I just completed my annual physical at the Veterans Administration Hospital near me. Everything checked out fine. The Doctor was amazed that I wasn't taking any prescribed medications and was happy overall. He told me he had some patients who were on upwards of 20 types of medications for their various ailments. I am truly blessed by not having too many physical problems.
In the same way, we need a regular physical check-up, we need a regular spiritual check-up.
Paul tells the church at Corinth, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." (2 Corinthians 13.5)
When it comes to faith, we love a good test. We have all created a thousand tests of faith and then promptly judged other people as not meeting the test. But Paul doesn't tell us to test the faith of others. He tells us to test our faith. We are called to examine ourselves.
As part of a physical, doctors often ask their patients questions to gauge their physical health. Just as flossing influences dental health and exercise drives physical health, habits, actions, and thought patterns influence our spiritual lives. So here are some questions to ask yourself.
Write out your answers if you need to.
Answer honestly, and if you find yourself lacking, ask the Holy Spirit to help you lay out a course of action to improve any areas where you're lacking. You'll feel better spiritually, I'm sure.
2024 Spiritual check-up:
1. Do you have a growing awareness of God's presence in your life? As we mature in our faith, we become more aware of God's activity in our lives and worldwide.
2. Are you increasingly aware of your sin? Maturity might cause us to sin less (that's a considerable might), but it makes us more aware of our sins, which gives us more appreciation for God's grace.
3. Is there something you are struggling to understand in God's Word? This implies you are reading the Bible and that you are reading it in a personal way.
4. Are you pursuing God's plan for your life, and how do you fit into God's global purpose? God is at work worldwide, but He is also active in individual hearts. He made each person with specific skills, experiences, and gifts to use them to accomplish His global purpose.
5. Are you growing in love for those who have been difficult for you to love? Few things characterize spiritual maturity, like a growth in our ability to love others, specifically those who are difficult to love.
6. Is there a discipline to your spiritual growth? We do not earn God's love but seek to become like Him in response to His love. With a plan, growth will take place.
7. Are you actively involved in a local church? One can be a Christian and not go to church, but it is impossible to obey God's commands apart from the church. The local church is part of God's plan. To follow Him, we must associate with others.
8. Is your lifestyle noticeably different from your peers who do not know Jesus? Obedience to God causes us to make different choices than if we lived for ourselves. We should serve more, care more, and give more than others. This should distinguish us from those who do not believe.
9. Is your relationship with God a source of great delight? The result of faith is not judgment, prudishness, or gloom. Faith produces delight. The Gospel is good news and should be a source of great joy for us.
10. Do you live in increasing gratitude because of what God has done for you? Gratitude is a natural byproduct of faith. The more we understand what God has done, the greater our gratitude toward Him grows.
None of these questions are the ultimate test of faith. Each is a feeble attempt to consider what faith looks like in our lives. When I think of each question, I don't believe in yes/no as much as I think about direction. Am I headed in a positive or negative direction on each issue?
These questions are not meant to produce guilt but are designed to allow us to reflect on our lives and pursue after God.
When I took the self-examination, I felt sick when I finished. This told me that I had areas to work on and improve. But that's the beauty of self-examination: you evaluate yourself, identify your shortfalls, and set course with an improvement plan.
I hope you took the test and identified areas of improvement and set a course to make 2024 a tremendous spiritual year.
Michael
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