Our life is not our own!

St. Paul reminds us today in Romans 14:7–12 that:

“None of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord.”

Our lives are not our own, they are held in the hands of Christ who gives them purpose.

To live for Christ means to make Him the reason behind every decision, every dream, and every act of love. It is not just about religious duty but about relationship, knowing that your breath, your work, and even your struggles are part of a greater story. It is to live with the awareness of the Christ-identity we bear: to love even when it hurts, to forgive even when it doesn’t make sense, to serve even when no one notices. This is the life of Christ, who, though we were sinners, came to save, heal, and restore us.

On the other hand, to die for Christ is to surrender everything that competes with His place in your heart. The life of Christ is a life of sacrifice, and thus we are called to the same: to be selfless, to be compassionate, to be loving both to ourselves and to our neighbour. To the self, because we are created in the image of God-a life worth caring for, redeeming, and honouring. And to the neighbour, because God Himself has commanded that love should extend beyond self, reaching everyone around us.

For St. Paul, life and death are not opposites but two sides of one truth: whether we live or die, we belong to Him.

Say this 3x:

I belong to Jesus,
I and my household belong to Jesus !

Love corrects and that’s there’s a difference between judging and correcting. Judgement condemns; correction redeems. Judgement pushes people away; correction guides them back with love. Only God can judge because only He sees the heart. But as believers and for the sake of love, we are called to correct with humility, never to destroy but to restore. The goal of correction is not to prove we are right, but to help another stand right with God.

Some have asked the question: does love hurt? Love hurts, yes, not because it fails but because it reaches deeply. To love as Christ loves is to open your heart to misunderstanding, rejection, and sacrifice. Yet it is through such love that hearts are healed and lives transformed. Love hurts, but it heals deeper than it hurts. The cross itself is proof. Love wounded Christ, yet that same love saved the world.

Whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. That truth alone gives meaning to our days and peace to our hearts.

I pray that our lives may be wholly lived for Christ; that our words may correct with mercy and not condemn in pride; and that when love costs us something, may we remember the One who first loved us through the pain.

Amen