God's ways of operating are completely different than man's ways, and much more effective in changing us for the better and causing us to want to live godly. The world uses punishment and threats to correct our behavior; by contrast, God uses mercy and forgiveness. The absence of condemnation gives us the power to overcome what once overcame us. To convince us to reject the world and its sinful ways, God continually reminds us how attractive and beautiful heaven is. He also instructs us to declare in faith the passing away of earth, which is temporary. Yielding ourselves to Him allows Him to work through us to reach others through empathy and compassion, not through judgment. We must not settle for what we see around us, but instead focus on Jesus and on heaven, because the best is yet to come.