For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. Romans 14:7-9

Devotion

As humans, we have an insatiable longing for belonging. Starting when we are kids, we innately feel the need to “seek others approval” or “fit in” because, within us, is a desire to belong. Not fit in, but belong. Another way to say it is our soul wants to be home. 

Although we hear and understand the idea of “fitting in,” it is never one that brings a settled peace to our souls. Fitting in is like trying to make a hotel room feel like home … it can’t compare to actually walking into your home after a long trip. Our soul is looking for that feeling of belonging, being at home, because the truth is we have an insatiable longing to belong. The great news is we have a God who has an even greater desire for us to belong with him and his people today and forever. 

We belong first and foremost to the Lord. 

As Christians, followers of Jesus, we understand our lives are no longer ours alone, because we belong to the family of God and are citizens of God’s Kingdom. I want to stress the word King. Jesus is our King, therefore we are subject to the King's Word and his ways. There is a wonderful peace, comfort, and confidence in knowing we are no longer alone, as an adopted child of God. God is our true and better Father who has given us his Holy Spirit and will never leave us or forsake us (John 14:16). 

For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose—to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. Romans 14:7-9

Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God. John 8:47

We no longer belong to ourselves or the world. 

Here in America we are unapologetic about our independence and the right to run our own lives … which makes it uniquely challenging to surrender daily to the Lord, rather than our own desires or inclinations. The Apostle Paul addresses this very issue with Christians in Corinth: 

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 

Not only do we no longer belong to ourselves, we don’t belong to the world that we live in. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you. John 15:19 

Therefore, because we belong to God, we no longer belong to ourselves as independent agents. We no longer belong to the ways and standards of the world. We were bought by the precious blood of Christ and are now a new creation, living in a new Kingdom with a new perspective and purpose.

We belong to one another.

Theologian and Professor Dallas Willard said it perfectly when he said, “people are meant to be part of a larger group, and that our sense of self is built on this sense of belonging.”

This idea is not unique to Willard though. Throughout Scripture, we see the theme that God has made a people for himself, and those same people are also made for one another. We see this when Paul addresses the Christians in Rome, “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other,” (Romans 12:4-5).

This is not a unique idea from Paul either, he is echoing what Jesus told his disciples at the last supper …

I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

So, what can we do to experience belonging?

First, believe and surrender your life to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, becoming a part of God’s family with a new peace and belonging. Second, stay and lean into God’s family by living out the "One Anothers" of Scripture. Third, invite others in by sharing the good news of Jesus. Then, actually invite and include them into the family of God.

PRAYER

God, thank you for creating us to desire belonging with you and others. Thank you for using community to give us people who encourage and challenge us. Help me remember I belong to you, as I do my best to follow Jesus. Amen.

Andy Rauschkolb
OKC Location Pastor

Resources

• Watch Belong a sermon from The Gathering.
• Watch the Life-Giving Friendship message from Pastor Bill Search.
• Read One Another's Study: 20 Practical Lessons by Don McMinn.

Read More Devotions

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