Anything you want, but me first
One of the top 10 bestselling motivational books of all time, “Looking Out for Number One,” was first published in 1977, and since, has been released in dozens of editions and formats. The author’s additional book titles include “Winning through Intimidation,” “Million Dollar Habits,” and “Getting What you Want,” among others.
In “Looking Out for Number One,” the author argues strongly against generosity. For example, he says that if you “make the other person’s happiness your first responsibility, you pervert the laws of nature”... and, “Unless someone is poor because you robbed him, no downtrodden individual is your responsibility.” As Christians, we know the New Testament authors are telling us, of course, that if you follow such advice, you are perverting the law of God. Perhaps unsurprising to many, “Looking Out for Number One” persists as a major bestseller to this day. And we don’t need to look very far to see jarring examples of the looking-out-for-number-one attitude in our present, national discourse.
Why does such a book sell so well in our time? Does the title attract us because it states our secret longings? Do our hearts echo “Yes!” to the notion that living well means abandoning our religious tradition of heroism or sainthood? Have we slipped so far down the ladder of morality that we’re ready and willing to embrace the looking-out-for-number-one notion that other people are mere instruments of our pleasure and gratification and self-aggrandizement? Are we ready and willing to join those who pay lip-service to our Christian Faith while behaving in direct contradiction to our Christian morality and values? Are we willing to join those who seem to be laughing at Jesus’ teaching that the number one priority in people’s lives is not to satisfy their greed but to satisfy their brother’s need?
Matthew 23:12 says, “The greatest among you must be your servant. Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” Or earlier in Matthew, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last” (Matthew 20:16). At its core, it is simple and straightforward. Yet, how often do we see disheartening examples of those who either don’t understand this message or choose to ignore it? In word and deed, we
see it with our eyes and ears in a thousand different ways. Therefore as Christians, we must face head-on this reality and examine why the looking-out-for-number one attitude is so pervasive today.
At the heart of it, to humble oneself means to put others first; to be at the service of others; to give of oneself unselfishly to others. That is as good a description as any of the high cost of Christian discipleship. But, in our me-first attitude of self-centeredness, we are reluctant to pay the price. We grow fond of listening to the voice of exaltation saying from within, “Don’t give! Take! Get all you can for as little as you can!” And then we use and exploit other people.
“Anyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” To live humbly is to live in Christ. To live in Christ is to live for others. That’s the unadulterated Gospel Truth -- with no hidden meaning. northsalemchurch@gmail.com