He is not the God of the dead but of the living, because all are living to him. (Luke 20:38)
Those words struck me this morning, perhaps because of the older version of the NIV’s rendering of Romans 14:8-9.
If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living. (Romans 14:8–9, NIVUK84)
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are not simply living their own independent lives before the Lord in heaven. They are living for him, serving him even now.
Unlike the tenant farmers in Jesus’ parable, they are giving him what is rightfully his, the fruit he is worthy of receiving. His image is engraved on them, and the words, “Holy to the Lord” are inscribed on their hearts.
I want to be like them, not just in heaven or his Kingdom to come, but right here, right now.
Lord, every moment, every day, let my life be yours.
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 