Today I'm writing about two of the biggest curse words in church right now. These nasty words people try to cover up and push past ignoring. Something that is swept under the rug or shunned by a lot of Christians or likely Christians nowadays. The "S"word and the "A"word...Submission and Accountability...that's right I said it..I said those nasty words that make people run faster than any well conditioned marathon champ. How dare I?? Leaves a nasty taste in your mouth doesn't it? Some will stop reading this the second they read those words, yet they will sit all the way through "The Wolf of Wallstreet" with an astonishing 506 "F-bombs"in it. (So, if this is you...I challenge you, read on, and at the end feel free to comment.)
....Lets get back on track...
So according to the "the world" and their standards it's more acceptable to have a movie use that many "f-bombs" in a 3 hour script, but when Candice Cameron (former full house star) writes in her book that her husband leads her household and she submits to him if they disagree on something she is attacked with media frenzy on her barbaric ways. Getting comments telling her to,"wake up it's the 21St century."
Why is this? Lets look closer. To start lets take baby steps. I won't continually say those 2 nasty Little words .I will just refer to them as "those words" most of the time to try to make a smoother transition for us. You see, the world has trained us that the second we hear "those words" that we should dig our heals in and rebel, because it's not about "me" now, so it must be against freedom, and completely stomps individually. But lets be real..put our emotions aside and look at what the world tries to pass off as individuality..oh wait...there is none. Instead the world tells us what clothes to wear, what is pretty, boys should dress this way, girls do your makeup like this Hollywood star, because she is what we "the world" calls pretty. They tell us what body types are acceptable, all dictated by the upscale "the worthy ones" in society to tell us how to be so called individuals. So is this individuality? No. But this is what the world tells us. So when we, (prepare yourself..I'm gonna say it) submit to the world..this is the individuality they give you. Trying to turn you into a second rate Hollywood clone that is accepted by society. Why second rate, you might ask? Well because anyone trying to be or look like someone else is ALWAYS going to be a second rate to the original, just like anyone trying to copy you would be a second rate you.
Now we have looked at how the world says that the"S"word" takes their warped version individuality away..so lets look at how God uses true individuality. God will take your differences and guide you to a place he has planned for just you..no one else. You see, we need every different type of person in the kingdom. If a church were filled with only one cloned person, there would be no growth. Each and every one of you offer something unique to bring to the kingdom that only you can bring, and to unify by God and keeping our individually makes all angles covered. It doesn't matter if you come from a broken home, or a house with a white picket fence ,whether you are homeschooled or run the streets and use drugs. If you have experienced homelessness or sexual abuse.No matter your personal story. All of these different stories are what make you able to connect and reach someone that your neighbor can't. Or them to reach someone that you can't. I'll say it another way, submitting to God doesn't hinder you being you..when you add God, He turns tragedy into triumph and takes your personal story alone, no matter the case and makes you a better you and guides you to reach others that someone else can't. There is a path that is yours and yours alone. Take 2 people both wanting to work in the mission field, going to the same school, and the same church. There may be similarities, but God has a plan for each of them that the other can't walk in their stead. It is only for the person God intended it to be for, and we know that plan is good. How do we know that? We line it up with the Word. In Jeremiah 29:11 it says ,
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Now, lets be real for a minute...we are no longer children, as much as we try to act like it in this world with our fits we throw. However, as we grow into adults we start getting more and more "adult roles" For example having more free time without supervision, jobs and dating. So with the start of all of those is suppose to be change and growth. Why is that? (Here comes my nerd quote of the day.) Well it's best said when Uncle Ben in Spiderman said,"With great power comes great responsibly."
¿¿What does THAT mean??
That means that as you enter into those "adult roles" you start making decisions and with those decisions made by YOU, you start having to be...wait for it...Accountable for your actions.
At the library, when you are a child and you rent a book and you lose a book, your parent is responsible for that fee. However once you turn 12, you are then responsible for that book. They feel that 12 is old enough to be responsible for knowing where the book is and returning it.
Take for example my youngest son that is 7. If he starts to walk into the street, I can grab his arm and pull him to the sidewalk. my 11yr old son, I may not be able to pull him, but I can still give him a nudge redirecting him in the right direction. But as you travel into adulthood..we can't force you to obey, we can direct you..but the choice is yours whether you actually do it or not.
....I know..I know..I threw in another nasty word..."obey"...and there will be some others coming up as well..
Same as when you start to become a Christian adult, you will have choices to make, and self-reflection to do. God gives us free will, and with that free will He will not force us to obey. WE have to make the CHOICE to submit to His authority. Once you make your choice, ( here comes the "C"word) you have to commit to it. Is that easy? No. We live in a world that teaches non-commitment daily. In work if we don't like it..just quit...better yet..lets not just quit, lets be creative and publicly post it on YouTube. In friendships, if someone makes you upset..delete them. In dating..well there is plenty of fish in the sea..just find a new one. In church.. Did the Pastor say one of those curse words?? Or did they ask you to work when you don't want to..just go to the church down the block, they pamper behinds juuust right. In marriage..don't work on it..just get a divorce. Heck now, if it's within a year we can have an annulment and we can pretend it never happened. That is "the worlds" version of commitment. But as a Christian, when we make a choice and say we will do something we need to commit to it. Why? Every choice you make you should line it up with the Word. So lets line this up and see what it says. Matthew 5:37 Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
So we need to let our word be true and commit to it. You won't be perfect, we all fall from time to time..and it's ok to fall, as long as we get up and we keep striving for God. When we ask Jesus into our hearts and become a Christian and learn His Word, we need to commit. Not because we FEEL like it, because we won't always feel like it, but we chose it. It's no different than being a mom. Do you think everyday that I feel like doing my mom duties?? Haha, um.. that would be a no. But the fact is, I am a mom, and it's a choice that I made and I commit daily whether I feel like it or not. Your choosing to commit to God and His word is a choice that only you can make because only you will have to answer for it.
Lets line that up..
2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
We are each held accountable for our own actions. No matter the actions of others...just ours.
Take your parents for example, how does the Word say you are to be with them?
Ephesians 6:1-3 says,
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
Collisions 3:20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
So, in those passages does it say to honor them only when you are happy with them? No, it says to honor them. What will we be held accountable for? Will we be held accountable for Mom and Dad doing us wrong? No. We will be held accountable for OUR OWN ACTIONS, not theirs. Their actions are between them and God.
Lets go another route. In Matthew 25:35-40 Jesus talks about feeding the hungry, clothing people, tending to the sick, visiting those in jail and to do that to others is like doing that for Him. In those scriptures does Jesus say to only give if the last person you gave to respected it? No. We honestly don't know if the ones helped in the scripture appreciate or abused it. Why is that?? Because the ones giving were held accountable for their part...Did THEY do what was asked of them.
So now is the hard part..we need to ask ourselves something..."How are MY actions lining up with the Word?" Only you can ask yourself that, because only you will be accountable for your actions..no one else. What are you doing when no one is looking? Is that lining up with the word? Self reflection and lining that up with the Word of God is so important for growth in Christ, and it is not easy. You may realize that you owe certain people in your life or God an apology. But that is part of Accountability, facing choices you have made...even the tough ones.
Are we forgiving, loving, giving, tithing the way the Word says we should? Are we sharpening each other in Christ? Are we building each other up, or tearing each other down? Are we uniting in Christ, or dividing into cliques? You can either let these questions beat you up like the enemy wants, or will you do what God desires, to be closer to you and let this change you.
....so what are you gonna do?....
<3 Cat
