I went into an Apple store yesterday to get a new battery installed in my phone. The store intimidates me—lots of people hovering around the latest tech while workers type on phones and tablets. Then came questions about my device. Clueless, I handed my phone to the wizards. Deep magic exists of which I’m unaware.

With the conjuring in full swing, I became the chatty old guy. As we waited for my phone, I asked a young woman a question, who opened up about how she liked working at this store and how her boss at her old job treated her poorly. I didn’t ask specifically about her work history, but a simple show of interest led down that path. She then helped me above and beyond. I went into the store focused on me and my phone, and left with an appreciation for a young woman working her way up in the world.

It’s easy for me to slip into the mindset of pleasing only myself. Every bit of media advertises the advantages of a self-centered life. While I do need to take care of me, seeking what feels best for me doesn’t always serve those around me.

Paul worked with a church whose members struggled with balancing their right to do what they wanted and their responsibility to others. He wrote: “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others. Paul spoke of his own example when he said, I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

Seeking the good of many might involve giving to worthy causes, or it might mean taking the time for a brief conversation with the person serving you. Either way, care and concern for others spreads the good news of Jesus.

I often overlook opportunities to seek good. But when I go through my day with open eyes, I find plenty of places to put Paul’s encouragement into practice.

1 Corinthians 10 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Mihály Köles