As a result, God said (to the rich man in verse 20), "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be acquired of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided".  When are we going to finally stop and think about who we live for? The Bible not only was talking to the rich man you know. Luke 12:21 says, "So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God" When our life's purpose is material gain, it is not rich toward God. In other words, what are we giving Him? We should be giving Him priority in our life.
Next, from John 12:24, we can learn that when we die to self, it brings about certain "fruits". Living for Christ brings about rewards in Heaven. If we look in the verse again, it says, "...and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" This, again, is not a hatred of being alive, but priorities in our life. It is our lifestyle. Those who die to self reap rewards that are kept eternally. The rich man couldn't take anything with him because all he worked for was earthly things. If we dedicate to Christ, the rewards of such are eternal. But, we must not do it just for rewards, we need to do it for Christ who died for us. It must be a willing dedication of service.

Next, a self-sacrifice involves constant rededication. I Cor. 15:31 says, "I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily" Now of course he didn't die a literal death, he dedicated himself anew to God. This constant, daily dedication is essential if we are to stay on track and keep focused on our goal. We are to serve our Creator for His glory, not ours. Each day, we should tell God to use us to the best of our ability. Doing it daily will help you remember, and will enable to task to be completed faster.

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