Accountability

Daniel Webster once wrote, “My greatest thought is my accountability to God.” What is your greatest thought? What do you spend the bulk of your quiet time focused on? For that matter, who and what do you consider yourself accountable to? I don’t know about you, but I tend to be a spoiled rotten brat on my good days. (Yes, Honey, I admitted it!) I tend to think that I have no boss other than Self and no one can tell me what to do. I, like most four-year olds am the boss of me and if I don’t want to do a thing, no one, and I do mean no one is going to force me to do it. Not very mature…

The Bible clearly tells us to submit to one another. Wives, submit to your husbands. Husbands, submit to your wives. Children, obey your parents. Honor those in authority over you. Somehow the Word implies that someone is in charge and we are to humbly submit ourselves to those who can be seen and that by doing so, we are honoring the God we cannot see.

In order to walk in love we must be accountable to someone. There must be guidelines that remind us of the boundaries (oops, there goes that word again!) in place to keep us safe and humble. Who are you walking in close enough fellowship with that they can speak into your life, holding you accountable, and you will listen and receive their words as honey to your soul knowing that it will preserve your life, not harm it? Eccl. 4:9-12 says, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”

And Proverbs 27:17 says that “as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” In Eph. 4:25, it says, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” James 5:16 tells us to “confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” The Bible is full of statements supporting the need for accountability partners and submission to those in authority over us and the benefits that will follow if we do these things. I am all about a benefit plan that never runs out so I think I’m going to sign up and quick!