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Wanting What You Don’t Have
From 2 Samuel 11:1-5, we see the tragedy of King David with Bathsheba. He was the king who had it all. He enjoyed an intimate walk with God, a family, a stable political position, and an unbroken string of military victories. The one thing he didn’t have was Uriah’s wife. And that was what he wanted. While the rest of his army was at war, he stayed home. With nobody to answer to, he committed acts of adultery and murder.
2 Samuel 11:27 says, “But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.” While David could hide his sins from his associates, he could not hide from God. King David discovered that even kings are accountable for their actions.
The Consequences of Greed
In 2 Kings 5:20-27, Elisha’s servant Gehazi was gripped with greed. After Elisha healed Naaman of leprosy, Naaman—who was a wealthy man—offered to pay him a gift. While Elisha refused, his servant Gehazi went around him to get a “talent of silver and two sets of clothing.”
When Elisha confronted Gehazi, he lied again, foolishly hoping to veil his deed from the prophet. Because of his resfual to acknowledge his desires to Elisha, Gehazi rationalized his disobedeience and failed to consider the possible consequences of his actions. In verse 27, Elisha tells Gehazi, “Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and your descendants forever.” That’s some serious accountability!
The Importance of Peers
In 1 Peter 5:1-4, Peter counseled his fellow elders, “As you shepherd God’s flock, remember that you, too, have a Shepherd.” He used some specific language for these leaders: “as God wants you to be”; “eager to serve”; “examples to the flock.” These leaders were given a pattern to follow for their relationships to one another. They knew that God would ultimately hold them accountable for how well they fulfilled their leadership responsibilities.
The Bible urges accountability—each person needs other good people with whom they can be honest and accountable.
In her article on “Leadership Through Accountability”, Theo Gilbert-Jamison writes, “Accountability is about setting the expectation, clearly communicating it and then holding yourself and everyone in your sphere of influence responsible for consistently meeting the established expectations.”
How are you doing holding yourself & others accountable, as you shoot for the stars?