Week Twenty-Four - Hold Yourself Accountable

Citizenship, along with the responsibility and accountability it holds, is a rare yet valuable commodity these days. We say that we expect moral and honest leadership from those to whom we entrust our government, but sadly, these qualities seem to be missing in so many. 

We should not be too quick to condemn politicians when we ourselves often fail in the same qualities. We speed, fudge on our taxes, litter, gossip, and think no one should say anything to us about it. But good citizenship requires us to hold ourselves accountable for how we live, how we respect the laws of the land, and how we treat other people.

Citizenship, as defined by Google, "is the legal relationship between an individual and a state, granting the person specific rights, such as voting and legal protection, in exchange for duties, like obeying laws and paying taxes.  It also refers to membership and active participation in any community."

I see citizenship as a privilege. It means I have an invested interest in my community, a voice, and a part in what happens to the whole.

As I was reading Psalm 50, I noticed a stark description of citizenship gone awry and leadership that did not hold itself accountable. From verses 16-22, God's Word describes it this way: they hate and ignore God's Word and instruction. They allow theft and adultery to go unpunished, even taking part in it. Their mouths are full of evil and deceit. They sit and speak against other citizens, even slandering each other. Then, God warns them that He sees and hears their deeds, and they will not go unpunished.

Good citizenship means we, too, address such issues because the leadership we put in place reflects who we are as a people. What a sad state of affairs when we devalue our citizenship by not participating in voting and maintaining the laws of our land. But I'm not trying to make a political statement. I'm trying to call us to individual accountability, for that is what will make the difference.

God closes this psalm with exactly the same call for accountability when He says, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God."

We are to order our conversation. It isn't simply our words, but every area of our lives. We are to live by order - the order of God's Word. And to do so "aright" means we hold ourselves accountable for our words and actions. We aren't two-faced or hypocritical. We don't speak evil or slander others. We don't have secret sins. We don't ignore God's Word, but rather, we use it to judge ourselves and keep our lives clean and acceptable before God and man.

When every citizen does his or her part in living aright, things around us will shape up. We may hold different political views, but we can all live under God's law - "for against such there is no law." And what does God's law require of a citizen? Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance are a few things. (Galatians 5:22-23) And Micah 6:8 gives this instruction, "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God."

These are some of the qualities of good citizenship, and they are things to which we must hold ourselves accountable. Let's rise to the challenge!