Our world today presents a very distorted view of what is worth imitating or admiring. Things that God calls important are often dismissed as impossible ideals or restrictions on our personal freedom.

The result? Many Christians today live no differently from their non-Christian counterparts. There is a tendency to ‘play safe' and avoid the risk of marching to a different drum beat. Consequently, a compromise and erosion of Christian convictions. Many who profess to be Christians are being subtly pressed into the world's mould, be it in their homes, schools or work places. And if they ever find the time to ponder and reflect, many are actually horrified at the sorry state of their status as the light and salt of the earth!

When Jesus taught His disciples the way they should live, He called them to a totally different kind of response to their daily life situations. In His Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5: 1-12), Jesus placed utmost importance in the heart attitude of His disciples. In order to live out the beatitudes and experience real blessedness, we have to intentionally choose death to self and live differently. By doing that we can actually prod our world towards a better alternative – living out God's kingdom principles and reaping its rewards even while we are still here on this earth!

To intentionally choose the better alternative, we need to re-focus. Instead of a ‘quick-fix' life that demands instant answers or success at whatever the cost, we need to define what success in life is all about. Our success in life is not about making a great decision once but making smaller, righteous decisions over a long period of time.

Is this ever possible? Only by the grace of God. God not only provides us the grace and strength to exemplify the better alternative to our world today but He honours that kind of living. Wouldn't it be phenomenal if others around us looking at how Christians live, cannot help but exclaim, "That kind of life cannot be explained unless there is a God!"

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