Time For a Check Up?

Time For a Check Up?Alan Riley Can you believe it is already December? This year has gone by in a blur! It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2008, and now there are just four weeks left in the year! Our awareness of the passing of time provides us with an strong incentive to look back and evaluate where we are. Have I reached my personal, professional and spiritual goals for the year? Where am I in my development in those areas? What do I need to do differently to see more progress in these areas between now and the end of the year?A few weeks ago I had my annual medical checkup. It's not a pleasant experience, especially for someone who just plain doesn't like going to the doctor. But I have seen the sometimes tragic results of NOT catching a medical problem early, so I choose to subject myself to the inconvenience and the discomfort of a medical examination because it is ultimately very important to my health.Likewise, it is often not a pleasant experience to go through a spiritual checkup, either. None of us likes to take a critical look at ourselves, much less to ask trusted friends or accountability partners to tell us what they see. But I have seen far too many times the tragic results of NOT catching a spiritual problem early, so I choose to subject myself to the inconvenience and the discomfort of a "spiritual examination" because it is ultimately very important to my spiritual health and to my effectiveness as a leader.In both of Paul's letters to the church at Corinth - a church that had its share of problems and challenges - he stresses the need for an honest self examination. In 1 Corinthians 11:28, the Apostle says that we should carefully examine our lives before we partake of the Lord's supper to be sure that we do not sin against the body and the blood of Christ and bring condemnation upon ourselves. Then in 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul says: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test." (NIV)Have you had a spiritual check up lately?