Romans 14:7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s
The greatest lie told today is to live for today or live for yourself. We are fed a constant diet of pursuing your passion, and you’ve got to love yourself before you can love anyone else. Paul contradicts all of that with these two verses. We don’t live for ourselves; we live for the Lord. That means we live for His purposes. What most people don’t realize is that when your focus and energy are directed toward His purposes, passion, joy, and peace follow.
In Western civilization, we are told to celebrate our individualism. Being a self-made man or woman is the greatest achievement. The problem there is that there is no such thing as a self-made person. Hundreds, if not thousands, have played a part in your development. It starts with your parents. You have their DNA, and that can’t be debated. If you had siblings growing up, they played a huge part in molding you. Add the numerous teachers, leaders, and caring adults who poured into you, and you start to realize that while you may have a great work ethic and have overcome incredible odds, it didn’t come in a bubble.
Living for the Lord is the greatest adventure. Jesus will take you places and bring you opportunities that no one else can match. If we are willing to trust Him and follow His lead, we will be amazed at what He brings to our life. After serving Him for over 30 years, I could’ve never dreamed of what I have done and where I have gone. That doesn’t even bring up the people He has brought into my life. I will never regret making the choice to live for the Lord.
There is one aspect of living for the Lord that we need to focus on, obeying and growing in our knowledge of His Word. Discipleship is following in the footsteps of Jesus. That means learning about Him and then trying to live like that. Living for the Lord means making those daily choices to follow Him and asking for forgiveness when we blow it. You are the Lords. As you live, live for the Lord.
