Accountability and Reconciliation

A major recurrent theme in my work is reconciliation, balancing what was thought should be with what was actually received. Computer systems should always be designed to allow for the imperfect environment in which they will have to work. Whether it be checking that all records sent from one place to another arrived intact, or checking the sales records with the cash banked. In the later cases, often thousands of dollars can be spent tracking down discrepancies of a few dollars. Then in the end, if a shortage or surplus remains, it might be “written off” or “recovered” from an employee's pay.

Christians individually and corporately should be accountable to each other as well as to God. We have been reconciled with God, in that our lives have come up short of the mark, and having repented, God has “written off” (forgiven) our sin.

But the other component of repentance, is promising, with God’s help, to ‘sin no more’. An important part of this sanctification process is regular ‘auditing’ with a trusted friend, mentor, spiritual director or confidant. Could I suggest that the small nurture groups would be a good place to start to work through these issues of spiritual accountability.

Check out Rom.15:14, Eph.5:21, Col.3:16, Heb.3:13, Heb.10:24, Jas.5:16, 1 Pet.5:5.

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