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Written by Sparky Pritchard Friday, 05 March 2010 14:40

How Close Are You to Jesus? That heading caught my attention as I was looking through a publication called Revive.  How can you measure that?  Are there things that I can do to encourage intimacy with the Savior?  The editors of that magazine provided a list of questions for personal evaluation.  Here are just a few for us to consider.

Do I … Choose Jesus First? “So that in everything he might have the supremacy” (Colossians 1:18)

• I can talk with others about weather, sports, news, kids, and marriage, but I struggle to talk about Jesus and spiritual matters.
• I am more passionate about other things (work, hobbies, entertainment, pleasure) than I am about Jesus.
• I am more concerned about my bodily health and comfort than about the condition of my soul.

Do I … Listen to His Voice? “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:17)

• Reading the Bible is a chore, something to mark off my “to do” list.
• Private prayer and worship are perfunctory or non-existent.
• My heart is cold and indifferent, not tender and easily moved by what Jesus has done for me.

Do I … Obey His Word? “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15)

• I display attitudes or am involved in activities that I know are contrary to the Bible, but I continue in them anyway.
• I justify “small” areas of disobedience or compromise.
• There are aspects of my life that I am unwilling to give up for Jesus.

Do I … Serve His People? “Whatever you did for one of the least … you did for me” (Matthew 25:40)

• I rarely give sacrificially to further Jesus’ work in the world; I only give my “extras.”
• I am judgmental and critical of others – more focused on sin in others’ lives than in my own.
• I am more concerned about having the right position than the right disposition toward others.
• I have broken relationships with other believers that I do not care to reconcile.

Do I … Enjoy His Presence? “You will fill me with joy in your presence” (Psalm 16:11)

• Christianity is more of a checklist of things to do or not do than a relationship with Jesus.
• I tend to measure spirituality by performance rather than the condition of my heart.
• I am more concerned about what others think and pleasing them than about pleasing Jesus.

Great questions … hard questions … important questions!  What are our answers?