We are in our last week of our 30 day journey through the book of Romans! Here is day 27: Read Romans 14:1-13 A Personal Account Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God. So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall. Romans 14:12-13 When I was a manager in the freight industry, on two separate occasions, I had managers working for me that I felt were not pulling their weight. I felt that they were not producing at the level that they could and should have been producing, so I asked them to give me “an account” for the time they were spending during the day—a log of sorts. The first time I did this, the individual that I asked this of gave me a good detailed account of their day. They showed me what they were working on, how much they were producing and it worked out well for them. This person became more productive and became a much better manager. This person actually thanked me for asking this of him. We went on to work together for a few more years, and we had an amicable relationship the rest of our time together. The second person didn’t work out as well. He wanted to point out what everyone else was doing, and he was not detailed nor was he truthful in his account. Unfortunately, this person ended up leaving on very bad terms and hopped from company to company mainly because he did not want to be accountable to anyone and felt that he did not need to be. To this day this person still does not speak well of me and still has not “got it.” He has been unhappy at every company his have worked for. Let’s be honest. None of us truly likes accountability. If we are smart, we realize that we need accountability, but deep inside we all want our own way; we all want to be our own boss. When people in our lives hold us to a higher standard, we often respond with defensiveness and finger pointing. We want to point out all that we are doing right, and we want to show others that people around us are way worse than we are. We even attack the one who is holding us accountable. We point out any flaw that we can find, and we often end up angry, bitter and unwilling to forgive. In today’s reading Paul points out a very daunting reality and that is that each one of us will have to give an account before God for our speech and actions on this earth. Now I don’t know about you, but when I ponder the thought of standing or more likely kneeling before God’s throne and having to answer for every word I’ve spoken and every thought that I’ve had, I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I think of all of the times I’ve hurt others with my words and actions, and I am ashamed. I am so thankful that I will be able to look to Jesus and say, “He saved me! Jesus saved me, and I love him and he loves me!” And I know that the account that we give will be one that is answered with forgiveness and mercy, but what Paul is saying here is that we all need to be accountable to God and His holy standard. And the last thing I want is for God to say that the way I lived my life and the way that I treated others caused people around me to “stumble” and even fall. I want so badly to hear those beautiful words, “Well done good and faithful servant.” So how do you respond to accountability? How do you respond to correction? If Paul were writing this letter to you, how would you receive it? Will you start being accountable? Will you invite people into your life that challenge you to live your life to a higher standard? What do you need to do today to get that accountability? Do you have a person in your life that holds you to high standard? If not, find that person today. Prayer: God, I know that I need accountability, and I know that I need to change. Help me to surround myself with people who are willing and able to challenge me to be the person you have created me to be. God, forgive me for the times I may have caused others to stumble, and help me to always strive to not be that person. I love you Lord! AMEN.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 18:23:14 +0000
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