One Life to Live

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” -Colossians 3:17

One of the easiest things for us to do as Christians is to divide our lives into different compartments. There is our church life—Sunday mornings, worship, prayer, Bible studies, serving, and fellowship. And then there is our regular life— our homes, our jobs, our hobbies, our relationships, and our conversations with friends. 

Somewhere along the way, we can start living as if those two lives are separate. We act one way at church and another way everywhere else. We speak differently, think differently, respond differently, and even make different choices depending on which “life” we happen to be living. But God never called us to live two lives. We have one life—and that one life belongs to Him.

Paul says, “Whatever you do… do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Whatever you do: not just when you’re at church; not just when you’re singing worship; not just when you’re reading your Bible. Whatever you do. When you’re at work—live for Jesus. When you’re talking with your family—live for Jesus. When you’re working in the garden—live for Jesus. When you’re driving in traffic—live for Jesus. When nobody is watching—live for Jesus.

In Romans 12:1, Paul says, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” I love that phrase—living sacrifice. Our worship isn’t simply what happens when we sing. Worship is what happens when we surrender our lives to God. That means our work can be worship. Our relationships can be worship. Serving our family can be worship. Doing our job with integrity can be worship. Being patient when we’re frustrated can be worship. Choosing forgiveness can be worship. Even the ordinary, everyday things become meaningful when we do them for Jesus.

And maybe that’s what makes this idea so powerful. Sometimes we think living life to the fullest means going more places, experiencing more things, or accomplishing more. But Jesus gives us a different picture. In John 10:10, He says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Jesus came to give us life—real life, abundant life, eternal life. 

And living that life to the fullest is about inviting God into every part of our lives: not just the spiritual parts; not just the parts we’re comfortable giving Him. All of it. Our victories and our disappointments. Our work and our rest. Our Sundays and our Mondays. Our public lives and our private lives. This is important: there is no part of our lives where Jesus doesn’t belong.

In John 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” He doesn’t just give us life. He is our life.

So maybe today is a good day to ask ourselves a few questions: Am I living one life or two? Does the person others see at church look like the same person at home or work? Does the faith we talk about on Sunday shape the way we live on Tuesday? Does Jesus have access to every area of our lives?There is One Lord. And He’s called us to One life.