Accountability Report
Every day, I get an email with this title: “Accountability Report.” It comes from a company we pay to monitor what websites are visited on our family’s electronic devices. While I believe this is a smart practice for families in today’s digital world, that practice is not the focus of this article.
Tonight, when I saw that email title, it made me stop and think about if I had an accountability report on my actions, words, or even thoughts on a daily basis. What would my report contain? Would it stay in the “green zone” where everything looks good or would it venture into yellow or red areas for caution or warning?
As I considered this, it occurred to me that our Creator knew His creation best and equipped us with an “accountability report.” He gave us a conscience. In Acts 24:16, Paul spoke of his efforts to always keep a clean conscience before God. In Romans 2, Paul wrote of the Gentiles, who were not under the law, did “by nature [did] what the law requires” and their conscience bore witness for them (verses 14-15).
However, as with many things that God created in perfection, mankind has found a way to mess it up. In 1 Corinthians 8, we read of those who have a weak conscience. In 1 Timothy 4, we see evidence of seared consciences. In Titus 1, we even read of a conscience being defiled.
How do these things happen? I would argue that a conscience is weakened by lack of workout (much like muscles), seared by deliberate misuse, and defiled by a corrupt environment.
You may not get a daily email alerting you to your accountability report but I am hoping to use that virtual check as a reminder to do a spiritual check. God did equip me with a way to monitor where I am in regard to “walking in the light.” May I never forget to use it or misuse it to where it can no longer help guide me to Him. Instead, like Paul, I want the aim of my charge to be “love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5).
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AUTHOR: Amber Tatum
