Idolatry is a very simple minded sin that destroys everything even the first thing it sees. Being that idolatry is a sin and starts within us it tends to spill over and get on us as we are pouring out our worship, making our worship turn in our own direction. This is Meism. Even those who claim that the God over their life is Jesus Christ, their practical life would say otherwise. It is my personal belief that Meism is everywhere and while also known as selfishness, it is the root of most sin. If we all took a look at our lives, selfishness would probably be our most utilized sin. I know this is true in my life, as God in my quiet time has lately revealed to me how selfish I am. Almost every time the spirit commands me to do something, the first thing I do is try to find an excuse as to why I can't, in the same breath saying "God you don't know what you're talking about". As much as I hate my own selfishness, it seems like sometimes I can't make myself do the things that in my heart I know are right. Even Paul struggled this way saying in Romans 7:14-20
"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me."
I believe Jesus' selflessness is the perfect answer to our selfishness. By being selfless, it helps us to see that everything around us is not for our personal gain and I believe it makes everything around us so much more beautiful and useful as its original intention of creation. I pray that God would make us more selfless as we look and study the life of Jesus. He was so selfless that He hung on the cross and was praying to God for those who were killing Him. Yet as I pray to God to make me more like His son Jesus, I still have a hard time just giving up my limited resources to others so that the Gospel may prevail in my life. You can give without loving but you can't love without giving. A Christ like heart will be wise enough to know that the limited resources in his life are not there for him to take for himself, because we are incapable of taking complete ownership of any created thing without turning it into idolatry and sinning against our creator God. That is why we are only stewards of His creation. But selflessness will show true blessing in the use of our limited resources by allowing us to use them for God's glory so we can have the joy of knowing the original intention for its creation.
So Meism (selfishness), a worship directed towards ourselves that makes us busy bodies and goes nowhere. Or, Jesus (selflessness) worshiping Him the creator so that He may be glorified and our joy made complete. I pray we all become more like Jesus. Another great example is John the baptist. The same man who had enough faith in his own cousin to be the Christ and said "He must become greater, I must become less", was also said to be the greatest person born to man by Jesus Himself.
I hope this post is useful so we may take our eyes off of ourselves so that we may see Jesus more clearly.
