We are all individuals, but we must interact with others. This daily devotional looks at living for ourselves, for God, and for others.
Nuggets
- There is no debate that we are God’s.
- We were created to put God first.
- We were created to interact with each other.
To read devotions in the Redo for Godliness series, click the appropriate button below.
Devotions in the Transformed to Perfection series
God doesn’t create us and close us up in a cubby hole of our own. We interact with other beings.
Our relationships with others mean something. Simpson believed that this was “because there are common bonds which unite us all, and because we are not made to live to ourselves.”
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We were made to exert an influence over one another. We were made to witness to those who have not ABCDed.
We’ve been looking at the first part of Romans 14. Let’s see what Paul has to say next.
Let's Put It into Context
Here is a running list of what we’ve discussed previously.
A Point-Blank Statement
“For none of us lives for himself and no one dies for himself” (Rom. 14: 7 CSB)
There is no debate that we are God’s.
I would have loved to have known Paul. He didn’t pull any punches. He didn’t sugar coat anything. The man called it like he saw it.
No, the man called it like he was given it. If God called Paul to say something, that is exactly what Paul said.
Paul didn’t leave room for debate. Candlish noted that this was quickly taken into the spiritual region to shut down any conflict.
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For the Right Priorities
“For none of us lives for himself …” (Rom. 14: 7 CSB)
We were created to put God first.
God created us to worship Him. He wants us to have a relationship with Him.
Bonar noted that God did not give us a personality just to ask us to squash it in submission to Him. God asks us to make Him our top priority.
I liked Bonar’s description of someone who is not putting God first. That someone is looking at every situation to see how s/he is being impacted.
God didn’t create us to be selfish. He wants us to look outside ourselves.
Self has nothing to do with salvation. Bonar wrote, “The Holy Spirit, however, shows that self can contribute nothing towards man’s acceptance with God. What is conviction of sin but just the setting aside of self? From that point it proceeds onwards throughout a man’s whole life.”
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But isn’t that wonderful? Let’s face it, folks. We aren’t consistent, meaning none of us are totally good.
Focusing on God takes the focus off of this life and puts it on the next one — where we will be perfect.
For the Good of the Order
“… and no one dies for himself” (Rom. 14: 7 CSB)
We were created to interact with each other.
God created us for the connection. “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’” (Gen. 2: 18 ESV).
Thomas talked about how our lives are a continuation of another’s. To me, that speaks to the influence we have on each other.
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We’ve talked many times that my Ladies and I have discussed how we are witnesses without uttering a single word. Not only are nonbelievers observing believers’ actions, but they are also watching our attitudes and motives to make sure believers are real. Elliot said it this way: “Every life is a little Bible — a revelation of God.”
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We may influence someone to follow God. They may influence us to turn away from Him. That is why we are told to watch the company we keep.
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Hopefully, we will be a good influence on others. God’s love and mercy should flow through us and manifest itself as joy, kindness, sympathy, and unselfishness.
When we find someone who influences us, we sometimes want to imitate them. We do a very good job at imitation. That is how, as children, we learn.
Well, truth be told, we probably never fully stop, do we? Isn’t that a component of peer pressure only from the flip side? Someone else wants us to imitate them.
We are each given our tasks to complete in our lives. Those tasks, when combined, fulfill God’s plan. Simpson wrote, “Thus by these labour exchanges the experience of all is made to benefit each.”
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If we don’t do those tasks, they may not get done. Think if one of those tasks someone is to do is witnessing to someone you love — and they don’t do it! Puts a big spin on us not completing what we should do, doesn’t it?
Yes, that has grave implications for our lifetime. It also have grave implications for generations. It definitely has grave implications for eternity.
We are interconnected. Boyd called it mutual dependence. Paul frequently calls for unity within the family of God. Jesus and Peter called for us to love one another.
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It all boils down to the second greatest commandment. We add the two greatest commandments together and we get perfection.
Watson said that is what our reward is going to be based on. If we haven’t loved our fellow man, we won’t be rewarded.
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It means that much to God. It is supposed to mean that much to us.
Making the Connections
Oh, we like the thought of living for others these days. That seems to be the current fad.
But is that really more than an illusion?
Vaughan brought up a good point. All of the prayers in Scriptures focus on God’s people. Most of our prayers focus on one person — us.
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Oh, yeah. They may focus somewhat on our friends or our church. But those prayers have that word in there — our.
Mainly, though, we pray for us. Me, myself, and I.
- Thank You for saving me.
- Thank You for providing for me.
- Watch over all that is mine.
- Heal me.
- Heal my friends.
- Give me the good stuff.
- Bring me home to You.
- Bring my family home to You.
We’ve got to broaden our focus to God’s ministry to others. And I am not just talking about healing all of their physical condition.
We need to be getting a lot more concerned about healing their spiritual condition. The Book of Revelation is playing out before our eyes. We need to take note.
Living for others brings up two words: responsibility and accountability. Macmillan wrote that we are responsible for more than we know.
I like Macmillan’s definition of character. He wrote our character is “the sum of our thoughts, feelings, and actions.”
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We will be accountable to God in building good character — His character. That good character should influence others in a positive way.
Let’s look at it this way. On the Sanctification Road, we are to get a new character — God’s character. So, we are to get new thoughts, feelings, and actions.
- Sanctification is the transformation of mind, body, and soul, which begins with regeneration, gradually changes our nature through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and ends with perfected state of spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Regeneration is being changed from spiritually dead to spiritually alive and the internal requickening in us that God brings about through the work of the Holy Spirit to give us new character.
- The perfected state indicates the combination of the spiritual graces which, when all are present, form spiritual wholeness or completeness.
- Spiritual graces are worldly morals that have been submitted to God to further His kingdom instead of enhancing this world.
Glossary
Priestley contended that our passions come out of our actions, not the other way around. (You would think we are passionate about something so we do it. This says we do it, so we become passionate about it.) That means we have to keep our priorities straight and focus outside of ourselves.
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How Do We Apply This?
- We have to live the way God calls us to live.
- We live for others.
- We witness to others.
- Boyd wrote, “And thus the great truth taught is that the Christian does not live to himself in the sense of thinking mainly of self. His will is subordinated to God’s; his great end is not to get on in life, but rather ‘to glorify God and enjoy Him for ever.’”
- Regardless of our circumstances — whether we live or die — we are God’s if we have ABCDed.
The ABCDs of Salvation
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the
Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
The Disciple’s Job Description
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When we become disciples of Christ, we no longer live for ourselves. We live for God and others.
Father God. We no longer live for ourselves. We live to worship and praise You. We live to witness to others and minister to them. Amen.
What do you think?
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