Mention Christianity today and you may get mixed reactions. Many people claim to be Christian but do they really know what that means? Even many self proclaimed Christians today don’t act like Christians. Which seems to lead many non-Christians to be turned off by the religion and think most Christians are just a bunch of hypocrites. So what do we do? What does it mean to live the Christian faith and do Christians have a responsibility to share their faith and be good examples of Christ? The best place to find the answers would be to the source himself, Jesus. He left us all the instructions we need in the new testament of the bible. Jesus said as quoted in Matthew 22: 36-40 “Love the lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind this is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments” So basically once we become a Christian by accepting Jesus as our personal savior and repenting of our sins, this one commandment is the basis of what we should be doing to live faithfully as Christians. It sounds simple but let’s break it down. Love the lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. Sounds simple enough but really it means we should love God above all else. That means more than our moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters and friends. It also means more than our jobs, houses, cars, cell phones, bank account, and … well pretty much everything. So anything that you do or even think to do, you should consult God first. Pray about it and wait on him, he’ll tell you one way or the other as long as you seek his will first. That takes a lot of faith. Jesus warned us it wouldn’t be easy following him, but he also promised he would never forsake us or leave us. Loving your neighbor as yourself sounds pretty easy as long as you like your neighbor. But what if your neighbor is a jerk? And does neighbor mean only those that live next door or is it something more? Jesus says that we should not only love our neighbors but also our enemies too. He says to pray for those who persecute you. Jesus wants us to love each other and pray and uphold each other. He also wants us to put others’ needs before our own. Think about that next time you walk past a homeless person on the street, or someone collecting money to help battered women. Those are your neighbors and God loves them as much as he loves you and wants you to do the same. So to live faithfully as Christians we need to put God first and love others as ourselves. Living the Christian Faith doesn’t sound so easy, but thank goodness we don’t have to do it alone. Jesus died on the cross for our sins so that we could have a relationship with God and eternal life. So now we don’t have to be perfect to get into Heaven. We are now covered by the Grace of Jesus so when we mess up and forget to love our neighbor as ourselves we have forgiveness. Also God sent us a helper when Jesus left called the holy spirit who helps remind us when we stray off the path. Whenever you feel short on faith, pray and ask God to strengthen your faith and he will. Living in Christ takes faith but living without him takes a lot more. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society