A passion for holiness and righteous living...

I've been doing some research on the old hymn writers for the next post in my prophetic music series and came across an awesome little tidbit of information on the late and famous John and Charles Wesley and their desire to give every bit of themselves to the Lord and to walk in holiness. These guys weren't just a couple of songwriters - they were men committed to a deep life of consecration before the Lord!

From http://ctlibrary.com/3284 :

John and Charles Wesley and a handful of other Oxford students devoted themselves to a rigorous search for holiness and service to others.

The Holy Club, the name given to John and Charles Wesley’s group by their fellow collegians in mockery of their emphasis on devotions, was the first sign of what later became Methodism. Begun by Charles and led by John after his return to Oxford University in 1729, the Holy Club members fasted until 3 PM on Wednesdays and Fridays, received Holy Communion once each week, studied and discussed the Greek New Testament and the Classics each evening in a member’s room, visited (after 1730) prisoners and the sick, and systematically brought all their lives under strict review.

These guys had 22 questions they asked themselves daily that provoked them to deeper holiness. I know these are questions I want to begin asking myself daily. They are just a small reflection of the lifestyle Jesus called us to live in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). I love them because they are so practical and easy to ask myself (although not always easy to answer, except by the grace of God!)

I hope it provokes you...

1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I relly am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?

2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?

3. Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?

4. Can I be trusted?

5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?

6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?

7. Did the Bible live in me today?

8. Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?

9. Am I enjoying prayer?

10. When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?

11. Do I pray about the money I spend?

12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?

13. Do I disobey God in anything?

14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?

15. Am I defeated in any part of my life?

16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?

17. How do I spend my spare time?

18. Am I proud?

19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?

20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?

21. Do I grumble or complain constantly?

22. Is Christ real to me?