My Christianity

 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me
Galations 2:20 NKJV

What makes someone a christian?  Is it the way they live their lives?  Is it in the number of rituals they attend or in the amount of their tithe?   It's important here to mention that the word christian comes from the Greek word Christianos, which is derived from the word Christos or Christ which means "annointed one."  A Christian, therefore, is known as a follower of Christ.  These are the origins of the word, but it obviously goes deeper than this.  I'm not inclined to limit my description of my faith in Jesus to just a word.  Thanks to those who've gone before us, there are now quite a few sects to this belief that we call christianity.  We have mormons, baptists, catholics, methodists and Lutherans.  There have been so many breakaway and spinoff groups in christianity that it's hard to keep track of all the believers sometimes.
I think it's important for us to remember the purpose and not just the definition of being a christian.  We can recite all the definitions we know, but how many people will be convinced of our belief by a definition?  No, I think the worlds best definition of what a christian really  is in our daily lives  that we present for others to see.  The world will not see Christ in us through a simple definition.  Sure, I can tell someone that I'm a christian, but do I exhibit Jesus Christ in me?  Are others seeing the love of Jesus in my daily life?  THAT is one of the best ways to recognise a christian.  Why do we need so many different segments of christianity if we are all, by definition, followers of Jesus?  Clearly we've missed the point somewhere.  A dear friend of mine recently sent me a encouraging message, which was just what I needed at the time.  I cherish this advice my dear friend gave me "Your testimony is not weighed by the creative words you can come up with, but by the lifestyle that is seen and the love you give to others."  AMEN!  This is my christianity.

~Scott~