Accountability is one of the most important keys to achieving your life goals. Having someone caring enough about you to check up on you is good.
The dictionary defines accountability as “being subject to report.” It goes on to say, “explain, justify, or answerable.”
In a nutshell, being accountable means having someone in your life who loves you enough to make sure you are doing what you need to do and not doing what you don’t need to do.
Accountability comes in different ways. It is not always the act of being asked to give a report. Sometimes, accountability happens when somebody shows up. When the guy I work out with shows up at 7:00 in the morning, that is accountability for me. That he will show upholds me accountable for doing the same.
When the group of guys I meet with for discipleship shows up each Tuesday evening, that causes me to show up as well. When they say their memory verse, that causes me also to say mine. When we study the lesson, I know I need to have done the lesson if I am asking them to do it. The fact that I am expecting people to do something is a form of accountability for me doing the same.
Someone recently asked me who was holding me accountable. They were thinking, who is the person that asks me the tough questions about my life? They asked me if I had a person giving me a checklist of my progress in life. We need those people, but accountability comes primarily from being held to your exact expectations of others. What I ask others to do automatically holds me to the exact expectations.
When I ask the other men in my discipleship group how their character has been over the past week, I am also holding myself accountable for Christ-like character. When I ask them how their marriage is going, I must be able to answer as well. When I ask them if they are sharing their faith, I need to be able to answer that question as well.
I share all this to say accountability is great, and discipleship is a great place to find it. Meeting in a small group of four to six people to grow in Christ-like character and conduct is a great way to become the person you want to be.
Over two thousand years ago, Jesus invited a group of men into accountability. He lovingly challenged them and encouraged them to live up to his expectations. That same process works as well today as it did back then. Let me encourage you to join or lead a discipleship group as we begin a New Year. The accountability will do you good.
Impact Discipleship Ministries exists to help you grow in disciple-making. If you need tools or resources to start or lead a group, contact us at impactdisciples.com. We are here to help you be and build disciples of Christ.
This post originally appeared at: The Need for Accountability – Impact Discipleship Ministries