Read: Romans 14:7-9
Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (v. 8 NIV)
After seeing my mother alive for the last time, the Spirit reminded me of this truth: “whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (v. 8 NIV). It brought me such comfort. As the first Heidelberg Catechism question and answer reads: “What is your only comfort in life and in death? That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death—to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Earlier in his letter, Paul tells us that neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:38-39). I knew that my mother belonged to her faithful Savior, Jesus Christ, because she placed her trust in him. I knew that I would see her again because I also belonged to the Lord.
It is one thing to know in our heads that we belong to Jesus, but it takes a step of faith to believe this deep truth in our hearts and place our complete trust in him. I can believe a chair exists and will hold me up, but unless I sit in it, it’s just head knowledge.
Have you trusted in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation? When you do, you never have to doubt that you belong to him. You are grafted into his forever family and neither life nor death will separate you from his love because you belong to him. —Nancy Boote
As you pray, be thankful you belong to Jesus.
About the Author
Nancy Boote, an ordained minister in the Reformed Church of America, lives in Holland, Michigan, with her husband.
