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• 1 Our Brothers Keeper // Dec 16, 2007 at 2:55 pm

  This passage (Mathew 1:18) reminds me of the public scandal that must have rocked Joseph. His wife was with child and he knew it was not his, even thought this was the work of God the public ramification must have been huge.

  It sometimes seems that even though we are doing God’s will that we can get pulled into the other side.

  Recently in my life and by watching the lives of other Christians and Christian leaders, I am reminded of the weakness that man has in his physical form over this physical and emotional self. It seems strange that we can not totally control even ourselves, but without help of God and accountability partners we often have trouble controlling ourselves on our own. I am reminded of how Billy Graham approached this weakness of man and the potential pitfall from the public perception by not being “alone in a room with a women at all”. Even though Dr. Graham was a man of God and strong, there are some things that can weaken even a man - a woman. The Bible is filled with stories of Godly men that have been brought down to their knees by women. What is surprising is that many of these relationships started as pure, innocent, and good, but as relationships grow, so do inner feelings. The man may not want anything more and the woman may not want anything more, but the “more” comes about anyway. Dr. Graham was also successful in warding off the ability for the public to criticize him regarding other women, as they knew he wouldn’t allow himself to be put into a situation were he was alone with another women other than his wife. I would think this also was a strength for the Graham’s marriage and the vows they took to uphold. As Christians we are called to help our neighbor, as we often open ourselves up to the person we are trying to help. If the person that we are trying to help is already in a weakened state then they could easily mistake our intentions for something else that may be missing in there life (love and relationship). Over the years, I have seen many Christians and even great Church leaders that have fallen as their ministry brought them into the path of people who were truly in need, but then things went over the top in the relationships causing problems that rocked the community and Church. This is one reason that we need to remember to pray for our Church leaders and their families, as they are on the front lines for us everyday. It may be hard to live up to the policy of Billy Graham regarding women, but every effort should be used to keep yourself strong, as you may not even realize that you can or have slip into relationships that could harm others including your family, friends, church, and children. Therefore, when applying mercy as God did, remember that we are not as strong as God, so we need to safe guard our reputations as Christians, as the outside world and some of our brothers are not so merciful, however we need the shoulder of an accountability partner to help us through every day.

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