GIF Be Accountable

“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”

(Proverbs 15:22)

Be Accountable
by Larry Burkett

We need to be accountable to others, so that when we stray off the path they will correct us. Unfortunately, many Christians are accountable to no one because they don’t have to be. This is particularly true of those who are materially successful; they isolate themselves behind a wall of ego and pride.

The best accountability comes from the home between husband and wife. With rare exception, one spouse is acutely aware of the other’s strengths and weaknesses. If a couple has an open and honest relationship, one will detect the other’s deceptions quickly.

Correcting must be done gently and in love, or the result may be bitterness. Always remember that the purpose is to restore a loved one to the right relationship with God, not to accuse.

Children can participate wholeheartedly in the detection and correction process. (Mine never failed to detect when I exceeded the posted speed limit.)

In addition to family, every Christian should become accountable to one or more other Christians who care enough to admonish and correct. Sometimes it’s painful for both parties, but it is absolutely necessary for spiritual growth.

God’s Word says it better than I can. “With gentleness correcting those who are inopposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

Daily Scripture Reading:
Deuteronomy 3-4