PBS MINISTRY's RENUNGAN PAGI, Tema : HIDUP DAN MATI UNTUK TUHAN. Roma14:8 By KEMAL MAMUSUNG

Theme: LIVING AND DEATH FOR THE LORD Morning Devotional, Wednesday, June 18, 2026 Romans 14:7-9 14:7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 14:8 For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 14:9 For this is why Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. We live to the Lord. [Romans 14:8] If God wills, each of us could go directly to heaven the moment we become Christians. Our staying here is not a necessary preparation for our eternity. It is possible for a person to be taken to heaven and found worthy to partake of the inheritance of the saints in the light, even though he has only just believed in Jesus. It is true that our sanctification is a long and ongoing process, and we cannot be perfected until we leave our bodies and enter the veil; but even so, if God so willed, He could transform us from imperfection to perfection and take us straight to heaven. Then why are we here? Would God keep His children from Paradise for a moment longer than necessary? Why are the soldiers of the living God still on the battlefield when one strike of His could give them victory? Why are His children still wandering about in a maze, when a word from His lips would lead them to the center of their hope in heaven? The answer is—they are here so that they may “live for the Lord” (Romans 14:8) and bring others to know His love. We are still on earth as sowers to sow good seed; plowmen to break up the fallow ground; heralds of salvation. We are here as the “salt of the earth” [Matthew 5:13], to be a blessing to the world. We are here to glorify Christ in our daily lives. We are here as His workers, and as “fellow workers” [2 Corinthians 6:1]. Let us see our lives fulfilling their purpose. Let us live earnestly, meaningfully, and holy lives, so that “His glorious grace may be praised” [Ephesians 1:6]. Meanwhile, we long to be with Him, and daily sing— “My heart is set with Him on His glorious throne; I cannot bear the longing that lingers; In waiting for the echo of His call, ‘Arise, and come!’ [Song of Songs 2:10]” [1] (Charles H. Spurgeon).