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What makes an office uncomfortable? Rumors, circulating behind the backs of coworkers; jealousy that causes colleagues to distrust each other; theft of ideas, of credit, or even of paper clips! All these things can produce a terrible office atmosphere. And all of them are against God's law.

The Ten Commandments give basic rules for how to behave toward others. And the last two commandments, nine and ten, are particularly valuable in governing office relationships.

The ninth commandment orders not to tell lies about others. That means anything that's even slightly untrue—including half-truths, exaggerations, even stories that might be true, but you don't know for sure! If you follow the ninth commandment at work, you'll find yourself refusing to pass on juicy information about your coworkers. Instead, you'll spread kind, encouraging, and complimentary words.

The tenth commandment says not to want what other people have. We often think of this in terms of possessions—big houses, fancy cars, nice clothes. But the commandment also covers not wishing for a colleague's power, prestige, or job responsibilities. Instead of looking at what other people have, you're to examine your own responsibilities and fulfill them as well as you can. (See also Esther 7:1-6; Matthew 20:20-28; Galatians 5:13-16; Colossians 3:22-4:1; James 3:5-18.)

Good Words to Remember:
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet … anything that is your neighbor's. —Deuteronomy 5:20,21

Today's Challenge:
Do you spread good (complimentary) or bad (inflammatory) gossip?

Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Bible Studies.