FROM DUST TO DUST

MATTHEW 6:1-18

I wonder how men are so arrogant and proud if we will only reflect that all of us are just made from dust and to dust we will come back.

As we enter into the new season in the church liturgical year, it is important to understand how significant the life we have received from God.

THE BEGINNING OF LENT

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. It is marked by the impositions of ashes on the forehead of the faithful

We call it “Kuwaresma” which means “kuwarenta” or forty days, approximately six weeks before the Easter Sunday.

It is the traditional preparation of the believer through prayer, penance, repentance of sins and alms-giving.

THE RELEVANCE OF FORTY

In the book of Jonah, Jonah was commanded by God to proclaim to the city of Nineveh’s coming destruction as its people wickedness has come up before God. The people were given forty days to amend their way and repent from their sins and return back to God. All the people from the king to his nobles down to the ordinary people and even their animals fasted, wore a sack cloth and sat on ashes.

They earnestly call God and the Lord saw their deeds and He did not executed the destruction set before them.

MAN FROM DUST TO DUST

God created man from nothing into someone special to Him.

God formed man from dust of the ground, and breath into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.

Have we ever noticed that despite that God created us from dust, out of all the creation He made, He does different to man?

God did not just speak “Let the man be formed and live”, rather He formed man, He touched the man and breathe him with His spirit.

From thereon, man always long to be touched and desires the life that comes from Him.

CREATED FOR A PURPOSE

We will not remain to be dust because God created us for a purpose.

The container that He formed, He fills us to function. We are formed, filled and created to function.

Our body is God’s temple. From dust we are formed according to His image and likeness so that we could be His living sanctuary, a temple of His Spirit.

Because of His love, God had already decided that through Jesus Christ, He would make us children- this was His pleasure and purpose –Ephesian 1:4-5

WE ARE NOT AN ACCIDENT

Even before we were born, before we were conceived by our parents, we were already conceived in the mind of God.

I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born-Isaiah 44:22

God designed every details of our body. He deliberately chooses our race, the color of our skin, your hair, and every other feature- Psalm 139:15-16

When my bone were being formed, carefully put together in my mother womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there- you saw me before I was born- Psalm 13915-16

We may be borne by accident, considered as illegitimate but in God we are not an accident.

While there are illegitimate parents, there are no illegitimate children.

Because God never makes mistakes. He has a reason for everything He creates.

FROM DUST TO DUST

It is a truth that we were created by God to His image and likeness.

It is a truth that God formed us inside our mother’s womb.

It’s a reality that at a time destined for us, our body will go back to where it came from.

It will return to dust.

But it’s a reality as well that at a time destined for us, those who believe that Jesus who rose from the dead and rose again, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 13:14

Everything in this world is temporary but the promises of God are eternal.

TULDOK (DOT)

To live in hypocrisy is like a dust.

What you will do if you gain all the praises and honor given by man if at the end you profit nothing.

What we gain is nothing but an honor of vain.

There was a beautiful lyric from a song Tuldok which goes like this:

Ang tuldok ay may salaysay at may kahulugan

Na dapat mapasin at maintindihan

Kahit sino pa man ay dapat malaman

Na ditto sa mundo ikaw ay tuldok lang

Sa aking nakita, akoy napawala

Maraming nag-aaway tuldok lang ang dahilan

Kaya’t wala kang dapat na ipagmayabang

Na ikaw ay mautak at maraming alam

Dahil kung susuriin at ating iisipin

Katulad ng lahat, ikaw ay tuldok rin

That dot was never made to be a question mark for us to doubt and raise many questions on your existence and on our worth.

It’s not a question mark that you question the love of our God to us, to question His existence but a question to ask ourselves, how I could return the favor to Him who loves me without measure.

That dot was never a made to be a period for us to stop hoping that something good is always in store and stop believing in our ability that we could make something great.

The dot was made to be an exclamation point so that daily God will amaze us how beautiful life is. Daily we wonder the works God are doing in our life. Daily we stand in awe because God despite of our smallness, in Him we are big.

We have nothing to boast. We should not be proud except that despite of our smallness, God greatness makes us big.

Nobody notices a dot but not God. For some, we may be just a dot but God has given as high regards that He loved us too much.

Every time an ashes imposes on our forehead this means “mamatay ka din, mamatay ka din”.

We will come back to dust but are we ready now?

At the start of the Lenten season, it’s good to ask ourselves; am I ready to die from selfishness, from being proud, am I ready to die from sinfulness.

May your Lenten journey be meaningful,

Mikesendon