Reciprocating Gracious Accountability & Committing to Family
Icebreaker: What was one of your favorite group/team experiences (at work, school, sports, military, etc.) And why?
Share your thoughts
How would you describe “real commitment” in a relationship? How do you think “accountability” plays a role in relationships?
Reciprocating Gracious Accountability
Intentionally building and developing genuine relationships with others allows us to encourage, challenge, and support each other as we grow.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, onecan help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.
What comes to mind when you hear the word accountability? For many, accountability often brings up thoughts of “consequences,” “blame,” “being called to the carpet,” and perhaps even “punishment.” If you’ve ever felt fearful or uncomfortable at the thought of accountability, it’s understandable why. However, gracious accountability from a Biblical standpoint is not something to be feared. It’s not a form of punishment for those who can’t quite make it on their own, nor does it make a person somehow less godly than others. Quite the opposite, in fact. God wants us to pursue gracious accountability in our relationships because it helps us grow. Simply put, “gracious accountability” involves developing authentic relationships with other Christ followers who challenge, encourage, and speak truth into our lives, for the purpose of promoting greater spiritual growth.
When it comes to accountability, Solomon challenges us with these important truths found in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10:
- To grow and thrive spiritually, we need to have intentional and genuine accountability relationships.
- Accountability involves other people. In other words, I’m accountable to myself by being accountable to others
Committing to Family
We each belong in a family and God wants us to commit time, effort, and energy to intentionally invest into those relationships.
Romans 8:14-17 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifieswith our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
It’s also important to remember that we each belong to God’s family (our spiritual family), in addition to our family of origin. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this truth that we are adopted into God’s family in Romans 8:14-17. He calls us to value these relationships and commit to develop them. God wants to use us to help our brothers and sisters in Christ become the people God created them to be. That only happens when we spend time together, knowing each other and being known by each other.
Together with our spiritual family, we make up the Body of Christ, and we are the Church!