Death is the way to life (John 19:16-17; Luke 9:23; John 12:24). It is the way to abundance, the way to living out our purpose and being fruitful. We are called to be living sacrifices, to die in some way while we are still physically alive and breathing. The command to God’s people in the Old Testament was to consecrate themselves, to be holy (Leviticus 20:7-8). We are to be holy because God is holy in His character and nature. In fact, holiness is the summary word of God’s reality. The process and journey of becoming holy like God is called sanctification, and it is a work of God in our lives. He is Yahweh M’Kaddesh – the LORD who sanctifies you. We are to die to anything God says is sin in thought or action, and to say yes to anything He says is holy. We are to take up our cross and die daily, with the help of healthy, Biblical community, so that we can become increasingly more like Him.