Decades ago, a principled businessman said, “A business absolutely devoted to service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly large.” Asked to compare work differences in her day with today, the much sought after studio musician of the 1950-60’s said, “Back then it was always us, us, us. Today it’s all about me, me, me.” Responding to questions regarding serious clashes over leadership within our Federal Government, one member says the Party must return to the values, standards, principles and integrity they’ve previously stood on for over 50 years. “Show-ponies with super-sized egos, self-interest and self-indulgence” being current hindrances.
Show-ponies with super-sized egos, full of self-interest and self-indulgence – that’s the profile of the me crowd. Service, unity, right values and standards don’t mean a lot to the me crowd whether they’re in business, music/arts or politics. Yes, where they can interpret some kind of personal advantage they’ll pay lip-service to them and be very convincing when doing so. But when tested they will always show up as frauds, phonies and liars. That’s why businesses go broke, musicians/artists etc become the flavor of the month and most politicians have short political lives. In Australia they are voted in federally for three years; praise God for such mercies! Politicians, we are awash with. Statesmen, we have a drought.
One section of the me crowd we have no control over is the media. Service? No, self-service! Unity? No, me, me! Right values and standards? No, perverted values and twisted standards. We have family on-line newspapers quick to display near-porno pictures and sexually explicit headlines, yet quick to label “potty-mouth” to any public figure who drops four-letter words out of frustration. A more hypocritical bunch of people do not exist! A more powerful and influential bunch do not exist either, especially when under the thumb of a National dictator and politically correct tyrants. The media of this country reminds me of school yard bullies, the extra-cowardly kind, who set someone up for harm then, run and hide to observe the outcome.
How about the me crowd hell-bent with promoting gender reassignment as normal and wholesome? Yes, it is certainly true that they’re also hell-bound, but look at the destruction they’re bringing to people’s minds, both young and old in the meantime. Not to speak of the destruction they bring to the bodies of those seduced by their Satanic evil and lies. Not only do we hear of young men and woman going under the knife to be changed into what they can never truly be regardless of what gets cut off or sewn on, but mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers too! “Born into the wrong body,” they say. What about the children they bore and grandchildren as a result? How do they feel? Are they all a “mistake” too?
How about the me crowd satanically caught up in environmental issues and so-called man made global warming/climate change. If all is as bad as they say it is, why are they not calling their main man to account for his travelling all over the world in private jets and for driving fuel-guzzling motor vehicles? The same applies to the me crowd ranting on about unjust distribution of wealth. Why is it that they’re not calling the super wealthy to task – especially those in the movie and television industry? How about the me crowd in the music industry? Masters of manipulation are some; skilled in the art of making nations and governments guilty for not giving sufficient monies to poor nations. If they were truly serious they would be distributing their own wealth.
Speaking of nations, it is the me crowd in each who are helping it slowly but surely go broke. There is some dispute as to who made the following statement, never the less there is no disputing its truth:” A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship.”
In my nation, it is not only dole bludgers exploiting the welfare system, failing to turn up to appointments, refusing to take jobs in favor of staying on unemployment benefits, but pensioners are ripping off the system as well. Pensioners! When a nation’s pensioners willingly become part of the me crowd, there’s not a lot of hope for anyone else refusing to become such. Our once proud land of opportunity is belittling itself into a land for opportunists! When takers start to outweigh makers and express no desires for turning back, dictatorship is not far from becoming the reality. Here in Australia we already have it in many forms. The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor Proverbs 12:24.
Another part of the me crowd we have no control over are road users. When working as a crash avoidance consultant in the corporate world, most drivers were reluctant to acknowledge that they were their children’s driving instructors from about 5 years old onward. In other words, their children observe driving practices, attitudes, habits and language and will adopt them when they get behind the wheel. Too often it is the parents who teach their kids road aggression and rage. Drivers causing crashes rarely do so because they can’t drive; often they crash because they are show-ponies with super-sized egos, full of self-interest and self-indulgence. Service (road sharing), unity (driver co-operation), right values and standards are irrelevant to them.
Now to the me crowd and their insatiable appetite for the Internet and “social” media. Is there a greater vehicle for show-ponies with super-sized egos, full of self-interest and self-indulgence to express themselves? No. No greater place is there for them to hide behind avatars, gravatars and pseudonyms – or not, and let it ALL hang out. Bragging, boasting, babbling, bullying, cheating, crowing, despising, deceiving, hating, lying … me, me, me and more me me, me! They cannot simply get enough of me. Just as, The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire never says, “Enough!” Proverbs 30:16, so say the me crowd ever drawing attention to themselves, “Never enough!”
Shock! I never expected to encounter the me crowd in a church. Shocked I was when first discovering this reality. It took a while – about three years. Until then, everyone gave the impression they were the real deal – looking very much part of the Christ crowd. But no, “amen” and “hallelujah brother” gradually showed up to be mere Christian -speak from the me crowd. I didn’t want any part of that. When I first came to the Lord, it was the me crowd I sought to get released from. I knew lots about show-ponies with super-sized egos, full of self-interest and self-indulgence; that was my profile up until 39 years of age. There are numerous ways for the me crowd to show up in the church; the most glaring is when the Holy Spirit cuts across their will.
The shabby spiritual state of churches across much of the world is due to the me crowd in them. They don’t gather to bless God, they gather to get blessed by God. They’re not there to worship God. They’re there for God to worship them! To sustain personal faith is not the reason they gather either. To sustain personal feelings is the reason – good feelings always! To develop Christ-only reliance is not the reason for them gathering. Self-reliance, people-reliance, pastor-reliance … these are the reasons. To become a disciple of Christ is not the reason they gather. Disciple means ‘learner’ and ‘pupil.’ They’re not there to be learners or pupils. If it were any different, their churches would be different.
But that’s not the end of the church story. There is a true church; and all within are part of the Christ crowd. It’s not a physical building or denomination. Its few members are scattered all over the world. It is a church most (but not all) of the me crowd will run a mile from! Every member was once part of the me crowd but when they met the Lord Jesus Christ and humbly responded to His gospel of salvation and eternal life, they cut themselves loose from it as quickly as possible. The result? Show-ponies with super-sized egos – gone! Self-interest and self-indulgence – gone! Perverted values and twisted standards – gone! Replaced by: The life of Christ, the word of Christ, the mind of Christ and the will of Christ. Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it Matthew 7:13.
Every point made is sadly true. The original sin of Genesis 3 is self-indulgence. There has never been a second sin because “me, me, me” alone was sufficient to corrupt the world.
Yes, Lynn … little do they know that clinging to me, me, me, is the same as clinging to death, death, death! For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it Luke 9:24.. Thank you.