The members of John Wesley’s Holy Club (we are talking over 200 years ago here!) would ask themselves a series of 22 questions in their private thinking time every day.
Here are a just few of them:
- Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
- Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
- Can I be trusted?
- Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
- Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
- Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
- Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
- Am I defeated in any part of my life?
- Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
- How do I spend my spare time?
- Am I proud?
- Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
- Do I grumble or complain constantly?
Wow. Some of these are quite difficult to answer aren’t they? Very deep but definitely food for thought.
It’s Friday – why not start the bank holiday weekend by asking yourself these questions, and if you don’t like the answers why not give yourself a chance do something about them?
And I promise not to be as deep for a while!