Kevin DeYoung writes, “I should hasten to add that measuring your progress in the pursuit of holiness is easier said than done. For starters, you shouldn’t take your spiritual temperature every day. You need to look for progress over months and years, not by minutes and hours.”
Agreed. One of the best times to take your spiritual temperature is at the end of the year as you reflect on what was. To help us do that, let’s look at a few questions.
These questions were similar to the ones I posted earlier this year. They’re meant to help you identify areas of spiritual growth. I titled the original post “check-in” to prepare you for the year. Now that the year is almost over, it’s time for the check-up. It’s time for the physical; time to see if you’re in a healthy spiritual place or not.
In no particular order, here are some questions to help gauge your spiritual health:
1. Did I make regular devotions with the Lord a priority?
2. Unless there was an emergency, did I commit to attending church every single Sunday?
3. Did I preach the gospel to myself to remind me of the grace that is available to me through Christ?
4. Did I confess and repent of my sins quickly?
5. Did I live deeply in Christian community and seek to bear the burdens of others?
6. Did I regularly share the gospel with nonbelievers in hopes of persuading them to repent and trust in Christ?
7. Did I steward my time, talent, and treasure to the glory of God and for the sake of the church?
8. Did I seek spiritual mentors?
9. Did I disciple others?
10. Did I trust God’s providence when things didn’t go my way?
Some of these will apply to you; some of them won’t. For example, you may already have had a spiritual mentor or perhaps because of this season of life, you may not have the capacity or energy to disciple anyone. That’s fine. These questions are provided not to make you feel guilty, but to provide some guidance to help you check your soul for spiritual health.
Spiritual growth is costly. But it’s worth it. Often, we should make a plan to help us grow, and check our temperature every once in a while to see how we’re doing.
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