“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
Hebrews 4:13
Growing up I really did believe my mother had super-human power to be able to see what was going on behind her back. Perhaps you have experienced the same thing. You probably said something like, “Mom has eyes in the back of her head!” Or, “How did she know I made that face behind her back.” But as I got older, we realized that my mother, for the most part was practicing good parenting as she held herself personally responsible for the life of her children. And of course, part of that responsibility had to do with telling my father what was going on in my life whether positive or negative.
The fact is, I was held to my parent’s standard whether I liked it or not. So, from the time I was born, to that day I graduated from high school and left home for Marine Corps bootcamp, I was held accountable for my actions. Most of us understand the process of accountability. As we get older, we are given more freedom to make personal choices. First, it is riding a bike around the block or riding it to school. Then, as we hit the magic age of 16, some of us are given the privilege of driving a car.
Driving is a huge responsibility, considering that the assets do not outweigh the liabilities. For many of us we experienced the responsibility of having a part-time job. All our sons had part-time jobs growing up and we would make sure that they made it to work on time and that they had transportation to and from their employment. In doing so, they had less of our control and more freedom to make choices concerning part-time work, financial planning, and use of free time. Yet, they were still held accountable for their action, to someone, whether it was their parents, teachers, or employer.
I believe we also realize that as believers, we are give great liberty to live our life in Christ, yet never outside the sight of God. Romans 8:1-2 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Wow! What great freedom we have in Jesus! We are no longer condemned, we have been made free from the penalty of sin, we are not held under the law, no condemnation…freedom! Yet, we are still held accountable by God for what He sees us doing as we do life in Christ.
ACCOUNTABILITY IS NOT A BAD THING
As believers we need to understand that giving an account of the way we have used our time, talents, and treasures here on earth is not a bad thing. I believe if every creature that God ever created is within His sight, that nothing, no one, not one person has the ability to escape His all-seeing eyes, it is the best thing that could happen to us. Accountability for the way we do life in Christ is not a bad thing.
First of all, we need to understand, it is not just God being all-seeing, everywhere present. It is about how much He loves us, how much He cares about how we act, how we use the time He has given us to do life free in Christ. Second, we need to understand, Hebrews 4:13 is not about God holding our feet to the fire. That idiom comes from the idea that one can be pressured into consent to do something. That, the only way you’ll get someone to agree with you is to hold his feet to the fire. That’s not a picture of a loving and caring father, not a picture of our heavenly Father who loves us more than all His other creations. This passage in Hebrews 4 is a picture of our Father who not only sees all that we do, but knows us better than we know ourselves and yet loves us enough to hold us accountable for the life He has given us in Christ Jesus.
ACCOUNTABILITY IS PART OF DOING LIFE
As we look at the subject of accountability, we realize that we all are accountable to someone, whether parent, teacher, mother, father, employee… the list goes on. Yet, we are ultimately accountable to the One who saved us from our sins. I cannot speak for you, but I praise God that He holds me accountable, because that proves to me that He really loves me. Accountability tells me that He cares enough to personally watch over me, that how I do life means something to Him, and doing life in Christ means everything to Him. The truth is, those deep penetrating eyes of the Lord have it. His eyes see my good and bad, sees my neediness, my wastefulness, my efforts to do what is right, and also my negligence. He sees everything about me, yet loves me with an unmatched love, a love that says, “I see what you are doing and I am calling you out on it.” Or, “I see what you are doing and I take great pleasure in it.” So, the next time you think you are being watched, guess what, you are and don’t forget to praise God for it.
This is Pastor Pat FROM BEHIND THE PEN—Wishing you Joy in Jesus!