Romans 14:7 For we don’t live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 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.

There seems to be a growing belief today among believers that their Christian life is a personal, internal affair that has no bearing on others. This train of thought leads to self-gratification at the expense of Kingdom purposes and Kingdom people. Perhaps one of the greatest tragedies of this way of thinking is the fact that those who embrace it will eventually lose the impact and the influence that God designed them to make.

Remember your life is not an island:

Your life is connected to Jesus. Everything we do in this life is directly connected to His presence. Every action either welcomes His presence in a greater fashion or grieves His presence. Your life is connected to God. You can see through the Old Testament that God experienced emotions of grief and joy because of the choices of His people. This happened because He had chosen to be connected to those He loved. God loves you and that love connects you to Him. Therefore, we must understand that our lives are connected to Him and live our lives accordingly.

Your life is connected to other believers. Your conduct and decisions can bring discouragement or encouragement to the greater body of Christ. Your decisions can bring confirmation or confusion to other believers. Your life as a Christ-follower will be a lag on the body or build a legacy for younger believers to follow. Realize that your life is not an island. It is directly connected to many others, some of which you will not know on this side of heaven.

Your life is connected to the purpose of God. Your life is a testimony of the heart of God. You are connected to His purpose through your local church. It is His church that He has given the mandate to reach all the world with the good news of Jesus. You can deny your connection to the church or complain about the condition of the church, but at the end of the day, you are connected to it. Why? Because God has chosen you to be part of His church to display HIs love in this day.

Today’s Challenge: Realize that your life is not an island. Your decision to follow Jesus or deny Him today will touch the heart of other believes, the church at large, and most importantly Jesus Himself. The most promised thing in the word of God is the promise of His presence. Realize you are not an island. God is with you.