common core beliefs. But, based on who you are, you will be more passionate about some than others.

3. Identify contributions. What are you equipped to do? What skills, resources, talents, and passions do you possess?

4. Identify goals. If you could do anything for the cause of Christ in this world, what would you do? If resources were not an issue, what would you do in three months? Three years? Three decades?

5. Write your mission statement. Important: Don't make your mission statement a description of your current life unless you have worked through this process before and you know that you are presently doing exactly what God has called and equipped you to do. Even in that case, creating a personal mission statement of faith can be a clarifying and confirming exercise. Instead, this exercise is about taking a fresh look—perhaps for the first time—at who you are. It means recognizing that no Christian in the world is like you. It means discovering the “good works” that God saved you to walk in by grace (Ephesians 2:8–10). It means believing that your days were written in God's Book before you were born (Psalm 139:16).

Jewish therapist and Holocaust survivor Dr. Victor Frankl said, “We detect, rather than invent, our missions in life.” That observation certainly applies to Christians, since it recognizes that God has a mission for us. God has a plan, a job, a calling for us to fulfill. The more intimately we walk with Christ, and the longer, the better sense we should develop about our personal mission for Christ. We don't need to invent it—we need to discover it.

Work through the five steps outlined above and share the results with close friends and get their feedback. Pray and ask God for His wisdom. Take time to work through developing your mission statement of faith. And then, most importantly, begin merging your life with your mission. A mission statement is not to hang on the wall or stick in your Bible. It is a benchmark you use to evaluate your life over time.

Today is the day to begin fulfilling our mission for God.

¹A helpful list of Edwards' Resolutions can be found at http://www.desiringgod.org/resourcelibrary/articles/the–resolutions–of–jonathan–edwards, accessed 3/16/12.

²http://www.franklincovey.com/msb/inspired/anonymous, accessed 2/16/12.

³http://www.quintcareers.com/creating_personal_mission_statements.html, accessed 2/16/12.