Today I woke up and listened to an online church sermon. The pastors mentioned the 22 questions, I thought everything shared in the sermon was so good that I wanted to keep it in my journal.
22 questions
These are 22 questions the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago.
- 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?
- Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
- Can I be trusted?
- Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
- Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
- Did the Bible live in me today?
- Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
- Am I enjoying prayer?
- When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
- Do I pray about the money I spend?
- Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
- Do I disobey God in anything?
- 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?
- Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
- 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?
- Is Christ real to me?
Shocking Pause
After the sermon, I planned to go into town to do some shopping. Since it’s the holiday season, I felt completely justified in indulging a little. The idea of buying things made me so excited that, in my mind, I had already created a long, ambitious list of all the things I wanted to look for. Then, I came across the 11th question: Do I pray about the money I spend?
In that moment, it felt like I had been struck by lightning. The Holy Spirit spoke deeply to my heart. I realized why there are so many things I’ve wanted but never received. It’s not because God is hesitant to bless me, far from it. It’s because He knows those things aren’t good for me.
As I dreamed of all the items I could buy today, I recognized that I was diving headfirst into materialistic indulgence. Such pursuits don’t lead to satisfaction but to addiction and emptiness. And it’s so true! I didn’t actually need anything on my list.
So, instead of going out to shop, I spent time walking around the house, saying thank you for all the blessings I’ve taken for granted, my toilet, my towels, my washer and dryer, my laundry detergent… The list goes on. I felt such joy and peace in my heart! I love the daily lessons You teach me, Lord. Thank You for Your endless goodness, it’s always running after me.