Accountability: August 4, 2011

AUGUST 4 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 4, 2011

ACCOUNTABILITY

DEFINITION:

Subject to the obligation to report or justify something; responsible; answerable; capable of being explained.

SCRIPTURE:

Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Romans 14:12.

“Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing evil in his eyes?” You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. Thus says the Lord: Behold I will raise up adversity against you from your own house, for you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel.” II Samuel 12: 9, 11, 12.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Today more than any time in history, we believe people do all they can to avoid responsibility. In the verses above, Adam chose to blame his wife Eve for eating the fruit instead of being accountable for his sin. David tried to get away with the sin of killing Uriah by doing it in a secret way. David was challenged by Nathan to be accountable to God for taking Bathsheba and killing her husband Uriah.

These scriptures give us just two examples as to how easy and natural it is to want to avoid taking the responsibility for our own actions by finding a way to place the blame on someone else. Unfortunately it often works and then an innocent person gets the blame. However there is someone we cannot fool and who does hold us accountable. Hebrews 5:7 tells us, “nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give an account.

Both of us remember when we were in school having conversations with our peers about what we called “fessing up” to a situation. “Fessing up” is humbling. No one likes to admit that they were wrong, especially if there are consequences, which is usually the case. Human nature seems to always drive one to accept accountability when the issue is favorable, right or positive. But, since we all are of a sinful nature, when a situation is negative and may have consequences we want to pass the blame.

It begins early in a child’s life. We can remember when we could just look into the eyes of one of our children and see guilt. It was very easy to then see the child do all he or she could do to make someone else accountable for what he or she had done. How often when children are caught having a fight have we heard: “but he [or she] started it. Then the other one responds by saying: “did not.”

God wants us to be accountable for our actions. As one gets older you realize that accepting accountability is what demonstrates that you are a person of integrity. Once a person loses their integrity in the eyes of others it is very hard to gain it back. Integrity equips you to be a vessel that God can use. Being accountable allows God to bless you in everyday situations.

LEARNING:

Our scripture verse for this week is found in Mark 10: 27.

“With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.”

PRAYER:

Dear God, just as You faced Adam in the garden and David through Nathan many years ago, we ask You today to keep us accountable to what You have taught us from Your Word. May we take total responsibility for all of the issues that involve us, both positive and negative, that we may face.