Ugly pronouns

Me. Myself. I.  These three pronouns love to go together and they always push for the front of the line.  They know nothing about courtesy or respect.  Sacrifice?  Are you kidding!  Someone once said, "There is no 'I' in team."  True, but there is a "me" in there and there are plenty of people who jettison the notion of being a team player for a shot at the limelight. 

If you don't believe me, then go to the mall on the day of a big sale and see how well you are treated by fellow shoppers.  Corporate criminals don't go to jail for being generous but rather for scamming the pants off of people so that they can line their own pockets.  Have you ever watched a bunch of kids at a party trying to break open a pinata with a stick?  When that candy hits the ground, sharing the booty is not part of the equation.  The world can be an incredibly selfish place.

Sometimes.

Even though it seems as if it's every man for himself, there is a greater truth out there that bucks the system.  A truth that is so powerful and so profound that if enough people follow through with it, then our world would change dramatically.  It goes like this:

"If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." (Mark 9:35)

And again:

"Do nothing out of rivalry and conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests, but also the interests of others." (Philippians 2:3-4)

One more for good measure:

"You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I tell you, don't resist and evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. Give to the one who asks you, and don't turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:38-42)

I could go on but I think you get the picture.  It's not about you.  It never has been.  Not that you aren't important to God - you all are - but how is it that you can get so wrapped up in what God has done for you that we somehow feel as if you actually deserve His grace?  You don't.  And neither do I.

In a world that is driven by humanism and greed, God stepped down in the flesh as Jesus and not only taught a better way but He made that better way possible at the cross.  If you ever need a reminder of just why it is that being selfless is a high virtue for a follower of Christ, just dwell on the brutality and beauty of the cross and that should set things in perspective.

In Christ it's not about me.  It's about Him.  And everyone else, before you.  In Christ, he, she, and them become more than pronouns - they become the focus of where we are to expend our lives for the cause of the gospel.  "He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:30)