***********************
November 26, 2011
Accountability & Restitution (they go together)
Disclaimer: I want to make it extremely clear that this teaching is not motivated by any one person or event. There are a few folks who know me well that know this teaching has been on my heart for awhile and that it would come someday. So let us enter in to the study and recieve YHWH’s word with gladness and embrace His Truth. Amein? Amein.
Psa 26:2
Examine me, ADONAI, test me, search my mind and heart.
Psa 139:23
Examine me, God, and know my heart; test me, and know my thoughts.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, God; renew in me a resolute spirit.
Psa 51:6 Still, you want truth in the inner person; so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart.
Psa 33:11 But the counsel of ADONAI stands forever, his heart’s plans are for all generations.
Psa 40:10
I did not hide your righteousness in my hearthbut declared your faithfulness and salvation; I did not conceal your grace and truth from the great assembly.”
Psa 51:17
My sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; God, you won’t spurn a broken, chastened heart.
**Scripture Referenced from The Complete Jewish Bible.**
I have listed several scriptures above that deal with the heart. In this note we will be discussing accountability. I pray the Reader lets YHWH shine His light into every area of our heart. It’s a vulnerable place to be indeed. But when He shows us an area we need to work on, reveals to us something we need to repent of AND walk away from in Grace we come out so much better and as a result we Glorify YHWH. Don’t we all want to bring Glory to Him?
It is no secret that we will all be judged one day before His throne. Also…Judgement begins with the House of G-d. His judgements are righteous and just! There is no error in Him. He alone is Perfect in all His ways.
For several years now, I have wondered why I have not heard accountability for our actions preached from the pulpit. I’ve heard all kinds of things preached (and alot of it was good and I held on to it while getting rid of other teachings) from we are under grace alone, the law is dead and nailed to the cross…both are WRONG. However these two things are not the topic of my note so I will move on to the point at hand…
Beloved! Forgiveness from on High and YHWH’s Mercy is a wonderful thing! I know we can all agree on this. His Lovingkindness is everlasting! I never tired of hearing about His Mercy preached from the pulpit and watching someone recieve and become a new creation….EVER. Still yet…in these 17-18 years in the “traditions of man church” something was missing!!! Accountibilty! Personal accountibilty!
Scenario:
Your sins as scarlet have been made whiter than snow! The weight of the world is off your shoulders! Your name has been written in the Lambs book of Life. For several weeks things are GLORIOUS!!! Heaven on earth….We were told in this life we would have tribulations but that we should take heart because Yahshua has overcome the world. HE HAS!!!
My point is this—Not every “tribulation” or “persecution” or “problem” we have is adversarial in orgin. Pause and think on that for a minute. Sometimes WE are the Problem!!!!!!
Sometimes WE are the PROBLEM!!! Hence, that is why He is the Potter and we are the clay! Some never take those turns being exposed and molded on His wheel with those Loving Hands.
“Where on earth are you going with this?” Hang in there with me…may be a bumpy ride, but it is a ride I MYSELF have taken and am soo thankful for it!! To be sure I WILL take this ride again in the future! A Father corrects those He loves!!! A fool dispises correction and instruction! Beloved not one of us is perfect! But we must GROW!!
In October 2009 I walked away from “church”. I embraced YHWH’s Torah (Instructions that ARE STILL IN EFFECT!) and set out to begin my first year of observing all the Feast of YHWH (Leviticus 23). For the past few years the only one I had observed up until now was Yom Kippur.
So here I am…taking an even more narrow road than I had previously been on. Suddenly the Bible was like a whole new book to me! (I had studied it for years!) But when I embraced His Truth…the Truth of walking in His Torah a Light came on inside of me!!! So many dreams and visions I had over the years NOW made sense to me…He gave me the meanings!! I noticed something else as I studied too! More answers to something that had been weighing on my heart for at least a couple of years!!
Accountibility! I found it in the Torah!!! Here is but one example:
Exo 21:33
“If someone removes the cover from a cistern or digs one and fails to cover it, and an ox or donkey falls in,
Exo 21:34
the owner of the cistern must make good the loss by compensating the animal’s owner; but the dead animal will be his.
Exo 21:35
“If one person’s ox hurts another’s, so that it dies, they are to sell the live ox and divide the revenue from the sale; and they are also to divide the dead animal.
Exo 21:36
But if it is known that the ox was in the habit of goring in the past, and the owner did not confine it; he must pay ox for ox, but the dead animal will be his.
Ok…Most of us don’t have oxen these days but my point is this: If you cause harm or misfortune to come upon another human being in any way shape or form you MUST be accountable to YHWH and to the person you have caused the misfortune. It is called restitution.
**To be accountable means to be responsible. To be responsible means to be reliable. To be reliable means to be dependable. This ultimatley is about being trustworthy, and YES!!! YHWH requires this of all of us.**
**To make restitution means to restore to a former state. To restore means to re-establish or re-new. Makes you think of the scripture that states, “Renew a steadfast spirit within me.” Doesn’t it?**
YHWH has done much for us…all of us. Whom is forgiven much LOVES much!!
So when we sin…we miss the mark. Period. We repent. And Baruch Hashem! (Bless His Name!) We are forgiven! Walk free! Go and sin no more. This is absolutley true!
**one caviat—-**
You hurt brother or sister so and so didn’t you? Have you sincerely apologized? Asked for thier forgiveness?
You were caught in a huge falsehood. It also involved theft. Have you been accountable? Did you make restitution?
Maybe the person you hurt…in whatever way was on the very cusp of embracing YHWH and living for Him. And you brother or sister super Chrisitan gave them this example. Hmmm…You are absolutley forgiven and cleansed of this offense by YHWH to be remembered no more BUT…You are required to be accountable for yourself and your actions!! Do you need examples?
Examples:
~My own father, with whom I am now estranged spent several years of his childhood in an orphanage. For whatever reason his mother chose not to raise him. He was one of the older children and responsibilty for the others naturally went to him which he did gladly.
He is an adult now and does not live for YHWH, in fact he is an ordained new age minister. His mother had her life straightened out and she lived for YHWH (she is now deceased). Son had tried to adress issues with mother and find closure and healing to no avail. He would try to talk to her about how he was hurt, all she could ever say was, “I’m forgiven. I’m forgiven. YHWH doesn’t remember it any more and you shouldn’t either.”
How about, “Son, I was so troubled when you kids were young. I couldn’t even find my own way and I know this resulted in hurtng you all. Please forgive me. ” And then proceed to tell him about her faith.
Do you know he actually used this as an example to me for why he wants nothing to do with YHWH?
~One person told me that they are tired of seeing “christians” looking pious and holy at meal time and “making” a big show of blessing the food and then watching them live out thier life in all lewdness, gossiping, lying, cheating, falsehoods….”Doesn’t make me want to run to church and participate.” He actually told me.
~How about the youth pastors and “church” leaders selling controlled substances from thier home? True story….it is no secret.
~Anyone who walks around with an air of peity but quite plainly treats others like dirt. Loves to gossip.
~How many work with “christians” (and I hope you the reader are not one) that treat thier co-workers terrible? I know of a couple of “full gospel” evangelist that I actually dread having to deal with…because they are mean!
OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think I’ll stop there. Beloved our righteousness is as filthy rags and an abnomination before YHWH. It has always been a red flag to me when upon meeting a person for the first time they go to great lengths to tell me how “chrisitan” they are.
One of my favorite quotes from St. Francis of Assisi:
“Preach the Gospel at all times. And, when necessary…use words.”
Shalom Chaverim!
Filed under Truth Torah accountability restitution the way grace
