I do not see the whole picture yet, so I must remain humble, teachable, and dependent on God. Ask Yourself: Do I leave room for God to correct what I think I understand? Has knowledge ever made me feel certain that I could not be wrong? When God exposes something new in me, can I receive it without defending myself? Am I willing to keep learning even when the lesson changes me? God sees the whole picture; I see only a piece, so I must stay humble enough to keep learning.

Spiritual gifts and present knowledge have a purpose, but love belongs to what is eternal. Ask Yourself: Am I more impressed by spiritual gifts than by Christlike character? Do I sometimes measure growth by what I know rather than by how I love? If God removed everything impressive from my life, would love still be visible? Am I allowing God to form in me the thing He says will never fail? Gifts have a season; knowledge is partial, but the love God forms in me is built to last.

Love stays rooted in God through difficulty, uncertainty, disappointment, and pressure. Ask Yourself: Do I stop loving when loving becomes difficult? Do I quickly assume I know another person’s motives? Have I decided that someone—or something in me—can never change? When I am hurt, does the hurt determine what comes out of me? Love does not let difficulty decide who I become; it keeps trusting God, hoping, and standing.

It does not matter how spiritual, wise, or beautiful my words sound if God's love is not the thing carrying them. Ask Yourself: When I speak truth, can people also feel Christ's love? What usually comes out of me when I am frustrated or hurt? Do I sometimes care more about being understood than about understanding the other person? Is there anything in my speech that God wants to overhaul so that people hear Jesus instead of me? God doesn't only want to change what I say; He wants to change the heart from which I say it.

Waiting isn't only about trusting the promise; it can also become a place of surrender where I ask God to make me ready for whatever He desires to do in me. Ask Yourself - Am I asking God only for something new, or am I willing for Him to make me new? - Is there anything old I'm holding onto that the Holy Spirit is asking me to place in the Father's hands? - Am I willing to be stretched beyond the ways I've always thought, responded, or operated? - If God gives me what I'm asking for, is my deepest desire still: “Let them see Jesus, not me”? Father, while I wait for what You promised, make me new enough to receive whatever You desire to do in me.