Ten Commandments of Human Relations
1. Thou Shalt Love People, Not Just Use Them (Matthew 22:39). The greatest thing in the world is a person. The greatest thing about a person is his motives, and the greatest motive is love.
2. Thou Shalt Develop Thine Understanding (Matthew 7:12; 1 Peter 3:7). “If every man’s care were written on his brow, how many would our pity share, who bear our envy now.”
3. Thou Shalt Compliment More Than Criticize (1 Peter 3:10; Romans 14:19). We should cover our neighbor’s faith with a cloak of charity; we may need a circus tent to cover our own.
4. Thou Shalt Not Often Get Angry (Ephesians 4:26). If we are right, we do not need to. If we are wrong, we cannot afford to.
5. Thou Shalt Not Argue (Ephesians 4:32). It is no use to win the argument and lose the relationship. Beware of the attitude that says, “In matters controversial, my attitude is fine. I always see two points of view—the one that is wrong and mine.”
6. Thou Shalt Be Kind (1 Corinthians 13:4). Be kind to people you meet on the way up; they are the ones you meet on the way down. It is nice to be important, but it is more important to be nice.
7. Thou Shalt Have a Sense of Humor (Proverbs 17:22). A sense of humor is to a man what springs are to a wagon. It saves him lots of jolts.
8. Thou Shalt Smile (cf. Ecclesiastes 3:4) No man is ever fully dressed until he has a smile on his face.
Powder your face with sunshine.
Put on a great big smile.
Make up your eyes with laughter.
Folks will be laughing with you in a little while.
Whistle a tune of gladness.
Gloom never was worthwhile.
The future’s brighter when hearts are lighter.
So, smile, smile, smile.
9. Thou Shalt Practice What Thou Preachest (Romans 2:21). One example is worth one thousand arguments.
10. Thou Shalt Go to School under the Headmaster of the Universe (John 14:6).He is the Master of Men, the Secretary of Human Relations—namely, Jesus Christ. He is the greatest leader the world has ever known.
- I am too blessed to be stressed!
- One who kneels to God can stand up to anything.
- We all live under the same sky, but we do not all have the same horizon. —Konrad Adenauer