And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8. (NIV)

Scrolling through the Facebook posts one morning I encountered, What you need to know to be a good teenager! The title piqued my interest. I wondered what one teen would tell another. Here are some extracts:

Elastic bands last longer when refrigerated.

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

The average person’s left hand does 56% of the typing.

The shark is the only fish that can blink both eyes.

There are more chickens than people in the world.

Two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey.

The longest one-syllable word in the English language is “screeched.”

All of the clocks in the movie Pulp Fiction are stuck on 4:20.

No word in the English language rhymes with “month,” “orange,” “silver,” or “purple.”

A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

“Dreamt” is the only English word ending in the letters “mt.”

It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.

In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.

“Stewardesses” is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.

The post closed by saying, “Now you know everything … you could be a good teenager!”

The mind boggles. I’m not really sure how this kind of information is linked to being a good teenager. But what do I know!

It did get me thinking about another topic though. I asked, “What would one need to know to be a good Christian?” I enlisted the help of family and friends to answer the question. Here’s a summary of some of their responses:

“I do think you need to know the Bible to the best of your ability. Prayer is also important, but difficult. You need to be disciplined . . .” Win Terhoven.

“Holiness. God’s calling us to be a holy people. Personally that’s what I’m striving for. You’re to watch what you’re watching, watch your attitude, watch you don’t complain. In Thessalonians it says, “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Ray Scriver.

“Death to self.” Glen Gillespie.

“To know what God wants for your life . . . obedience.” Melanie Gillespie.

“The Word of God. You have to be reading it daily. It must go together with an active prayer life . . . More than a “I lay me down to sleep” kind of prayer.” Linda Annunziello.

“It’s a case of WWJD (What would Jesus do). You must be constantly checking up on your life, referring back to the Bible to see how God wants you to live. You need to be learning from other Christians who have been Christians longer than you . . .” Elaine Jarvis.

“How to serve the Lord and to ask Him to help you every day.” Pat Ryersee.

“A lot of different things. You need to know that God is there for you. He’s there to help and you need to ask Him first.” Doug Beckberger.

“You need to know the Scriptures. But you also need the shield, the uniform of the Lord to protect you from the fiery darts of the devil . . . Know who you are in Christ . . . You need perfect trust. Fear of God is also part of it.” Dave Morrison.

“You need to know you are a sinner, know God’s forgiveness, and then do His will.” Muriel Byers.

“You need to know what it means to abide in Christ. You need to know the truth of John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Sharon Bennett.

What about you? What do you need to know to be a good Christian? Why not share your thoughts …

Now respond to the above by acting on what you know.