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A book by Tom Holladay entitled The Relationship Principles of Jesus gives some very helpful information about our relationships. I’m going to share some of the golden nuggets you will find in this book.
As I’ve often said, relationships are the sandpaper of our lives. They are almost always our biggest challenge, and yet Tom points out that nothing is more important than relationships. He says, “A life without relationships may well be a simple life, but it is also an empty life” (p. 27), and that is so true. So, you and I should place a very high value on our relationships. Do you value your relationships more than money? More than success? More than doing your own thing?
In Philippians 2:3-4 we read: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” If we truly consider others better than ourselves and look to their interests, we will definitely be placing a high value on the relationships in our lives.
How do we live out this principle of considering others better than ourselves? Tom points out that you have to get outside of yourself for your relationships to change. For example, when someone interrupts you—maybe a coworker who asks a question—and you are irritated at the interruption, you have to get outside of yourself in order to consider their interest rather than your own.
I find that I can practice this principle a lot when I’m driving. For example, someone is trying to push his way into the line of traffic in front of you instead of waiting his turn. My blood starts to boil and everything in me wants to prevent that person from getting in front of me. But if I can stop and think, maybe he has a real emergency, or if I can remember a few times I’ve done that myself, then I can allow that person in line, lower my blood pressure, and put that person’s interest ahead of my own.
Today or tomorrow, as you face the day ahead for you, ask God to help you practice this principle of getting outside of yourself and being willing to put someone else first. Whether it’s in traffic, in the office, or in your home, you could see some dramatic changes in those relationships because you put the other person first.
For a donation of any amount in the month of November 2021 you can receive a copy of The Relationship Principles of Jesus by Tom Holladay – while supplies last.