Accountable to God

The word "accountable" means to be liable or held responsible for what a person has been given.  Romans 14:12 reminds us, “So then each of us shall give account of himself to God.”  Every believer will be held accountable before the Lord someday for our actions, for what we did with what we have been given, and for what we didn’t do that we should have done. 

We don’t like accountability.  Oh, we like the idea of accountability, for government officials, for pastors and priests, for bankers and doctors.  But personally?  Uh, no thanks.  We prefer privacy.

From the pages of Scripture, an unlikely prophet named Amos helps us learn why our refusal to accept personal accountability is more than simply wrong or foolhardy.  Without accountability to God, we will never become all we were meant to be.

The Prophet Amos spoke to a prosperous nation who sensed no need for anything spiritual.  Amos asked a probing question, “Do you put off the day of calamity?” (Amos 6:3)

These were people who may have recognized that a time of accountability to God would come, but they did not believe it was near.  So they gave themselves up to a life of spiritual insensitivity, material gluttony, and sensuality.

Part of the image of God within us is a sense of justice.  When we see a shameful wrong, everything within our spirit demands justice.  That is, until it comes to the sin we commit, and then we want God to just forget and forgive.  We don’t take our accountability before God seriously. 

We are all accountable to God, and the day we stand before Him is unavoidable.  The Bible makes it clear that those who do not respond to God and believe in Jesus Christ will one day stand before God’s great white throne and face eternal judgment in graphic detail. (See Revelation 20:11-15)

For the person who believes that Jesus’ death on the cross paid for his or her sins, heaven is secure, but as Christians, we still face God’s discipline. (See Galatians 6:7-8; Hebrews 12:7-11)

Will you answer these two questions honestly?

1) When someone confronts you about a personal flaw of yours, do you accept it or reject it?

2) Who do you have in your life that you allow to keep you accountable?

If no one is confronting you anymore, you are in a dangerous place.  Your blind spots will one day be revealed with tragic consequences. (See Proverbs 29:1)  So we ought to view accountability with God for what it really is.  A means in which God can draw us, through the friendship and fellowship of others, to Himself.  

Self-reliance says we don’t need anyone, but humility shouts for help from those God has placed in our lives.  This habit of sharing and praying with others will inevitably teach us how to cast our cares on the only One who can fully bear their weight and who loves us with an unfailing love. (See 1 Peter 5:7)

God graciously reminds us that apart from Him we can do nothing.  And one great means of that reminder are the brothers and sisters He puts in our lives.

 Have you ever experienced the life-changing power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?  Do you have the inner peace of knowing that if you died today, you would go to heaven?   

Do you know for sure?

Life holds many twists, turns and uncertainties, yet one fact remains consistent and has since the beginning of time: true inner peace in your life begins with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the way to a relationship with God that will give you both inner peace and eternal life!  He said in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through me.”

First Things First

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe grasped the importance of priorities.  He said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Life on earth holds few greater challenges than the daily demand of choosing among competing alternatives for our limited time.   Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities.   How we use our time every day eventually defines our lives.   Life was designed to be simple, not complicated, and the key to simplifying life is prioritization.  

So then, what is the principle and concept of priority?

Priority is defined as: the principal thing, putting first things first, establishing the most important thing, and primary focus.  It is also defined as placing the highest value and worth upon something.  If our priorities determine the quality of life and dictate all of our actions and behavior, then it is essential that we understand and identify our priorities.

The greatest tragedy in life is not death but life without a purpose, life with the wrong priorities. Likewise, one of life’s greatest failures is to be successful in the wrong task.  Success in life is measured by the effective use of one’s time.   Your time is important because your time is your life.   And the key to effective use of your time is establishing correct priorities.  First things first!

The Word of God tells us that it is vital to put our priorities in the right order and then carefully cultivate each one with enthusiasm.  Why?  Because if priority is so important to life, then we should want to know what our priority in life should be so that we can live effectively.   It may surprise you to know that most of the people in the world are driven by incorrect priorities that occupy and control their entire lives.

God established His priority at the beginning of creation and made it clear to mankind.  Jesus Christ came to earth and reestablished God’s number-one priority.  During His first message introducing His primary mission, Jesus established God’s priority for all mankind with several powerful and straightforward statements, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” (Matthew 6:25)

Jesus’ admonition to not worry implies that these basic needs for maintenance should not be the primary motivator for human action.  Our confidence in our Creator’s commitment to sustain His creation should lead us to transfer our priority from our basic human needs to the priority of cultivating and maintaining a healthy relationship with His Kingdom and with Himself.  The key is to seek the Kingdom first. Pursue God; seek His face and not His hand. Go after a relationship with Him as if it is everything!  You will find that if you seek His face, His hand will always be open to you.

So, learn to be content in your relationship with God; He knows everything you need.

 

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