When the apostle Paul was discussing faith, hope, and love, he concluded by saying that “the greatest of these [qualities] is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13) Why could Paul say this? In the future, we will no longer need to have faith in God’s promises about his new world or hope that those promises will be fulfilled because they will already be realized. But we will always need to have love for Jehovah and for people. In fact, our love for them will keep growing forever. Also, love identifies us as true Christians. Jesus told his apostles: “By this all will know that you are my disciples​—if you have love among yourselves.” (John 13:35) Further, having love for one another keeps us united. Paul called love “a perfect bond of union.” (Col. 3:14) The apostle John wrote to fellow believers: “Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” (1 John 4:21) When we show love for one another, we show our love for God. w23.11 47:1, 3

The Bible compares our life as Christians to a race. The runners who successfully cross the finish line are rewarded with everlasting life. (2 Tim. 4:7, 8) We need to make every effort to keep on running, especially because the finish line is closer than ever. The apostle Paul identified what will help us to win the race. He directed us to “throw off every weight and . . . run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Did Paul mean that there was no load a Christian should carry? No, that was not his point. Rather, he meant that we need to get rid of every unnecessary weight. This type of weight could hinder us and cause us to tire out. To endure, we must quickly identify and discard any unnecessary weight that could slow us down. At the same time, however, we do not want to cast aside loads that we should carry. Otherwise, we could disqualify ourselves from the race.​—2 Tim. 2:5. w23.08 36:1-2

Reasonableness helps us to respect the views of others. For example, some of our sisters like to wear makeup, whereas others prefer not to. Some Christians enjoy drinking alcohol in moderation, but others decide to abstain from it. All Christians desire good health but choose different methods of health care. If we felt so strongly about our own choices that we tried to promote them in the congregation, we could stumble others and cause divisions. (1 Cor. 8:9; 10:23, 24) For instance, instead of strictly regulating the way we dress, Jehovah has given us principles to follow. We are to dress in a way that is appropriate for ministers of God, showing reasonableness, modesty, and “soundness of mind.” (1 Tim. 2:9, 10) Therefore, we do not draw undue attention to ourselves by how we dress. Bible principles will also help elders to avoid setting arbitrary rules about clothing and hairstyles. w23.07 32:13-14