Checking Up On Myself 

👤 Geoff

Toby walked into a newsagent whilst talking on his mobile phone. The newsagent couldn't help overhearing the conversation as the boy said, “Hello, Dr Anderson. Do you want to hire a boy to cut the grass and run errands for you? You don't? Oh, you already someone! Are you completely satisfied with the boy you have? You are? OK then, goodbye Doctor.”
The newsagent was impressed with the boy's attitude and said,
“Hey, Toby. If you’re looking for work, I could use a boy like you. ”
“Thank you, but I already have a job,” Toby replied.
“But didn’t I just hear you trying to get a job from Dr Anderson?
“No, sir,” said Toby, “You see, I’m the boy who is working for Dr Anderson. I was just checking up on myself.”

In 1 Corinthians 11:28, in the context of Communion, Paul says that ‘everyone ought to examine themselves’. A vital part of Christian discipleship is a regular practice of making an honest, objective, spiritual evaluation of how we are doing. John Wesley developed questions to help with exactly this for his weekly small group meetings – here are some of them:

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
4. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
5. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
6. Did the Bible live in me today?
7. Do I give it time to speak to me every day?
8. Am I enjoying prayer?
9. When did I last speak to someone about my faith?
10. Do I pray about the money I spend?
11. Do I disobey God in anything?
12. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
13. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful?
14. How do I spend my spare time?
15. Am I proud?
16. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticise, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it?
17. Do I grumble and complain constantly?
18. Is Christ real to me?

We could do worse than use these ourselves. How about, like Toby,  we make it a priority regularly to check up on ourselves?