Seeking Another’s Wealth

“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Micah 6:8

I Corinthians 10:24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.

Romans 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

2 Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.

3 For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.

7 Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.

Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.

3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.

Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another.

James 2:8 If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.

MEMORY VERSE: Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil. —I Corinthians 13:4-5

CENTRAL THOUGHT: Humbling ourselves to walk with God involves being truly humble toward others—loving them as we love ourselves, seeking always to build them up, sacrificing our lives for them, preferring them, and valuing them.

WORD DEFINITIONS

I Corinthians 10:24 “another’s wealth”: wealth is an added word. Some translations render it, ”Seek another’s good” or “another’s welfare.”

Romans 15:1 “infirmities”: without strength; weakness; hesitation; doubt.

Romans 15:2 “edification”: a building; to build up; advance spiritually.

Romans 15:3 “The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me”: from Psalms 69:7-9, a prophecy of Jesus. “Reproaches”: revilings; insults.

Romans 15:7 “Receive”: I take to myself; welcome.

Philippians 2:3 “Strife”: ambition or rivalry. “Vainglory”: empty pride.

Romans 12:10 “Kindly affectioned”: tenderly loving; devoted love; that special love shared between members of God’s family. This is the only occurrence of this word in Scripture. “In honour preferring one another”: in showing honor, outdoing one another; to go before; set an example to one another, not waiting until respect is shown on one side to return it again.

I Corinthians 13:4 “Suffereth long”: to persevere; to be patient; to be long-tempered and forbearing. “Kind”: to show oneself mild; to act benevolently; to be useful and full of service to others. “Envieth”: to be heated; to boil; to be moved with envy, hatred or anger. “Vaunteth not itself”: does not boast or brag. “Is not puffed up”: is not inflated, egotistical, or arrogant.

LESSON BACKGROUND

The previous lessons dealt with our attitudes toward God and about ourselves. Today we read New Testament truths concerning our attitudes toward others.

The early Church of God was organized far differently than any other kingdom, government or body of people. Jesus taught His disciples, “Exercising lordship is the way the leaders of this world do; you are to be humble servants to one another.” He taught them that they were to follow His example and wash one another’s feet, and that they were to love one another “as I have loved you.”

After Pentecost, the believers shared a common fellowship; their attitude was, “nothing I have is my own.” Later as they scattered over the earth, the circumstances of the common community changed, but the Spirit of Jesus in them did not change. Through the years of severe persecution, it was the Christians who cared for those sick and dying from the plague. In the dark middle ages, the true Christians were still a community in spirit, caring for one another and protecting each other.

In the times of revival and reformation, this tender love and fellowship would be refueled; in apostasy and lukewarmness it would wane. Today, love and humility between saints of God is still the hallmark of true religion.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. Motive: As Christians, what attitude should be the basis for all of our dealings with each other?

2. Example: How did Jesus demonstrate humility in an object lesson?

3. Action: Share different ways of showing honor, bearing burdens, doing humble acts of service, and esteeming each other better than ourselves.

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

As we consider the model set before us by the early morning church, I believe we can admit there is room for improvement. If love and humility is the hallmark, may God open our hearts and eyes to a deeper experience and a more fervent demonstration of it!

It is so easy for us—professors of holiness—to begin to despise others who are different than we are. What this says is that we think we are better, which is totally against the scriptural standard. Some people may not worship in exactly the same way; they may not look the same; they may not have the same housing or economic status; they might have a personality lacking in social graces. Is not the gentle love of Christ able to trump all of these differences? Must we esteem our opinions and ways so highly that all others are “wrong” to us, when in reality, being different is not always being wrong? Must we feel it is our calling to set others straight, to be a policeman over their lives, to alarm and alert the other saints about someone’s “problem”?

These are real issues. When we are mired down in these wrong attitudes, the work of God in the earth is suffering. Let us seek earnestly to know how we should love each other, as Christ loved us.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

“In a world where the corporate gold goes mainly to those who fight, claw, scratch, gouge, lie, cheat, and/or steal their way to the top, and the Olympic gold goes only to the best physical specimens, the Special Olympic type events demonstrate a fantastic alternative success model. Everybody should attend one at least once in their life. It would do them a world of good. First of all, accolades are given for effort. And while you may not go home with a gold medal, you will go home rewarded for your effort. You will go home with the understanding that you were a winner anytime you gave it your all.

“At these Olympic events it is not unusual to see a runner fall. It happens all the time. But it is also not unusual to see the entire pack of runners go back to help that person to their feet, and encourage them to go on. Wouldn’t it be great if life could be like that? Not to encourage failure, but rather to encourage success. At these Olympic events, success is in the person—not the achievement! Wouldn’t the world be a finer place to live if we were more concerned with people than we were with things?

“We all win, when one wins. I’m looking to connect my life with people who want to strap themselves to each other and climb the mountains that cannot be climbed on their own. Therein lies the greatest of all victories! This is the greatest success. The sum is greater than the parts. Together we can see our potential multiplied rather than simply added.”

—From Has Anybody Seen My Shoes? by Danny Frasier

—Submitted by LaDawna Adams