If we live, it is for the Lord that we live; if we die, it is for the Lord that we die
The lecture emphasizes that the true purpose of a person’s life is for his entire life to belong to God, so that worship is not merely outward practices or rituals without a real relationship with God, but rather a life of fellowship, love, and union with Him.
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that a person may pray, fast, and read the Holy Bible, yet still not feel his relationship with God if these means are practiced only outwardly without love or an inner spiritual life.
He explains that living for God means that a person does not live for the body, the world, himself, or his desires, but makes God his only goal in every circumstance, whether in joy or hardship, and in every place, position, or condition.
The lecture presents biblical examples such as Joseph the Righteous, the Apostle Paul, and the Prophet David, who remained faithful to God throughout all stages of their lives because God was the center of their lives rather than their surrounding circumstances.
It also confirms that the means of spiritual life, such as prayer, fasting, obedience, purity, service, monasticism, and consecration, are not goals in themselves but means that lead a person to God, because the only goal is God Himself.
The lecture highlights that the person who lives for God obeys the commandments out of love rather than fear or compulsion, finds delight in prayer and the Word of God, and experiences the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and intimate communion with God in a practical way.
It also points out that the true believer lives as a stranger in the world, not becoming attached to material things or earthly glory, but storing up treasures in heaven and awaiting the eternal meeting with God in joy and hope.
The lecture concludes by calling every person to examine himself daily and continually ask: “Do I truly live for God?” because life with God begins with a heart dedicated to Him and ends with the joy of meeting Him, fulfilling the Apostle’s words: “If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord.”
