Galatians 2:20, James 1:16-17, John 15:1-11
Deuteronomy 30

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5)."

Rockwell is a musician famous for one song. And he is famous for one song because Michael Jackson sang backup. After that one hit, he tried to strike it out on his own, without anyone's support (his dad owned a recording company, but he avoided asking him for help), and he flopped big time. People do the same thing all the time with Jesus.
I once hesitated to ask the Lord to work through me, because I wanted to try things on my own and see if I could gain success without His help. In creative endeavors, for example, I wanted to claim my own uniqueness, so steered clear of asking God to work through me in that area. I also avoided that request concerning my job.
Recently, however, I discovered that I'm pretty pathetic on my own. People's expectations are too high, and I don't have the power to live up to them without Christ help. I realize now that when I succeed at my job, honoring both the employer and the customer, it's really Christ working through me, and when I fail (hurt the customer and get written up), it's because I'm being myself. We truly can't do anything apart from Christ. Anything of any real worth, that is.
I once prayed every day for God to tell me how to be the servant Jesus wants me to be. God responded by sending me a boss that micromanaged everything I did, and constantly told me how perfect I was supposed to be, and how much I needed to work on that goal. It was then I decided I didn't need to be told how to become perfect, I needed God to make me perfect.
Deuteronomy 30:11-14 describes obedience to the law as something easy. It isn't, unless your heart is being controlled by the Spirit. If the Lord is in your heart, and working through you, you can live up to that standard. "I can do all things in him that strengthens me (Philippians 4:13)."
We're nothing without Christ. We may think we're something, but we're not. Like Rockwell, we've just got someone singing backup for us, and we're really not that great. May we keep this sober reminder in mind as we go about our every endeavor.

Dear Jesus, it's easy to see my shortcomings and flaws. I can't meet or exceed your expectations, so please work through me daily so that I may honor you in all that I do. I pray this in your name, amen.