The apostle Paul counseled early Christians in Corinth and Rome to show concern for the conscience of others. He was not saying that they had to set aside all personal preferences, but he did urge them not to do anything that might embolden another person to do what his conscience told him was wrong, thus leading to his spiritual ruin. Clearly expressing the overall principle, Paul wrote: “Let each one keep seeking, not his own advantage, but that of the other person. . . .

1 Cor. 10:24

10. What might indicate whether we make a practice of applying that Scriptural counsel?

¹⁰ Are you a person who makes it a practice to put the welfare of other people ahead of personal preference? There are many ways in which this can be done, but consider an example: Generally speaking, dress and grooming are simply matters of personal taste, as long as we are modest, neat and clean. But if you were to learn that, because of the background of people in your community, your manner of dress or grooming hindered others from listening to the Kingdom message, would you make adjustments? Is the life of another person more important to you than pleasing self?