Your Core Identity Illustrated by a Matryoshka Doll

My mother has been in a conversation with a friend about "dying to self" and what it practically means in the Christian's life. She sent me an email this morning that sparked some thoughts on this excellent subject.  

The concept of dying to self is based on the teachings of Jesus and the early Apostles. Here are three examples of what they said:

"For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" (Luke 9:24-25)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow Me." (Matthew 16:24).

Paul wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

In order to understand the very important concept of "dying to self," the definit…