Advertising and Me...

Have you ever noticed how many advertising slogans appeal directly to your selfish nature? How many of these have you heard? Admittedly, I went back a few years on some of these, so some of them you kids may have never heard, but I bet your parents have. Listen to some of these.

“You deserve a break today?”
“Have it your way!”
“Calgon, take me away!”
“Carnival’s got the fun!”

Or what about Candy--

Two For Me! None for you- Twix
Snickers satisfies you.
Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger!
Give me a break! Give me a break! Break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar!

How about Cereal?
Gotta have my pops!
I'm Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs
Nobody can say no to the honey nut Os in Honey Nut Cheerios

Soft drinks
Live on the Coke side of Life.
Make 7-Up Yours!
It Gives You Wings-Red Bull
All the sugar, and twice the caffeine- Jolt Cola

Even the military has gotten into the act.
An ARMY of one? Who ever heard of such a thing? Think about that—an army of one is going to get trounced every time by an army of thousands.

We could go on and on, but you get the picture. Society has not only accepted our selfishness, they have embraced it. Even going so far as one Reebok ad that almost mimics God’s very title. When Moses asked God at the burning bush, “Who should I say is sending me?” God simply responded, “I AM”. That’s His title. I AM. I always have been, I always will be. I am. Reebok’s take off ad simply stated at the end: I am what I am.

We are steeped in selfishness from birth. As a matter of fact, the only thing that a parent can truly pass on to their child with certainty, is a selfish, sinful nature.

We grow up in it and continue to nurse and protect our sinful natures. Even when we find out that we should share, we do so grudgingly. And even when we think we are not, we continually have an ongoing conversation in our heads about what other people are thinking about us. Don’t believe me? Answer this question.

What happens when you are walking by yourself and you accidentally trip on a crack in the sidewalk? That’s right—you instantly look around to see who saw you.


Advice columnist Ann Landers, once quipped: “At age 20 we worry about what others think of us. At 40 we don't care what they think of us. At 60 we discover they haven't been thinking of us at all.” 

Why is that? Because they’ve really only been thinking about themselves the whole time. It’s been said that the smallest package in the world is a person wrapped up in himself.

So where do we find relief from our selfish focus? The place that it has been found all along. In worship...or ascribing worth to...our Creator. And then serving our fellow man out of love for our God. King Me is really under-rated.