"Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth."
1 Corinthians 10:24
This is an interesting scripture, and to me it tells us that our focus should be essentially outward, rather than inward. Think about what would happen to the world if we actually put this into practice... if we worried, not about personal profit, but about the monetary needs of another, or the wealth of society as a whole. Especially if we took some of the more broad definitions of wealth... there isn't only monetary wealth, but spiritual wealth, and informational/educational wealth.
The Joseph Smith translation supports this broad definition by changing the word "wealth" to the word "good." ... So, instead of seeking our own good, we should be seeking good for someone else. If we really did this... looking out for other people more than we look out for ourselves... the world would be a vastly different place.
One example I can think of is in the workplace. Some supervisors think about the people they supervise, and just wonder what they can get out of them. Others think about how to help them succeed and improve their careers. Vast difference. Another example I can think of is when we're considering an important decision. ... who else will it affect? How will it affect them? ... considering other people and their good might improve our decisions a lot.
All of this not to encourage or excuse condemnation or unrighteous judgement. We still shouldn't be trying to pick the mote out of someone else's eye, right? :) But if we can humbly put other people's wealth, other people's good... before our own, the world would be a greatly improved place, even on the smallest of scales. So, today, let's do the experiment. Let's look out for someone else... put their good before our own. (Try not to cheat and get a 50-inch flat screen for someone you live with, okay?) ... Let's take the first step to making the world a better place. :)
1 Corinthians 10:24
This is an interesting scripture, and to me it tells us that our focus should be essentially outward, rather than inward. Think about what would happen to the world if we actually put this into practice... if we worried, not about personal profit, but about the monetary needs of another, or the wealth of society as a whole. Especially if we took some of the more broad definitions of wealth... there isn't only monetary wealth, but spiritual wealth, and informational/educational wealth.
The Joseph Smith translation supports this broad definition by changing the word "wealth" to the word "good." ... So, instead of seeking our own good, we should be seeking good for someone else. If we really did this... looking out for other people more than we look out for ourselves... the world would be a vastly different place.
One example I can think of is in the workplace. Some supervisors think about the people they supervise, and just wonder what they can get out of them. Others think about how to help them succeed and improve their careers. Vast difference. Another example I can think of is when we're considering an important decision. ... who else will it affect? How will it affect them? ... considering other people and their good might improve our decisions a lot.
All of this not to encourage or excuse condemnation or unrighteous judgement. We still shouldn't be trying to pick the mote out of someone else's eye, right? :) But if we can humbly put other people's wealth, other people's good... before our own, the world would be a greatly improved place, even on the smallest of scales. So, today, let's do the experiment. Let's look out for someone else... put their good before our own. (Try not to cheat and get a 50-inch flat screen for someone you live with, okay?) ... Let's take the first step to making the world a better place. :)