“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.”
– Romans 14:8
I love Romans 14:8 for this simple description of how everything in our lives revolves around Jesus, our Lord. If we live, we live to Him. If we die, we die to Him. Whether we live or whether we die we are the Lord’s, like everything we do is for Him. Everything we do is with Him in mind.
Whether we live or whether we die, our focus is to be on how we can glorify Christ.
Romans 14:8 is another clear picture we see in God’s Word that a follower of Jesus is not someone for whom Jesus is part of their life. No, a follower of Jesus is someone for whom Jesus is their life. Everything in their life revolves around Him. Everything we think, everything we desire, everything we say it’s all focused on Him. How to bring glory to Him in 1 Corinthians 10 kind of way. Whether we eat or drink, whatever we do, we do it all to the glory of God. We belong to God. Belong to Jesus. We live for Him, we die for Him. Everything revolves around Him.
Oh, just think about how that changes your perspective on everything. I think about my life, how can I love my wife in a way that honors the Lord? How can I love my kids, lead my family in a way that honors the Lord? How can I pastor a church in a way that honors the Lord?
This Verse Reminds Us That God Has Our Authority
So you might have different questions like how can I live as a single or a student and honor the Lord. If I go to school, I go to school to the Lord. If I work in this job, I work to the Lord. Now, that’s what Colossians 3:23 and 24 talks about. In whatever work you do, you are serving the Lord Christ-like your ultimate boss. Your ultimate authority is not your employer. Your ultimate authority is your Lord, it’s Jesus. So if you go to work, you go to work to the Lord. So whatever you do, whether you live or whether you die, in everything your focus is on how can you exalt Jesus? How can you honor Jesus? How can you most glorify Jesus? Reflect Jesus? Proclaim Jesus? You do everything you do to Him. Whether we live, whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
Romans 14:8 Prays For Our Lives To Revolve Around God
So Lord Jesus, please help us to live this way. I pray for my own life today in everything I do may I see it as unto you, as for you, as in you, by your power in me. Just everything revolving around you. And I pray for this for others who are praying with me right now. God, we pray help us to live to you today. Jesus, help us to think according to Your thoughts. Help us to desire according to Your desires in us by Your spirit.
God, help us to speak in ways that bring honor to You. Help us to share the gospel today in order to lead people to You. And help us to make decisions today for Your glory. Oh Jesus, we belong to you, we are yours. You are our Lord, our Savior, our King, our God. So help us to live today to You. Help us to live tomorrow to You, and the next day, and the next day until the day we die to You and we see Your face, we see the face of the One to whom we belong, and we rejoice in Your presence, whether we live or whether we die we are Yours. So it’s in Your name, Jesus, we pray. We pray these things to You. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
