What Does it Mean to Live as a Christian?

I was asked today, "What does it mean to live as a Christian?" This question is a tough one to answer, but then isn't any question about life. But the more I thought about it, the easier it became to answer.

As a Christian, we all should take our marching orders from our Father and his Son, Jesus. Fortunately, when he was approached by a teacher of the law and asked about the greatest commandment, he answered:

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31, New International Version)

In providing this answer, Jesus demonstrated what living the daily life of a Christian is to be. We are to first love God and then love those around us. To further help us understand how he defined "love your neighbor," Jesus presented the Parable of the Good Samaritan (read Luke 10:25-37).

Daily living the life of a Christian isn't easy, even though Jesus has provided us with our marching orders. Loving God is tough. Each day I must chose to make God first place in my life. Each decision must be filtered through His eyes. Not an easy chore.

And loving my neighbor is even harder. While it is difficult to love God, I have the motivation of His love for me to help. I usually have no such motivation from my neighbors, and certainly have no such motivation from strangers.

And yet, that is what God has called me to do. Love Him, love others as myself. So while finding the answer was easy, finding the ability to live into the answer is much harder. However, it is something I will strive to do each day of my life because I do desire to serve my Father in Heaven and achieve the abundant life he has promised us all (see John 10:10).