distinctives...

I just finished a book tonight that I'd been reading very inconsistently for months.  I was ready for it to be off my bedside table and back on the bookshelf, so I finished it.  The book is The Living Church by John Stott.  It outlines 8 basic characteristics of a relevant, biblical church.  The last chapter was about impact and distinctives of those of us who claim to be Christ-followers. 

Stott points out that we must be distinct from the world in the way we live, if we claim to follow Christ.  The call, he says is to a greater righteousness (one of the heart), to a wider love (loving not just our friends but also our enemies), and to a nobler ambition (seeking God's kingdom and God's righteousness, not just the stuff we selfishly want).  Only in doing these things will our salt retain its saltiness, and our light its brightness.

Do I really live in this way?  I think my default is to hang out with other salts and other lights, and tend to become less distinct.  No doubt I need fellow Christ-followers to keep me in check but do I daily realize the greater, wider, nobler way of life that I'm called to? Do I live a life so distinct that it will dispel darkness and hinder decay?  Something to think about...