Responsibility –

1. Liable to account, accountable, answerable 
2. Able to discharge (perform or execute) an obligation (duty)
   

Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Our responsibility or duty as a Christian is summarized in the Great Commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” – Matthew 24:37-39

Responsibility requires that we recognize that what we do – and what we don’t do –matters, and that we are responsible or accountable for the consequences of our choices.

Responsibility

People of character are responsible. They are accountable, show self-restraint, and pursue excellence. They mean it when they say, “You can count on me.”

Being responsible is part of a person of character. Being responsible means that we do the right thing even when no one is looking. We do the right thing just because it is right and God-honoring and not because we will get credit or praise for doing it.

To have good character, we have to do more than just say we are responsible. We must take action. Responsible people take care of themselves as well as others and can always be counted on to do the right thing, even when the right thing is hard to do.

Be Accountable

Responsibility means being accountable or answering for the things that we do.

Be Accountable – Look Out for Excuses

• “That’s just the way I am.” Is that an acceptable excuse for not completing a job or doing shabby work?
  
• “It’s not my fault.” Responsibility is not about blame, it is about accountability.
  
• “It’s not my job.” Our moral duties often go beyond our specific job responsibilities. Responsible people often do more than they are required to do.
  

Exercise Self-Control

• Take charge of your own life.
• Practice self-discipline with your health, emotions, time, and money.
• Act out of reason, rather than anger, revenge, or fear. 

Plan and Set Goals

• Set specific goals and plan to achieve them. 
  • Long-term goal: assuming leadership roles 
  • Short-term goal: being an active and productive member this year 
• Organize and manage your time in order to keep commitments and promises. 

Do Your Duty

• Know and do your duty for yourself, your family, groups in which you participate, your community, and the world. 
• A duty in your family might be to take out the trash. Being responsible would be taking the trash out when it is full or the night before trash pickup without being told to. 
• Develop good work habits and a good work ethic–show up on time, be prepared, and dedicate yourself to sticking with the job until it is complete. 

Be Proactive

• Take the initiative to improve yourself, your conditions, and your communities. 
• Always seek to fix problems to improve the environment you are in. Always seek to make things better. 

Set a Good Example

• Lead by example–take the initiative to do what needs to be done. 
• Role modeling–what you do is more important than what you say.