What's In It for Me?

In everything in which people participate they approach with the question, "What's in it for me?"  "Come visit with us!" "What's in it for me?" People are not that outwardly crass. They say "What are we going to do?" That's just a more cultured way of asking the same question!

At "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" the thought was "What's in it for me?' Eve didn't ask that question, but that's what she was thinking! The serpent perceived her question and answered it.

Genesis 3:5 "For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

What was in it for Eve? She shall have reason! Reason is the ability to take in information, process it against standards and then act on it. Innocence was what Eve had before, now she has reason. That's what was in it for her! Of course knowing "good" from "evil" doesn't mean that "good" will be chosen, because with reason, comes "rationalizing". People build a case in their own mind, a fiction normally, which they claim "justifies" disobedience. People use "justify" casually for "rationalize" all the time. It's faulty reasoning!

The serpent told Eve about the new ability she was about to have, but he never informed her of the consequences of reason.  He deceived her outright, and even before she ate, she began the rationalizing:

Genesis 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."

You see, Eve was in sin before she even ate of the tree! In her mind she was already enjoying the tree's fruit. Her innocence was lost when she usurped her role and communicated with the serpent. It was Adam's job to take on the role of priest, but Eve assumed that position. She was as guilty as Saul was when he assumed the power of Samuel, and did priestly duties which he was not charged by God  to do! Saul lost his anointing and his authority. Eve lost her innocence and her immortality!

The serpent never even suggested that the tree tasted good nor was pleasing to look at. Because it was to make her "wise" she asked, in her new wisdom, "What else is in it for me?" Before she ate of the tree she was already in rebellion. She saw that old tree and thought "There's much there for me!"

We're no different than Eve. Before we even sin, we are tempted. Temptation is Satan's way of silently deceiving you into asking "What's in it for me?" The reason people sin is because they desire. There is something in it for them! With the tree Eve thought she was getting tasty fruit, pleasant colors and wisdom.  We don't know that the tree provided any of the three! The fruit may have been bitter, it could have been full of seeds and ugly inside and the knowledge was surely false. I don't believe that Eve got what she was thinking when she thought "What's in it for me?"

With sin we don't get what we think that we're getting! We may have pleasure in what we get because that's Satan's M.O. However, pleasure is different than happiness, although being happy is pleasant! True happiness is enjoying the fruits of God without guilt or remorse. Pleasure can be the same, but most often what comes with fleshly pleasure are consequences and guilt!

When Eve thought "What's in it for me?" Satan gave a partial truth as he often does, but the bread of truth was buttered with slime. He failed to mention consequences and guilt. When Eve ate of the tree it was "What's in it for me?" attitude that aroused her. She never thought what will this do to me? When we sin, most often we neglect that question as well for two reasons: 1) We're focused on our own satisfaction, and 2) our reason is faulty. We fail to think of obvious outcomes and seldom use our reason for good. When tempted to steal the thief will think "Much is in it for me!" Most have only fleeting thoughts of "What can this do to me?"

If another person engages in illicit sex, the answer to he question is "Five minutes of pleasure is in it for me!". Think no further! Don't think on fairness, guilt, STDs, and God's will. All Satan wants you to think is "What's in it for me?" All sin has the same rationalizations. For the thief, it may be "It's a rich bank for the wealthy". For the fornicator the rationalization may be "It's just a meaningless mechanical action!" Thoughts like that are not wisdom and are not of God. You've just been duped by the serpent.He says that because the he duped your ancestors before you. If it worked well one time, why not do it all the time! People never learn!