Young John Wesley
Young John Wesley
Lent is an ideal time for personal reflection and self-examination. It’s also a great time to remember the importance of accountability.
Recently, I came across a list of twenty-one daily accountability questions used by John and Charles Wesley during their days in the Holy Club at Oxford University.
It’s a pretty intense list of reflective questions.
- 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 the Bible time to speak to me every day?
- Am I enjoying prayer?
- When did I last speak to someone else of my faith?
- Do I pray about 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 Pharisee who despised the publicans?
- 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?
Nearly three centuries later, it’s still a pretty good list of questions for self-examination!
The Rev. Randy Willis is pastor of Center Grove UMC in Clearfield, PA (Susequehanna Annual Conference). He blogs at Willis Wired.