“LORD, IS IT I?”

When Jesus announced to His beloved apostles that one of them would betray him, each apostle began to search his own heart and to ask: “Lord, is it I?” (Matthew 26:22). Each did not point a searching or accusing finger at the other, but rather began to inquire about his own condition.

The following is a very personal questionnaire. May each meditate upon the questions and ask, “Lord is it I?”

Am I so critical that I see a person’s weak points quicker than I see his good points?
Am I so sensitive that I make myself miserable by taking in a personal way everything that is said?
Am I so childish that everyone else has to handle me with caution to keep me from getting mad and causing trouble?
Am I mature enough to accept a disappointment and adjust myself to it without feeling mistreated and making everyone around me miserable?
When a discourtesy is shown to me, do I brood over it and determine to “get even”?
Am I always thinking that everyone else is out of step but me and that I could be happy if everybody else would just do right?
Can I control myself enough to watch my words, or do I half-way boast that I have a quick temper?
Do I hurt people with my sharp and caustic remarks?
Do I have a habit of telling other people what to do?
Do I have bottled up inside me a feeling of hostility toward another?
Am I determined to have my own way, regardless of what it may do to others?
Am I ever guilty of making sarcastic remarks about the accomplishments or successes of another?
Do I repeat that which should be kept secret and then excuse myself by saying, “But it’s the truth”?
Can I be completely trusted with a confidence?
When the good reputation of another is being undermined, do I participate?
Do I laugh at and encourage the telling of impure jokes or stories?
When I realize that I am wrong, am I big enough to admit it, or do I still try to justify myself by trying to blame someone else for my conduct?
Do I “follow after the things which make for peace,” or do my words and conduct promote strife?
Do I have too much pride to show real gratitude toward God and my fellowman?
Though it may be easy for me to “weep with them that weep,” do I obey the other part of the verse which commands me to “rejoice with them that rejoice”?
Do I attempt to white-wash my own sins by constantly pointing out the faults of others?
Do I bring unhappiness to myself and others by frequent complaining?
Are others lifted up and made better by their association with me?
Am I willing to face my own weaknesses and admit them?
Do I ask God to help me overcome specific sins and to grow as a Christian?

Taken from You Can Be Beautiful, by Lottie Beth Hobbs

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