Accountability

In writing about the French constitution, Thomas Paine said, "A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not be trusted by anybody." In Luke 16:1-2 Jesus said, "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.'" Jesus believed in holding people accountable! Another person said that when it comes to privacy and accountability, we want privacy for ourselves and accountability for others.

I am accountable to God. How I live, how I treat my family and neighbors, how I share my witness...I'm accountable to God for this. As I study the Bible I learn more and more of what God expects of me. And I'm accountable.

I'm accountable to my wife and children. I am to provide for them, care for them, love them, guide them. Part of my accountability to God is that I lead my family in worship and Christlikeness. Should I fail in any of these areas of my family life, I must answer to God and to my wife and children. I am accountable.

I am also accountable to my church. Christians are to live in community with one another. Not in a commune! But in community. We share our lives together. The joys and the hurts. The gains and the losses. The Holy Spirit gives us unity and we are to maintain it. We keep each other encouraged and in line. I am accountable.

I am also accountable in my job. For me, that is a church that I pastor. This opens up a big discussion of various levels of pastoral authority. I believe that Jesus is the head of the church so that pastor cannot fill that roll. The pastor is an under-shepherd responsible to both God and the church. He is to guide believers into a faithful expression of community, Christlikeness, faithfulness, obedience, and witness. I am accountable.

And you are, too, depending upon your various rolls in life. If you are a teacher you are accountable to the students and the school administration. If you are a dentist you are accountable to your patients and your staff. If you are a manager you are accountable to those you manage, those who supervise you, and your customers. Even the CEO is accountable to the shareholders.

Nobody escapes accountability. And ultimately, every area of accountability includes accountability to God. We are to work as if working for the Lord. We are to forgive one another as Christ forgave us. We are to love because he loves us.

Who are you accountable to? Are you honoring God with the way you respond to accountability? "Leave me alone" or "I don't have to do what you say" or "you're not the boss of me" are responses that show a push away from accountability. Like Thomas Paine said, one who will not be help accountable cannot be trusted. Like Jesus said, failure to be responsible in the face of accountability hinders your ability to serve in that capacity.

Don't get pulled out of the game. Embrace accountability.