Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
It calls for turning away from chasing personal gain and advantage in order to seek the good, welfare and prosperity of others. It sets selfless goodwill as the ruling motive of every act, in contrast to mere shrewdness in business and to a worldly temper that looks out only for self. It confronts greed and the inborn pull to put self first, warning that selfish gain does not endure because each reaps what is sown as God repays every deed. The love received through Christ's righteousness, grace and Spirit ends rivalry and grasping for place and makes a person a preserving and life-giving influence for building up good. In everyday life this means honest dealing in business, thoughtfulness in the home that seeks to bless rather than be blessed, and care in bodily habits because personal choices shape the help one can give to those nearby.
Call to Seek Others' Good
The command is to let no one seek his own gain or advantage, but to seek the good, welfare and wealth of another. Personal gain is not to be put first, and personal welfare is not to be the aim, while the welfare of others is pursued instead. The principle required to underlie all actions is disinterested benevolence, and business shrewdness alone without that unselfish principle is lacking. The Spirit of Christ moves a person to work for the good of others, while the spirit of the world leads a person to seek only his own good.
The verse rebukes love of gain and covetousness and the natural tendency of all to seek their own instead of the things of Jesus Christ and of their neighbors. Selfishness brings no lasting profit, for God marks selfish acts and renders to every person according to works, so that what a person sows is reaped. The love described is received when a person receives the saving salt, the righteousness of Christ, and partakes of His grace and Spirit. That love ends rivalry and self-seeking and desire for the highest place, and seeks another's good instead of self. Only with that Spirit can a person become the salt of the earth restraining evil as salt preserves from corruption, and be a savor of life unto life with energy and efficiency for building up Christ's kingdom, while without it there is only profession of godliness with no power for good.
The verse calls for deeper consecration with all of Jesus and none of self so that no selfish thought remains. It puts personal interests at the disposal of Christ who purchased by His blood, and joins hands with others. With an eye single to the glory of God it does not consider whether self will be benefited but does all for the common good. It does good as opportunity offers and gives of means as God has prospered, with new inspiring zeal in every branch of God's work.
Daily Life for Others
In business dealings the command not to seek one's own but another's good forbids putting personal gain first and requires considering the welfare of others with sympathy and care rather than selfishness and covetousness. It condemns seeking advantage by trading with fellow believers, by taking means that have not been earned, and by accepting help without considering whether those who give can afford it.
In daily work the same command means not pursuing personal gain but pursuing the welfare of others through self-denial and refusal to listen to suggestions and temptations to leave the path of integrity. It requires resisting selfish or worldly gain and doing even the smallest task in a way that can be approved. This is lived out by looking away from the enemy to the One who purchased the life, by giving oneself to Him and trusting Him for strength to resist, by making the Lord the counsellor and the Bible the rule and guiding light in every perplexity in the battle with the powers of darkness.
The principle governs decisions about settling near church institutions, forbidding gathering there for personal convenience, easier living, or profit without considering how the move affects others and the work. Those connected should contribute as producers and not merely consume, and should examine whether their motives honor God. In the home and beyond, the command teaches not seeking only one's own good but looking for ways to promote the happiness and well-being of others. This means showing sympathy and tender consideration, respecting the rights of others, and offering kindness through both words and small acts of service, in self-forgetfulness that begins in the home and extends outward.
Conduct in health and eating is not merely private, because selfish or harmful choices affect those nearby as well as oneself. A wrong course of eating or drinking can weaken mind and body, cloud judgment, and diminish the counsel and comfort one could give others, giving reason to consider how choices affect those around. In eating, therefore, no one should make personal habit the standard for all or criticize another whose practice differs, but should use common sense and broad, deep study, recognizing that an unvarying rule to regulate everyone's habits is impossible. Love seeks the good of the other person rather than one's own way, because bodies differ, so that foods palatable and wholesome to one may be distasteful and even harmful to another, as some thrive on milk while others cannot use it, some find peas and beans wholesome while others cannot digest them, and some do well on coarser grain preparations while others cannot use them.
For teachers in schools and sanitariums, in association with others no one is to seek to benefit self but to bless others. This requires considering all things from the standpoint of the Bible, guarding the minds of youth in care from becoming estranged from God, having an interest in each one, revealing love for souls, and keeping the mind stayed upon Christ while humbly and thankfully receiving grace in order to impart it. The mission of living for the good of others is tested in small unpretending acts of daily self-denial performed heartily and cheerfully, in love and forbearance, in forgetfulness of self, and in care for the welfare of others as a blessing to them.
It calls for turning away from chasing personal gain and advantage in order to seek the good, welfare and prosperity of others. It sets selfless goodwill as the ruling motive of every act, in contrast to mere shrewdness in business and to a worldly temper that looks out only for self. It confronts greed and the inborn pull to put self first, warning that selfish gain does not endure because each reaps what is sown as God repays every deed. The love received through Christ's righteousness, grace and Spirit ends rivalry and grasping for place and makes a person a preserving and life-giving influence for building up good. In everyday life this means honest dealing in business, thoughtfulness in the home that seeks to bless rather than be blessed, and care in bodily habits because personal choices shape the help one can give to those nearby.
Call to Seek Others' Good
The command is to let no one seek his own gain or advantage, but to seek the good, welfare and wealth of another. Personal gain is not to be put first, and personal welfare is not to be the aim, while the welfare of others is pursued instead. The principle required to underlie all actions is disinterested benevolence, and business shrewdness alone without that unselfish principle is lacking. The Spirit of Christ moves a person to work for the good of others, while the spirit of the world leads a person to seek only his own good.
The verse rebukes love of gain and covetousness and the natural tendency of all to seek their own instead of the things of Jesus Christ and of their neighbors. Selfishness brings no lasting profit, for God marks selfish acts and renders to every person according to works, so that what a person sows is reaped. The love described is received when a person receives the saving salt, the righteousness of Christ, and partakes of His grace and Spirit. That love ends rivalry and self-seeking and desire for the highest place, and seeks another's good instead of self. Only with that Spirit can a person become the salt of the earth restraining evil as salt preserves from corruption, and be a savor of life unto life with energy and efficiency for building up Christ's kingdom, while without it there is only profession of godliness with no power for good.
The verse calls for deeper consecration with all of Jesus and none of self so that no selfish thought remains. It puts personal interests at the disposal of Christ who purchased by His blood, and joins hands with others. With an eye single to the glory of God it does not consider whether self will be benefited but does all for the common good. It does good as opportunity offers and gives of means as God has prospered, with new inspiring zeal in every branch of God's work.
Daily Life for Others
In business dealings the command not to seek one's own but another's good forbids putting personal gain first and requires considering the welfare of others with sympathy and care rather than selfishness and covetousness. It condemns seeking advantage by trading with fellow believers, by taking means that have not been earned, and by accepting help without considering whether those who give can afford it.
In daily work the same command means not pursuing personal gain but pursuing the welfare of others through self-denial and refusal to listen to suggestions and temptations to leave the path of integrity. It requires resisting selfish or worldly gain and doing even the smallest task in a way that can be approved. This is lived out by looking away from the enemy to the One who purchased the life, by giving oneself to Him and trusting Him for strength to resist, by making the Lord the counsellor and the Bible the rule and guiding light in every perplexity in the battle with the powers of darkness.
The principle governs decisions about settling near church institutions, forbidding gathering there for personal convenience, easier living, or profit without considering how the move affects others and the work. Those connected should contribute as producers and not merely consume, and should examine whether their motives honor God. In the home and beyond, the command teaches not seeking only one's own good but looking for ways to promote the happiness and well-being of others. This means showing sympathy and tender consideration, respecting the rights of others, and offering kindness through both words and small acts of service, in self-forgetfulness that begins in the home and extends outward.
Conduct in health and eating is not merely private, because selfish or harmful choices affect those nearby as well as oneself. A wrong course of eating or drinking can weaken mind and body, cloud judgment, and diminish the counsel and comfort one could give others, giving reason to consider how choices affect those around. In eating, therefore, no one should make personal habit the standard for all or criticize another whose practice differs, but should use common sense and broad, deep study, recognizing that an unvarying rule to regulate everyone's habits is impossible. Love seeks the good of the other person rather than one's own way, because bodies differ, so that foods palatable and wholesome to one may be distasteful and even harmful to another, as some thrive on milk while others cannot use it, some find peas and beans wholesome while others cannot digest them, and some do well on coarser grain preparations while others cannot use them.
For teachers in schools and sanitariums, in association with others no one is to seek to benefit self but to bless others. This requires considering all things from the standpoint of the Bible, guarding the minds of youth in care from becoming estranged from God, having an interest in each one, revealing love for souls, and keeping the mind stayed upon Christ while humbly and thankfully receiving grace in order to impart it. The mission of living for the good of others is tested in small unpretending acts of daily self-denial performed heartily and cheerfully, in love and forbearance, in forgetfulness of self, and in care for the welfare of others as a blessing to them.