Sermon quotes on accountability
Randy Alcorn
It’s increasingly common for Christians to ask one another the tough questions: How is your marriage? Have you been spending time in the Word? How are you doing in terms of sexual purity? Have you been sharing your faith? But how often do we ask, “How much are you giving to the Lord?” or “Have you been robbing God?” or “Are you winning the battle against materialism?”
The Treasure Principle, Eternal Perspective Ministries, 2002, p. 81.
Archibald Alexander
Men are more accountable for their motives, than for anything else; and primarily, morality consists in the motives, that is in the affections.
Outlines of Moral Science
Augustine of Hippo
A brotherly mind will love in me what you teach to be lovable, and will regret in me what you teach to be regrettable. This is a mark of a Christian brother’s mind, not an outsider’s–not that of ‘the sons of aliens whose mouth speaks vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of iniquity’ (Ps. 143:7 f.). A brotherly person rejoices on my account when he approves me, but when he disapproves, he is loving me. To such people I will reveal myself. They will take heart from my good traits, and sigh with sadness at my bad ones. My good points are instilled by you and are your gifts. My bad points are my faults and your judgements on them. Let them take heart from the one and regret the other. Let both praise and tears ascend in your sight from brotherly hearts, your censers. …But you Lord…Make perfect my imperfections.
Confessions
Mike Bickle
Grace does not cancel out our responsibility or accountability for the things God has given us to do.
Source Unknown
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
A man who confesses his sins in the presence of a brother knows that he is no longer alone with himself; he experiences the presence of God in the reality of the other person. As long as I am by myself in the confession of my sins, everything remains in the clear, but in the presence of a brother, the sin has to be brought into the light.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility.
Letters and Papers from Prison
Brené Brown
When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.
The Gifts of Imperfection
John Climacus
Just as a tempered metal can sharpen soft or rusty metal, so can a zealous brother set a tepid one on the right track.
Source Unknown
Stephen Covey
Accountability breeds response-ability.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Francis De Sales
While extremely sensitive as to the slightest approach to slander, you must also guard against an extreme into which some people fall who, in their desire to speak evil of no one, actually uphold and speak well of vice. If you have to do with one who is unquestionably a slanderer, do not excuse him by calling him frank and free-spoken; do not call one who is notoriously vain, liberal and elegant; do not call dangerous levities mere simplicity; do not screen disobedience under the name of zeal; or arrogance, of frankness; or evil intimacy, of friendship. No, my friends, we must never, in our wish to shun slander, foster or flatter vice in others: but we must call evil evil, and sin sin, and so doing we shall serve God’s glory.
Introduction to a Devout Life
Ajith Fernando
When we enter into the “in Christ” existence we become one with those who are in Christ. Eternal life is received individually, but it is lived out in community. And the community battles sin in the body by confronting sinners and by requiring spiritual accountability.
Ajith Fernando,The Supremacy of Christ, Crossway Books, 1995, p. 183.
David J. Greer
Make yourself accountable and your employees will hold themselves to a high standard.
Wind In Your Sails
Vaclev Havel
Whenever I have encountered any kind of deep problem with civilization anywhere in the world—be it the logging of rain forests, ethnic or religious intolerance or the brutal destruction of a cultural landscape that has taken centuries to develop—somewhere at the end of the long chain of events that gave rise to the problem at issue I have always found one and the same cause: a lack of accountability to and responsibility for the world.
Civilization
Jenn Johnson
Have people in your life that will chase you and come after you with love when you are struggling or not at your best.
Source Unknown
Soren Kierkegaard
The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.
Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard
Moliére
It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.
Source Unknown
Thomas Paine
A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.
The Rights of Man
Jim Rohn
If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.
Source Unknown
Clay Scroggins
Autonomy is a myth. It’s a myth passed from one generation of wannabe leaders to the next. Eventually, every leader is forced to come to terms with the reality that everybody is accountable to somebody.
John R.W. Stott
Although we have responsibilities to others, we are primarily accountable to God. It is before him that we stand, and to him that one day we must give an account. We should not therefore rate human opinion too highly, becoming depressed when criticized and elated when flattered.
Source Unknown
Jerry Bridges
Only the truly faithful friend cares enough about you or me to undertake the often thankless task of pointing out where we are wrong. None of us enjoys being confronted with our faults or sins or mistakes, so we often make it difficult for our friends to do so. As a result, most of us are more concerned about speaking agreeableness to each other than about speaking the truth. This is not loyalty. Loyalty speaks the truth in faithfulness, but it also speaks it in love. Loyalty says, “I care enough about you that I will not allow you to continue unchecked in your wrong action or sinful attitude that will ultimately be harmful to you” (Proverbs 27:6).
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