Great endings

A friend of mine recently passed along some wise counsel that is well worth repeating:

1. Live without pretending.  We are not who we think we are. We are, however, who Christ says we are. 2 Cor. 5: 17 tells us, "If any man be in Christ, he is a(n entirely) new creation; the old has passed away, behold, new things have come." We do not have to live beneath our station in Christ, because, in Him, we are more than conquerors.
2. Love without depending. In the love chapter of the Bible, 1 Cor. 13: 4, 5, we hear "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own." The kind of love God has for us - and wants us to have - is other centered.
3. Listen without defending.  1 Cor. 13: 5 goes on to say that "love is not provoked." It listens patiently, hoping to give a reason for the hope within us. It values both speaker and listener.
4. Speak without offending. Our aim in Christ is to build up, stir up, and cheer up so that the Church - the body of Christ - is neatly fitted and joined together by that which every joint supplies (Eph. 4:16). It grows, it works and produces work fit for the kingdom of God.

As we move through our days, let us determine to be "other centered" and so demonstrate the heart of God.