What Should I Do?

 Abide in Me, and I in you. 

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself 

unless it abides in the vine, 

so neither can you unless you abide in Me.
John 15:4

Apart from Me you can do nothing

photo credit: lanier67 via photopin cc

The Disturbing Question. If 'they' fell, what prevents me from suffering the same kind of moral failure? There are times when we watch others; whether it be ministry leaders, personal friends, or mentors for whom we have a tremendous amount of respect, and the list goes on. In the process of watching and learning from these individuals, sometimes, we unfortunately see these individuals morally fail, right in front of our eyes. This is a devastating, heartbreaking, and heart shaking experience. More than likely, we have experienced at some point the pain of watching someone else fall.

The Overarching Concern. How do I keep myself from falling? For many of us, we come to the conclusion that our moral integrity is solely dependent upon us; that we are the guardians of our moral being and are in control. We determine to stay on the straight and narrow and we even impose undue restrictions and undue guilt on ourselves that the Savior never intended. We make up our minds "To Do This." We are fearful of suffering the same kind of fall to which those around us have succumbed and suffered.

The Question Reframed. How can I bear fruit for Christ? Jesus instructs us in His Word, to abide in Him. The result of that abiding is the bearing of fruit. So as much as we are concerned about "keeping ourselves" from falling and imposing strict personal rules and regulations, we might want to ask: Am I in a position where I can bear fruit for Christ and be effective for the kingdom as one of His followers? We can only bear fruit for Christ, if we have placed our faith and trust in Him as Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:9-10)  

As we begin Holy Week, we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus; His work which conquered sin and death, and makes it possible for us to have a personal relationship with Him!