Read that title again. We must give an account.

Who’s the we? You and me. What must we do eventually? Give an account. Literally, give a speech. Provide an answer. Give an explanation. Render a reckoning.

Okay . . . that level of accountability sounds a bit scary. Who are we giving this account to? You guessed it — God Himself. The Maker. Our Creator. The Holy One. Anyone feel like going facedown?

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

(Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV)

Okay, we all must give account. And it ain’t like we get to make it up or write the script or author our own evaluation. For all are naked and exposed to the eyes of God.

So, if verse 13 is true (and I’m thinking it is), then isn’t verse 12 a gift?

We don’t need to wait to find out what God knows about us. We don’t need to be in the dark concerning God’s will. We don’t need to guess where we stand in doing that will. For the word of God is living and active. It will splay to the very thoughts and intentions of our often fickle hearts. It will reveal to us now what God is seeing hidden in us. It will lead us now to repent and return when what we see isn’t lined up with who we are in Christ. And with such knowledge, we are fully equipped to be prepared for that day when we must give an account.

So why would it be so hard for so many to make time to be in the Word? Spending time in God’s word reminds us of what God’s requires of us. Regularly subjecting ourselves to this two-edged sword will reveal the depths of sin and the flesh still waging war within us. Faithfully following the meta-narrative of the Scriptures will remind us anew that the payment for our on-going transgressions has been rendered in full and that only the gospel is the power of God for our salvation (Rom. 1:16) — past, present, and future. I don’t think I’m over simplifying things to say that reading now readies us for that day when we must give an account.

Through the active agency of the Spirit living in us, the Word will renew our minds and transform our lives. But not if we’re not subjecting ourselves to the sword on a regular basis. The Word can cleanse us, but not if we’re not clinging to its thought-discerning, soul-cleansing pages.

Seems to me our Bibles are a gift so that we will not be caught unawares on that day when we must give an account.

And what speech will we speak? What answer will we provide? What explanation will we give? What reckoning will we render? The account we’ll give is, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for my bible tells me so. He died to atone for my rebellion against God. He rose from the dead on the third day to defeat death. By faith I believe He is the Lamb of God come to take away the sin of the world. That He is the Son of God, in whom the fullness of deity dwells, and I am His because He has purchased me with His blood. That He is the only hope of God. And, because of His finished word and His imputed righteousness, I can stand without spot before God . . . and give an account.”

It’s all there. In our bibles. Available, in this land at least, to be accessed at will as often as we want.

So, if we really must give an account (and we do), then why wouldn’t we make reading our bibles a priority? I’m thinking we should.

It’s a gift. It’s His grace.

To Him be the glory.