Today's Devotional
November 28, 2007
Subject: An Accountable Life
Matthew 12:36 - "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment."
Recently, presidential candidate, Barack Obama in a speech to high school students, decried his past drinking and drug use, saying that he "drank a lot and experimented with drugs." He wrote in a book 11 years ago that he used cocaine for a period. Rudy Guiliani, presidential candidate from the other side of the aisle, immediately came to his defense and said that, "we should not expect a pretense of perfection from our candidates because we're all human." I think that our country has a moral dilemma with statements from both of these men.
The problem is not that we don't realize that we are all sinful creatures with a fallen nature, but the problem is when we fail to see the opportunity we create for others to excuse our fallen nature in their own lives. Surely, candidate Obama didn't mean for the high-schoolers to think, "Wow, he did drugs and then ran for President of the United States. It doesn't matter what you do now." However, that's the way many will think. In fact, since former President Clinton talked about his marijuana use many years ago, a drug that had been on the decline began to increase in use again.
The key is for us, especially believers, to understand the importance of the words that we speak and more than that, the lives that we live. If not now, one day we will understand the impact of the things that we have said.
Today, understand that you are accountable to God for every idle word that you speak. You are accountable also for everything that your life says. While we've all made mistakes, begin today to live an accountable life. Your children or many others out there in the world right now are waiting to use your life as an excuse for their indiscretions. Don't let it happen.
Carlen
