Relax! I know we often consider that day when history, as we know it, will come to an end and every human being that ever lived will stand before the throne of God, but this is not a post about that. The Bible says we will escape final judgment because of what Christ did for us, but His sacrifice does not exempt us from giving an account to God of how we lived out the faith which saved us. This is the second post on our series on accountability.
The “A” Word
Accountability bridges the gap between wanting to live with integrity and being a person of integrity. If we are not personally accountable, we are putting ourselves in a position of weakness and even danger. Accountability should be non-negotiable in our lives.
It is not merely something good,
but an essential component of
our spiritual health.
There are four levels of accountability, and all of them are important. We need to be accountable to God, to ourselves, to an intimate few, and to a community of faith.
We are Accountable to God
If we know we are ultimately be accountable to God, should we not practice a continual accountability to God as we live our daily lives?
This is the place where accountability begins. The Psalmist David says God knows us so intimately that “before a word is formed on our tongue, He knows it” (Pslm. 139:4). Paul puts it quite plainly, “it is to God alone that we have to answer for our actions” (Rom. 14:12).
But, how do we live out this accountability in real life? The answer is in our Intimacy with God. We must maintain intimate fellowship with our Heavenly Father and continually make ourselves accountable to Him if we desire to be effective leaders for Christ and useful in His work.
Not Rocket Science, Really
We can use all kinds of theological language, but it's not complicated. This is a simple matter of bringing every single thought, action, and reaction, sinful or not, before God in prayer as often as we can, for we are forgetful beings (I didn't say it would be easy).
At the same time, our accountability to God feeds back into our inner life. Our life and leadership must grow out of our intimacy with God, and our intimacy deepens in a direct correlation to our openness and accountability to God.
NOTE: This is the second of five posts on the subject of Accountability. If you would like to read the first post, click on the link below.
Data and information are essential for knowing how effective your organization or ministry is, but knowing the right data to measure is the most important key to your success.