So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)

It's unfortunate that thousands of years of pain and suffering have not taught us more about the danger of selfishness. Perhaps one of the greatest problems we face in this world is our propensity to place the needs of self before the needs of others. It happens everywhere, everyday, among all ages and races. Most of us see ourselves as the only important being in the universe. Everything else is here for our use and our pleasure. And still we want more.

Look at the circumstances in the Garden of Eden. Everything was as new and perfect as it was ever going to be. Adam and Eve had all of the trees in the Garden to partake of, and yet they desired the fruit that was off limits. What would convince them to risk their place? They desired that which God said they could not have. They chose self above God. So we sit here today, still feeling the fall-out from this original disobedience… and there has been no change in our lives.

Look at the corporate world where people step up on the backs of their co-workers. Look to the devastation done within our family units when one person chooses their way over the benefit of the family's. Look at the political arena. Most of us are well aware of the current situation in the Miller County Board of Education. I refuse to condemn or uphold anyone, but I think it would behoove us all to remember whose needs are primary in this matter. This entity is here to provide the most suitable learning environment for the future leaders of this world. It is the children who are the most unfortunate of the casualties in this fiasco. They suffer because that which is best for the schools might not be the best for individual pride. They suffer because their persons are not considered over personalities. Somewhere along the way, we have lost sight to what matters the most. It is really not about the superintendent, the board members, or the principals. The issue at stake is the future of our children. They do see, they do know, and they will imitate. It would behoove us all to remember Jesus' words from Matthew 18: "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea."

God's people are not immune either. I have remarked from the pulpit that we preach and teach theology, but we practice "me-ology." The church is the last place that self should be elevated, but we see it all the time. We desire one type of music over another, so we poke out our lips when different types are played. We think preaching should be done a certain way, so we stop our ears when the form is different than we would like. The list could go on and on. No one stops to ask about what pleases God. The question we all too often ask is "What pleases me?"

The time is long past for all of us to start seeking out the needs that others have and meeting those needs to the best of our abilities. I will not say that laying down the self for others is easy. It is a difficult thing to do. Consider Jesus. When He was reviled, He reviled not. When Jesus was mocked, spat upon, beaten, and crucified, He kept before His eyes the main thing. He was incarnated to rescue the wandering sheep and bring them back to the fold of God. It is not about me, nor is it about you. It is about placing the needs of others before our own as we seek to please God in this earth. Thank God Jesus did not practice a "meology" on the cross. May He be our example of selflessness in this world.