Keeping Short Accounts

When someone owes us money, we all know how anxiously we wait for payment. It might be from someone who's borrowed money from us or maybe it's from a business that we've done some work for. If we've done the work, then we expect to be paid in a timely fashion. If our ledgers are filled with too many accounts "over 30 days" or "over 60 days," then it's hard to run our own business. Business people know, too, that their chance of collecting goes down as the time increases.

On the other hand, if we're the ones who owe money to someone else, then we need to be sure to pay promptly! We need to keep short accounts.

This applies not only to money, but also in the area of friendships. If we feel hurt over something, we should go to the person who has offended us and tell him or her how we feel. We should do this in a humble and kind way, but not let a small thing grieve us and grow out of proportion to the original incident. This way, friendships are preserved and stress is avoided.

We also need to keep short accounts with God. When we sin, we need to confess it, repent of it, and move on through the power of the Holy Spirit, praying that He will keep us from that sin the next time we are tempted.

We cannot hide our sin from God. He knows. We don't confess it because He needs to know and if we don't, He'll be in the dark about what we've done. God is never in the dark. He doesn't need to learn because He already knows everything. The value in our confessing and repenting is for us. It's for our benefit.

Daily come to the Father and ask Him to search your heart. When He points something out, confess it. Keep short accounts with God.