It's Passover time again-that annual spiritual checkup which, along with a thorough spring cleaning, serves as a prompt for us to see how we're progressing as Christians. It's at times uncomfortable, at times even painful - but very needful.

Many Scriptures come alive at this time of the year. One that always strikes me at the Passover is a prophecy from the prophet Isaiah concerning our Savior Jesus Christ. Isaiah declared that "it pleased the LORD to bruise Him. He has put Him to grief." Yes, it was the purpose of God the Father that Christ should be bruised and suffer for us.

But did you ever stop to think how He managed to go through with it? What thoughts sustained Him during those miserably painful hours as He suffered and bled on the stake? The prophecy continues "When You [God the Father] make His [Christ's] soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed…" Did you catch that? It's a truly amazing Scripture, since it tells us that as He hung on the tree, His thoughts were on you and me. Of course, He had no physical seed or offspring, so those He saw were His spiritual offspring, the Church of God down through the ages.

The same prophecy goes on to say that "He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied." (Isaiah 53:10-11). It was His ability to see the future, and to see the children of God whose salvation would be made possible by His sacrifice, that sustained Him and gave Him satisfaction. What an astonishing commentary on the selflessness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

So what does this say to you and me as we prepare for the solemn Passover service? Part of our spiritual checkup should include taking note of our level of selfishness and selflessness. How do we measure up to the example of our Lord in this respect?

The nineteenth century British Prime Minister William Gladstone once said, "Selfishness is the greatest curse of the human race." And the former New Zealand statesman James Allen declared, "The selfishness must be discovered and understood before it can be removed. It is powerless to remove itself, neither will it pass away of itself. Darkness ceases only when light is introduced; so ignorance can only be dispersed by Knowledge, selfishness by Love."

Philippians 2:3-4 tells us to imitate the example of Jesus Christ by doing nothing through selfish ambition or conceit. Rather each of us should "look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others." Now, in this twenty-first century we live in an age that caters to selfishness. "Buy this, buy that; it will make you happy!" "Have this relationship, according to your will and preference, and you'll be happy!" Our culture is saturated with slogans and advertising pitches such as these.

Add to this the fact that many of us, as single Christians, earn good salaries which we may spend on ourselves, live in nice houses or condos designed around us, and drive nice cars selected according to our individual preferences. It's not hard to see the pitfall; if we're not careful, it can all be about us. And paradoxically when it's all about "me"-"me" can be quite miserable. Service and selflessness bring satisfaction and an intrinsic reward that can too easily be missed in the life of a selfish person.

So this year, why not include in our pre-Passover thoughts and introspections a realistic assessment of our level of selfishness and selflessness? And then, if we dare, place ourselves alongside the perfect and selfless example of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?

Romans 15:3 tells us that "Christ did not please Himself." How about you and me?