Deuteronomy 29:29  “The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them, but we and our children are accountable forever for all that he has revealed to us, so that we may obey all the terms of these instructions.” (NLT)

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My first experience with what some people call accountability came during my college years. The campus ministry we participated in had some people who were really good at memorizing Bible verses and longer passages. There were others who were good at getting up early in the morning to spend an hour in prayer before school, work, and extracurricular activities. 

I wasn’t particularly good at either one of those. I knew a few Bible verses, although I did not blurt out “Jesus wept” like some guys. Besides, I couldn’t remember the address. (It’s John 11:35.)

Prayer for an hour before classes and work? College students have a well-deserved reputation for staying up late. It’s really hard to both stay up late and get up early. Trust me on this. I did it a lot in those days, except for the day when I slept through church. Also, I was the pastor. 

Mastering Bible memory and praying for an hour are both skills my friends were proud of, maybe even a little too proud at times. Accountability for them sounded more like spiritual policing than discipleship. They expected guys like me to memorize a verse a day and to begin praying for an hour every day immediately, if not sooner. They made sure I felt bad about falling short of their expectations. 

This is not accountability. This is spiritual policing. 

When Jesus invited twelve guys to follow him around for three years, he didn’t set a memory verse quota. Instead, he said, “Come, follow me,” (Matthew 4:19). This, in due course, turned into, “Come, and work with me.” Sometime later he said, “Go work, and report back to me.” Then, before he ascended to heaven he said, “Go into all the world and make disciples.” (See Matthew 28:18-20.)

Follow me, work with me, work and report back to me, and make disciples of all people groups sounds much more user-friendly than spiritual policing. 

Jesus had expectations and frequently challenged his followers. He also gave them opportunities to master the challenges and recover from their failures. He used their failures as opportunities to focus on what they would do differently next time. Although, we have no record of Peter trying again to walk on water. 

This same Peter, whose confession of Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God was a major breakthrough (See Luke 9:18-20), also denied being a follower of Jesus (See Luke 22:54-62). Notice that Jesus didn’t kick him out of the group like a good spiritual policeman would. Instead, he carefully and lovingly restored him. (See John 21:15-19). 

My favorite definition of accountability comes from the book The 12 Week Yearby Brian Moran and Michael Lennington. They say accountability is a promise we make to ourselves that we invite others to help us keep. Instead of a twelve-week course in humiliation at the hands of a master in an area of growth and development like memorizing Bible verses or prayer, what if the Memorizer and the Pray-er gently invited us along on their journey like Jesus did with his disciples?

What if friends who are farther along in their walk with God in these and other areas gently instructed their friends how to do what they had learned to do over a manageable period of time? What if they provided bite-size lessons and buffet-size encouragement? What if success was celebrated and built upon? What if we became comfortable with the idea of accountability as a tool for successful growth instead of forced achievement?

God has much to teach us, as today’s verse says. There are also things we are not accountable for, things that belong to God alone. We are accountable for knowing and experiencing God in an ever-deeper relationship that leads to mastering our moods and means and methodologies in a manner that honors God and serves others.

What is God teaching you now? What is he saying to you today? What are the areas where you are leaning toward mastery? Who can help you grow in these areas?

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I will master essential spiritual disciplines with others who are on the same journey and make learning enjoyable and meaningful.

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Our Father, thank you for teaching us how to teach others. Thank you for your patience, kindness, and endless repetitions until we learn our lessons well enough to teach them to others. Bless us each with accountability partners who are like you as they help us master new material and grow in your grace. Amen.