1. Jesus Christ is the perfection of man, because He is the perfection of love. If we wish to be the best we can be, we must aspire to be like Christ. However, we will not be able to achieve this on our own.
2. When we invite Christ into our lives, He becomes present in and through us. Thus, while we are hopeless sinners, we become carriers of the perfection of man. In fact, there is no place for pride, because all the good we do comes from Him. We cannot take credit for it.
3. Through His grace we overcome sin, suffering, and death. Our past sins and any future faults have already been paid for by the price of His death and resurrection. Most new sins can be avoided by keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.The torture of suffering is replaced by loving sacrifice for Christ, our purpose. Suffering only exists in the areas of self that we still cling to. In those areas where we have died to ourselves and surrendered to Him, death no longer has its sting. For many saints this has been simply a step through a veil.
4. We have the eyes and heart of Christ. We see how much Christ loves everyone around us, and we see where they have been wounded.
5. Everything we have—skill, effort, motivation, and knowledge—is worthless if it is not in the service of love, of Christ.
6. We live in true joy, peace, and love. If we are doing His work—the work we were created for—it will be the greatest adventure we could ever have (with the best ending).
7. We are washed in His love. We appreciate that Jesus loved us so much that He died for our sins. And He who died for us will never abandon us. We can know that when we speak, He hears us. He is always waiting for us in the stillness of our hearts. We gain the understanding that whatever happens to us is His blessing for us. It is the best thing that could happen.                                                                    
8. Letting Him live through us, we can be better spouses, parents, children, employees, bosses, business owners, salespeople, customers, coworkers, students, teachers, friends, and citizens. By showing respect, being willing to put others first, with honesty, diligence, patience, perseverance, love, mercy, and loyalty, we gain the ideal character in all these areas.
9. By keeping our eyes fixed on Christ, we can sacrifice to help overcome sin and suffering in the world around us. We can turn the other cheek instead of seeking revenge. Instead of adding to chaos, we can be a source of healing. Christianity has been the origin of showing respect and dignity to all humanity, as well as to animals and the environment. These have been the foundations for most of civilization’s progress since Christ. In areas where Christianity has been eliminated, such as under communist regimes, it is clear what the reign of evil brings.

…As for the miseries and sins he heard of every day in the world, he was far from reproaching those people. On the contrary, he was surprised there were not more, considering the malice of which sinners were capable. For his part, he prayed for them, but knowing that God can remedy the harm they caused whenever He wishes, he himself did not trouble himself further.

 —Brother Lawrence in Christ

10. We can help others come to know the love of Christ. It will take a billion martyrs to overcome the evil done in Christ’s name. It will take many more living martyrs to bring Christ to all the hopeless people in this world. If Christianity is a personal encounter with Christ, the Christ people meet must be presented through us.

If You Really Knew Jesus, Then You Would Really Love Jesus

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