Beloved,
As I’ve continued to meditate on God’s twofold exhortation through Haggai, “Set your heart on your ways” (Hag. 1:5,7), it has struck me what a mercy this call to self-examination is. Yesterday in my morning devotions, I was in 1 Timothy 4 where Paul exhorts Timothy, a young pastor, to the same: “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching” (v. 16).
Given our remaining corruption and proneness to wander, there are few things more dangerous than an unexamined life.
In the past, along with nightly reflection (usually while I’m laying in bed), I’ve tried to block out a chunk of time once a week for a weekly review to more strategically and thoroughly examine how I have lived over the past seven days (in light of my core identity, purpose, principles, and calling). The discipline of a weekly review has never stuck, however. I think the reason is because I left it too vague and undefined (“Set aside 45 minutes to think about my life and heart over the past week”).
Recently, I sat down and wrote out six simple questions to ask myself every Monday. While Sunday is technically the first day of the week, my work week builds up and goes out with a BANG on Sunday (quite literally!), so Monday is the best day to pause and prayerfully look back. Here are my six questions:
- Have I daily sought God through the word and prayer for my own personal growth?
- Have I been consistent in sleep, diligent in exercise, and moderate in eating?
- Have I loved Tessa and the boys well, given them sufficient time and attention, and led them like Christ to Christ?
- Have I devoted myself to prayer and the ministry of the word for my people?
- Have I sought to witness for Christ outside of my local congregation?
- Have I made progress in my current writing project(s) for the sake of the broader church?
Working through these concrete questions with a journal and pen has begun to help me to set my heart on my ways and to keep a close watch on myself and my ministry. I intend to make this a weekly routine in response to God’s call to whole-souled self-examination.
You might consider writing your own and finding a time at the end of your week to reflect on where you have been the past seven days in order to thank God for the victories, to repent of the failures, and to freshly resolve to strive to live for God in every moment.
Self-examination is a mercy for it keeps us close to Christ, keeps us always repenting and resolving, and keeps us from wasting our lives.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Nick