Die to Self, Live to God

Gen 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.


Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.


Gen 18:27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes


Job 13:12 Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.


Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.


1Pe 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

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We are dust. We are clay. Animated by the breath of God. Brought to life we live as long as we have the breath of God in us. When that breath is gone we slowly turn back into the dust we were created from. Death is inevitable for us, that return to dust is inevitable. When Job spoke in response to God's reprimand-


Job 42:1 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.
Job 42:3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.
Job 42:4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job 42:5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.


Job abhorred himself. This should be a lesson for us all. In the face of the glory of God we are nothing, we are animated dust by His will alone. We cannot understand Him with our limited ability to comprehend the greatness of God. We need to die to self and realize we live by His will, by His grace, by His love and not by anything we do. We need to repent of our arrogance in dust and ashes. We need to be dead to sins and alive to His righteousness.


Every Sabbath day we are called to remember our Creator. Every Sabbath is a reminder we are to die to self and live to God. Asked to cease from our own labors we are asked to realize that of ourselves we are nothing. We cease from our workings to realize that it is only by God's love that we exist at all. We bow down to His will, acknowledging Him as Lord, as Savior. We help others, we realize God made the Sabbath for us to bring us into a constant remembrance of Him as our God. Doing good on the Sabbath knowing it is by His grace we can do anything at all. All glory goes to Him.


People get baptized- signifying a death of the old life, a dying and a rebirth, a new life in Christ. Every Sabbath we have the opportunity for the same experience. A death to self absorbence, a death to self indulgences, a death to self and a new life to Christ, an honoring of our Creator. One day a week to set aside selfish pursuits and focus on our Lord.


Lord please help me to die to self and live to You. By Your righteousness, by Your grace, by Your mercy, in Your love now and always.


Amen.