The lesson to each disciple of the Lord is that the special mission of his office, vocation, calling in the present time, is to sacrifice. … One form of service frequently not discerned by the Lord's disciples is the opportunity of renouncing our own ways or plans, our own methods or preferences, and in the interests of peace accepting instead the plans, the preferences of others—where it is merely a matter of personal preference, and where we believe the Lord will be as willing to have the matter one way as another. We can in the interests of peace sacrifice our preferences to the wishes of others, if we see some good can be gained by such a course.
From the connection, we see that St. Paul means by one's neighbor, a fellow disciple of the Lord Jesus, and others in a lesser sense. It is not only the duty, but also the privilege of the disciple of Christ to deny self in order to please the others, not their flesh, however, but their new hearts, minds and wills. This pleasing is to be for their good, so that they may be built up in faith, hope and love.
Matt. 8:19-22; 10:37-39; 13:44-46; 16:24, 25; 19:12, 21; Luke 14:26-33; 21:2-4; John 12:25; Acts 20:22-24; 21:13; Rom. 14:1—15:5; 1 Cor. 6:12; 8:10-13; 9:12-27; 10:23, 24; Phil. 2:4; 3:7-11; 1 Pet. 2:11-16; 4:1, 2; Jude 1:20, 21.
