Correction Needed – Man as Battle Buddy
“Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.” -Zephaniah 3:1-5 ESV
In the book of Zephaniah, we are confronted with the cold hard truth that each one of us will stand before a Holy God and give an account of our actions and deeds. We will be held accountable for all that we have done in this life-- the good, the bad and the ugly! Senator Daniel Webster once said, “My greatest thought is my accountability to God.” How true! Now consider this additional factor as you read this account: Where were the men who needed to step up and call out those who were leading their nation to destruction? Other than a handful of prophets like Jeremiah and Zephaniah, who was holding them accountable?
The answer is apparently there were none. Beyond the fact that the Jews didn’t trust or draw near to the one true God. Jerusalem, the capital city of the nation, “She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction.” Their political officials are described as roaring lions and evening wolves who devour the weak. Their religious leaders are described as fickle, treacherous, and profane, doing violence to the law. So, their leaders were off the rails. What these leaders needed was someone, anyone to hold them accountable, to help them make a course correction to avert disaster.
We all need someone to hold us accountable and to offer a word of correction. None of us are beyond it, including me. That is a key part of the Battle Buddy relationship. Renowned Bible preacher Chuck Swindoll has seven questions that he and a group of fellow pastors challenge each other with periodically: “Have you been with a woman anywhere this past week that might be seen as compromising? Have any of your financial dealings lacked integrity? Have you exposed yourself to any sexually explicit material? Have you spent adequate time in Bible study and prayer? Have you given priority time to your family? Have you fulfilled the mandates of your calling? Have you just lied to me?” These are tough questions, but they are good ones to ask a Battle Buddy.
Connect with a Battle Buddy and agree to hold one another accountable, to offer and receive a word of correction when needed. If enough men would take those simple but powerful steps all across America, we can make a difference.
- Knowing that each of us will give an account to God, is there anything that needs to be different about your life?
- How are you building accountability into your relationship with your Battle Buddy? Do you have a game plan, a set of questions, etc.?
“Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord; she does not draw near to her God. Her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law. The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.” -Zephaniah 3:1-5 ESV
In the book of Zephaniah, we are confronted with the cold hard truth that each one of us will stand before a Holy God and give an account of our actions and deeds. We will be held accountable for all that we have done in this life-- the good, the bad and the ugly! Senator Daniel Webster once said, “My greatest thought is my accountability to God.” How true! Now consider this additional factor as you read this account: Where were the men who needed to step up and call out those who were leading their nation to destruction? Other than a handful of prophets like Jeremiah and Zephaniah, who was holding them accountable?
The answer is apparently there were none. Beyond the fact that the Jews didn’t trust or draw near to the one true God. Jerusalem, the capital city of the nation, “She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction.” Their political officials are described as roaring lions and evening wolves who devour the weak. Their religious leaders are described as fickle, treacherous, and profane, doing violence to the law. So, their leaders were off the rails. What these leaders needed was someone, anyone to hold them accountable, to help them make a course correction to avert disaster.
We all need someone to hold us accountable and to offer a word of correction. None of us are beyond it, including me. That is a key part of the Battle Buddy relationship. Renowned Bible preacher Chuck Swindoll has seven questions that he and a group of fellow pastors challenge each other with periodically: “Have you been with a woman anywhere this past week that might be seen as compromising? Have any of your financial dealings lacked integrity? Have you exposed yourself to any sexually explicit material? Have you spent adequate time in Bible study and prayer? Have you given priority time to your family? Have you fulfilled the mandates of your calling? Have you just lied to me?” These are tough questions, but they are good ones to ask a Battle Buddy.
Connect with a Battle Buddy and agree to hold one another accountable, to offer and receive a word of correction when needed. If enough men would take those simple but powerful steps all across America, we can make a difference.
- Knowing that each of us will give an account to God, is there anything that needs to be different about your life?
- How are you building accountability into your relationship with your Battle Buddy? Do you have a game plan, a set of questions, etc.?