Continuing Education

I just finished an 8 month long bible study at church and have been debating whether to get into another class or take a break for a while. In the back of our book is a list of character traits to work on on your own schedule and I think I'm going to concentrate on those for a while and not jump right into the time commitment of another class with school getting out soon.

So, today's trait is Accountable. The dictionary defines accountable as:
ac⋅count⋅a⋅ble   /əˈkaʊntəbəl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [uh-koun-tuh-buhl] Show IPA
–adjective 1. subject to the obligation to report, explain, or justify something; responsible; answerable.
2. capable of being explained; explicable; explainable.

Matthew says:
Matthew 12:36 (New International Version)
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.

Another verse:
Romans 14:12 (New International Version)
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Accountability is something I think we all struggle with. We know what we need to do but are we holding ourselves accountable to actually do it? I can put the laundry off a little longer and watch TV. I can put off doing the errands my husband asked me to do so that I can have lunch with a friend. When we're not accountable to the responsibilities we have and the promises we make, we disappoint the people around us. And more importantly we dissapoint God who knows the great things we are capable of accomplishing. At the end of the day, if you had to report directly to God about how you spent your time, what you chose to do, and the things you said- would it make a difference in the way you went through your day?