“So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12, ESV)
How are you doing with those New Year’s resolutions? If you are like most people, you forgot about them long ago. The eagerness you had when you showed up at the gym on January 1 is long gone.
Why do we struggle with these commitments we make? There may be a good number of reasons, but I believe the biggest reason is that we have no accountability. If you are serious about commitment, build in accountability. If you are serious about showing up at the gym, get a personal trainer who will work with you. If you can’t afford a trainer, then get a buddy to come with you.
When you show up at work on Monday morning, it is because you have accountability. The boss at work holds you accountable to be there. If you do not show up, you will be reprimanded and eventually fired. Work is a commitment you keep because you know there are consequences if you don’t.
The difference with New Year’s resolutions is that we make the commitment to ourselves alone. There is no one holding us accountable. We have no one to answer to but ourselves. If we don’t follow through with our commitment, the only person we are letting down is ourselves.
There is a reason a group like AA assigns you a sponsor. If you are to make the commitment to give up alcohol and conquer the addiction, you need help. When you know that you have someone else to answer to, you are more likely to follow through because you don’t want to let them down. We have an easier time disappointing ourselves than we do disappointing other people. A friend of mine says that you cannot self-help your way to God.
You Are Already Accountable
At the end of our life we will all stand before him in judgment In Romans 14:12, it says that we will all give an account of ourselves. We will answer for all the things we did or did not do with our life on this earth. If you are a believer, you can be sure that all these things will be forgiven, but recognize that not all will be rewarded.
The point is that you are already accountable. You may not recognize the accountability that exists in your life. But as you recognize your eternal accountability, it will give you an incentive for building temporal accountability.
Do More
Do you want more in life? Do you want to pursue greater things in life? Stop telling yourself what you want in life and start telling other people. It may be a scary thing because it means you will need to start doing what you say you are going to do. Most of us resist accountability. Many people fear accountability. Accountability makes us vulnerable. It raises the bar of expectation. But it also opens the door for us to walk in greater abundance and experience greater fulfillment.
“And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:12, ESV)
Reflection
- Do you have people in your life who hold you accountable?
- Why do you resist accountability?
- Make a list of 3 people who might serve as accountability partners. Different areas of our life may require different accountability partners.
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