Self-Examination
Since God has given us the mandate to keep all of His commandments, it would be wise to ask ourselves questions to evaluate our observance of each one. The following list is intended to provide a starting point to assist you in carrying out thorough self-examination before taking part in communion.
- Repent: Do I have a humble and repentant spirit, having fully repented of my sins?
- Follow Me: Am I following Christ to learn how to be a “fisher of men,” and do I have a meek and quiet spirit?
- Rejoice: Do I rejoice when others speak evil of me and persecute me for doing good, and do I maintain a joyful spirit?
- Let Your Light Shine: Am I joyfully doing good works so that others glorify God, and do I have a spirit of generosity?
- Honor God’s Law: Do I honor God’s moral law and search it out to learn how I can love God and others?
- Be Reconciled: Am I reconciled to those who have something against me, and have I taken responsibility for all my words, thoughts, and actions?
- Do Not Commit Adultery: Have I conquered lust in my heart and eyes, and do I exercise self-control for every thought and action?
- Keep Your Word: Have I kept every promise that I have made to God and others, and have I been truthful in what I have said or implied to others?
- Go the Second Mile: Do I go the second mile when I am required to carry out a responsibility, and do I show deference to the wishes of others?
- Love Your Enemies: Do I love my enemies, and have I given verbal blessings to those who have hurt me? Have I found creative ways to invest in the lives of my offenders?
- Be Perfect: Am I committed to spiritual maturity with a perfect heart, and am I sincere in what I say and do?
- Practice Secret Disciplines: Do I give, pray, and fast in secret so that God can reward me openly, and do I have faith to believe Him and His Word?
- Lay Up Treasures: Have I laid up treasures in heaven, and am I practicing thriftiness so I can give more to God?
- Seek God’s Kingdom: Am I seeking God’s kingdom first rather than seeking my own desires, and am I taking initiative to do His work?
- Judge Not: Am I judging other people for the very same faults I have, and do I have the discernment to see my faults?
- Do Not Cast Pearls: Do I cast pearls of God’s wisdom to those who will only mock them and attack me, and do I use discretion at all times?
- Ask, Seek, and Knock: When I ask God for something, do I then seek it out and obtain it? Am I resourceful?
- Do Unto Others: Do I do to others what I want them to do to me, and am I sensitive to the feelings of other people?
- Choose the Narrow Way: Have I chosen God’s straight and narrow way to life, and am I decisive in all matters that relate to it?
- Beware of False Prophets: Am I alert to false prophets who appear to be spiritual, and have I believed any false teaching?
- Pray for Laborers: Am I praying that the Lord of the Harvest will thrust forth laborers, and do I have compassion for the lost?
- Be Wise as Serpents: Am I wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove when I am around those who hate the Gospel and those who represent it?
- Fear God, Not Man: Have I purposed to die for the Lord so that I do not fear death, and do I have boldness in living and speaking for the Lord?
- Hear God’s Voice: Do I listen to God’s truth with spiritual ears, and am I attentive to the things God wants me to do right now?
- Take My Yoke: Have I taken on Christ’s yoke so that I can learn about Him, and am I obedient to every direction He gives me?
- Honor Your Parents: Do I honor my father and my mother and reverence them even when I cannot obey an unscriptural command?
- Beware of Leaven: Have I removed all the leaven of sin and hypocrisy from my life and home, and am I committed to the power of virtue in my life?
- Deny Yourself: Do I deny my fleshly desires, and have I taken up my cross with a determination to be faithful to the end, so I will win a crown of life?
- Despise Not Little Ones: Do I welcome all the “little ones” in God’s kingdom, and am I tolerant of their need for maturity?
- Go to Offenders: Have I gone to all those who have offended me, told them their faults privately, and sought a just reconciliation?
- Beware of Covetousness: Have I rejected all covetousness and learned to be content with the many things that God has already given to me?
- Forgive Offenders: Have I fully forgiven all those who have offended me, based on God’s great mercy and forgiveness of me?
- Honor Marriage: Am I committed to honoring marriage vows, and have I purposed to be loyal to my life partner “till death do us part”?
- Be a Servant: Have I turned my desires to be great into a delight of serving others, and am I available to serve when needed?
- Be a House of Prayer: Am I a cleansed house of prayer, and do I have power with God through my fervent prayers and crying out?
- Ask in Faith: Do I have faith that the things I ask God for are according to His Word, and am I patient in waiting for His reply?
- Bring In the Poor: Have I invited the poor into my home and honored them with a feast, and do I have a spirit of hospitality?
- Render to Caesar: Do I pay all my taxes and fees in order not to offend “God’s ministers” and to show my gratefulness for their part in God’s kingdom?
- Love the Lord: Do I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and do I show my enthusiasm for God by rejecting all competing affections?
- Love Your Neighbor: Do I love and care for my neighbor as I love and care for myself, and am I gentle toward all people?
- Await My Return: Am I looking forward to the Lord’s soon return, and am I making the best use of all the minutes God has entrusted to me?
- Take, Eat, and Drink: Am I thoroughly examining myself before taking the bread and the cup of communion, which speak of the awesome price that the Lord paid for my redemption?
- Be Born Again: Am I genuinely born again, and am I trusting in the faithfulness of God for my eternal security?
- Keep My Commandments: Do I love the Lord enough to keep all His commandments before my eyes so that I can diligently do them? Am I abiding in Christ and allowing His words to live in my heart by consistent memorization and meditation?
- Watch and Pray: Am I watching and praying so that I will not enter into temptation? Am I building endurance for God’s way of life?
- Feed My Sheep: Do I view all believers as members of God’s flock, and do I share with others what God is teaching me from His Word?
- Baptize My Disciples: Have I been baptized by water and the Spirit, and do I baptize those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, remembering they are Christ’s disciples, not mine?
- Receive God’s Power: Have I experienced the power of the Holy Spirit by rejoicing in trials and tribulations, and am I reproducing the Spirit’s love, joy, and peace in others?
- Make Disciples: Am I making disciples of everyone I can by teaching and living out these commands? Is my schedule flexible to accomplish this?
This article is adapted from the Commands of Christ, Series 6, book. For further study, this book may be purchased from our Online Store.