That’s a stressful word for most people. It means that you will be held responsible for your actions or labor and will be judged accordingly. It also conjures up images of punishment or rewards. No matter how you feel about that word, it is a very real part of life on every level and even in the life to follow.
As a public school teacher I’m held accountable by federal, state, county and local guidelines. I think ultimately, no matter how difficult or senseless some standards may seem to me, I am a better teacher because of them.
God instituted accountability from the beginning of creation, even in the garden of Eden. We know how that turned out.
Accountability is a very serious issue with God and a most important one too.
In the parable of the loaned money (Matthew 25:14-30Matthew 25:14-30
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
A Story about Three Servants
14 . The kingdom is also like what happened when a man went away and put his three servants in charge of all he owned.
15 The man knew what each servant could do. So he handed five thousand coins to the first servant, two thousand to the second, and one thousand to the third. Then he left the country.
16 As soon as the man had gone, the servant with the five thousand coins used them to earn five thousand more.
17 The servant who had two thousand coins did the same with his money and earned two thousand more.
18 But the servant with one thousand coins dug a hole and hid his master's money in the ground.
19 Some time later the master of those servants returned. He called them in and asked what they had done with his money.
20 The servant who had been given five thousand coins brought them in with the five thousand that he had earned. He said, “Sir, you gave me five thousand coins, and I have earned five thousand more.”
21 “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”
22 Next, the servant who had been given two thousand coins came in and said, “Sir, you gave me two thousand coins, and I have earned two thousand more.”
23 “Wonderful!” his master replied. “You are a good and faithful servant. I left you in charge of only a little, but now I will put you in charge of much more. Come and share in my happiness!”
24 The servant who had been given one thousand coins then came in and said, “Sir, I know that you are hard to get along with. You harvest what you don't plant and gather crops where you haven't scattered seed.
25 I was frightened and went out and hid your money in the ground. Here is every single coin!”
26 The master of the servant told him, “You are lazy and good-for-nothing! You know that I harvest what I don't plant and gather crops where I haven't scattered seed.
27 You could have at least put my money in the bank, so that I could have earned interest on it.”
28 Then the master said, “Now your money will be taken away and given to the servant with ten thousand coins!
29 ; ; . Everyone who has something will be given more, and they will have more than enough. But everything will be taken from those who don't have anything.
30 ; . You are a worthless servant, and you will be thrown out into the dark where people will cry and grit their teeth in pain.”
WP-Bible plugin), Christ talks of a master who divided his money with three servants. Each was given according to his ability to handle the money. The master only expected them to do what they were capable of doing. No unfair expectations here. The first two doubled their money through wise investing but the third servant buried his in the backyard. He had nothing more than the original amount to offer back to his master. He was punished severely for his laziness while the other two industrious servants were greatly rewarded.
God does the same with us. We are each given gifts of finances, talents, time, intelligence, etc. We are given different gifts depending on the different abilities God has placed within each of us. During our time on earth we are to invest our gifts by using them in God’s service. So many times I’m afraid I make excuses just as the lazy servant did. I’m often self-centered and hide my gifts for my own personal use.
The message of this parable is very sobering. Christ is coming back and whether we live to see that or enter God’s presence through death we will be held accountable. We are responsible to wisely use the gifts He has given us. No matter how limited we may feel, there are things in our possession (mental, physical, financial, and spiritual) that we can use in God’s service. The question is never how much we have, but rather how well we use what we do have. And we would do very well to remember that everything we have is not ours in the first place. We are only the caretaker. God is the owner. Don’t let Him find you lacking.
To end on a high note, always remember when serving Christ that the blessings God has in store for us far outweigh the expense of serving Him. The sweetest sound we hope to ever hear are the words “well done faithful servant”.
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