Paul wrote to the Church in Ephesus, “Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” Ephesians 3:8-12
In his book The Winner Within, Pat Riley, former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, talks about the danger of the "Disease of Me." He tells how the Lakers' out-of-control egos brought about one of the quickest falls in the history of the NBA. They won the Championship in 1980 and they were predicted to do it again the following season. Then resentment set in among the players. Some thought Magic Johnson got too much attention from the media. Kareem Abdul Jabbar believed that he was being snubbed by other players. Some players believed they weren't getting the recognition they deserved. As a result, the Lakers shifted their focus from winning to whining. And the following season they got beat in the first playoff round. This is the ultimate humiliation for a reigning champ; it had happened only twice before in NBA history. Riley summed it up by saying, "The Disease of Me leads to the Defeat of Us." When we put our egos ahead of our responsibilities we lose--and lose big. When we think life is “all about us” and we have a “what’s in it for me” attitude, we’re opting out on God’s plan for us in Christ. We begin to think that "we are who we make ourselves to be". But the reality is that it’s not just about “who we are”, but about “who we are in Christ. “ This is why we must adopt Paul's attitude: I am not an important person, but I have an important job to do. And in Christ alone, can I do that job.
