Cause of Sin???

We as humans have a problem. We sin…. Constantly. This has never become more obvious to me then it has since I started taking a college course on sin. It is because of this class that sin and all things that are sins have been constantly on my mind…. Yet I keep sinning anyway. There are really two key types of sins that I’ve discovered. There are the sins that we perform (lie, cheat, steal) and the ones we think. Now, it is possible to keep yourself from doing most if not all the sins that must be performed because whether we accept it or not we are responsible for our actions. However the problem is in those pesky sins we think. You know when we judge someone based on what they look like or when we allow envy into our mind. Is it even possible to control what you think? Sadly, I know now that it’s not. Ironically, I have probably been sinning more since I started thinking about sin. You know how the mind works, when you tell it not to think about something, and you instantly start thinking about that. Now we get to the point of this whole speech on sin. Both of these types of sin whether thought or performed have a common factor. There is something that I believe fuels all sins and could possibly be the reason behind every sin since the Fall of Man (what a lot of sins). That something is selfishness. Just take a minute and think about it. The seven deadly sins for example: envy- we want something someone else has… selfish, lust- we want someone to fulfill our desires of the flesh…selfish, greed- we want more money or material things…selfish, wrath- we get mad because someone/something isn’t doing what we want them to do…selfish, sloth- we are lazy because we would rather sit around then help someone…selfish, pride- overly loving of yourself because you want everyones attention and all the spot light…selfish, and finally gluttony- we overindulge because we just can’t seem to get enough…you guessed it that’s selfish. Every person is selfish. It’s just in our DNA or something, but we can minimize our selfishness. The only way to minimize selfishness is by being selfless. Serving at a soup kitchen on your one day off that week sure isn’t selfish, neither is giving half the already minuscule Christmas bonus you got to the needy. These are the things that Christ would have done. Christ was able to not be selfish because he was completely selfless. No matter how obvious it seems or no matter what roundabout way I try to explain this, the end is the same. The way you act shapes the way you think and visa versa. Selflessness isn’t something that can be faked and it can only be found by truly knowing where God wants you and being completely content with it. We as Americans are taught never to be content we should always strive to be something better and greater, but I say that there is nothing greater or better than a servant of our Lord. Glory be to God. Amen