Live Like You Have an Account to Give

Mar 3

ENCOURAGE

Affirmation: I live like I have an account to give!

Anchor Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:9-10

“Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

If you use a debit or credit card, your banking agency will typically send an account statement to show you a breakdown of all your spending for that month. If you’re not intentional with what you swipe your card for, or you don’t pay close attention to your spending habits, you’ll be shocked at how much you spend on little unnecessary purchases, or big impulse purchases that did you no real good. The same is true in the spiritual realm. Our daily activities are recorded in heaven like a spiritual bank statement. Everything we say, do, think, and how we treat others, ourselves, and our relationship with God must be accounted for and will require an answer on the Day of Judgement. Thankfully the Blood of Jesus has already answered and paid for all our sins and will continue to as long as we live in a lifestyle of repentance; However we will still be required to give an account for what we did with our time on earth, and more importantly what we did with the knowledge of God’s Son, Jesus.

As Believers, we’re called to live a set apart life. We cannot afford to live aimlessly, as if the things we do in this life don’t matter. Our choices have eternal outcomes and influence our experience of this life on earth. God did not give us the gift of a new life through salvation to continue splurging it on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life. He gave us this new life in Christ to live in Him and draw others to Him. We were made by Him, for Him, and through Him (Colossians 1:16-17)! In Him, we have been called to be lights to this dark world, but if we’re living just like the world there’s no way His light can shine through us. If we truly belong to Him, we ought to live this life in a way that we’d not be too embarrassed to show Him our life’s account statements. We must live like we have an account to give!

While the scriptures describe OUR righteousness as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), that’s not a call to stop doing good or stop living in faith and purpose. Instead, it’s a call to be transformed (2 Corinthians 5:17, Romans 12:2), do good works out of a love for God (Romans 12:1, James 2:14-17), totally depend on and put on Christ (Galatians 3:26-27), walk in the righteousness of Christ not our own idea of righteousness (Romans 8:1-5), and seek to do what pleases Him (Ephesians 5:8-11). The best thing a Christian can do is acknowledge God in all our ways so that HE can direct our paths (Proverbs 3:6); And if you’re not sure what to do or where to go, just be still and wait for instruction. In the waiting, study the word, develop intimacy with the Holy Spirit, worship the Father, and allow Him to train you up for the works He’s ordained you to do.

As you walk this narrow path, remember that apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). Anything we do in our own effort, will, or strength are filthy rags. Anything we do outside of His will and outside of how HE describes love is sin, and we will have to account for whatever is not under the blood. My friend, we cannot do what pleases Him without Him being part of the equation. So if you have an account to give, let Him be your accountant! He will tell you and show you how you ought to spend your time on earth! His instructions can be found all throughout the Bible! His word says in Philippians 2:13, “It is God who works in you to will and to do His good pleasure.” So as we journey towards being intentional about how we spend this life and the account we’re preparing to give, let’s allow the Lord to work through us! Don’t feel like you have to do it all alone; That is why He sent the Helper: the Holy Spirit. Let Him help you live in accordance with His will. Remember, you have an account to give and you have a say in what will be on your life’s statement. Don’t wait to just “see what happens.” Start building the account you want to give to God today!

EQUIP

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