I’ve been thinking about accountability

 
I meet on a regular basis with other men and we hold each other accountable for certain value which we feel are important if we are to become the men God wants us to be. Recently I’ve been wondering if what we are holding each other accountable for are the things that are really the most important.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength, and that the second commandment is like it, that is to love our neighbor as ourselves.

My next thought is from Hebrews 11:6 where we read that we cannot please God unless we are living a life of faith. This is tough because it tells me that as long as I’m living my life with a safety net, as long as I have my life in control, then I’m not living by faith. Now I’m not saying my life should be out of control. What I am saying is if “I” am the one to have it in control then that that is not faith. The emphasis is on “I” versus God. If I am living by faith then I have to trust God to the extent that I act on what His word says, even when the circumstances look impossible. This leads me to think that I need my accountability partners to be asking me how I’m doing at turning the controls over to God instead of hanging on to the controls myself.

Hebrews 12:14 tells us to pursue holiness without which no man will see the Lord. We cannot dabble in sin if we want the Lord to show up in our lives in a powerful way. We’re going to have to say no to some entertainment. We’re going to have to guard our eyes from looking at some things. We’re going to have to guard our hearts from longing for things we shouldn’t have. We’re going to have to go to people and tell them we were wrong and ask forgiveness. We’re going to have to go to others and make restitution for wrongs we have committed. We may even have to go to past employers and tell them we have stolen or cheated them. We may have to go to a former professor and admit to having cheated on a test. If we want God to show up in our lives we must pursue holiness. The question we must answer is this. How badly do I want God’s power in my life? When I want God’s power in my life more than anything else then I’ll do whatever it takes

And then Jesus said in Matthew 7:20 that we would be known by our fruit. If I’m healthy I will be growing and reproducing. What fruit is there in my life, and what does that fruit say about my life?

From this I’m thinking that I need to ask my accountability partner to be asking me the following questions:
1. How am I growing in my love for God?
2. How am I growing in my love for my fellow man?
3. How am I growing in holiness and purity?
4. How am I growing in faith?
5. How am I growing in fruitfulness?

Send me some feedback on this and give me your thoughts and insights.