Dust and Divinity

We've noted before how online poker players can have unusual names. A recent tournament at National League of Poker had an "all-in" clash between Samba and Sawdust. The chat went this way....

Dealer: Samba wins Main Pot ($3220) with Two pair, aces and deuces
Me: Samba dances past Sawdust
Samba: earth 2 earth sawdust 2
Me: well, dust
Samba: ty
Me: That's a Bible quote (sort of)
Samba: yep i thnk
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($735)
Samba: or superman said it lol
After checking a Bible concordance today, the quote we both had in mind is not scriptural after all. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust" actually comes from an Anglican Church prayer book. But during the game, we quickly consulted a Bible and recalled something else:

Me: Found it : "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Me: Genesis 3:19
Dealer: flopblogger wins Main Pot ($395)
Samba: yep near da front
Me: Yes it is
That quote was said by the Lord because Adam disobeyed His command not to eat of the "tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Genesis 2:17, 3:17). Sadly, humans have been disobeying God's commands ever since -- in a variety of ways, from murder and stealing to having images of false gods.

Of course, this discussion led to a question....

Me: Do you believe in the Bible?
Samba: yes ....
Samba: do u no y god can say with truth He new u be4 u were born
Me: He was around before I was. :-)

That statement by Samba isn't exactly in the Bible, either. But you'll find amazing statements by the apostle Paul:

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.... -- Ephesians 1:4

But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. -- II Thessalonians 2:13

Samba went on to write something about Albert Einstein proving all this -- but our table was split before we could learn more details. We're simply happy that Paul wrote all this. God has a plan for believers -- and apparently had it before time began!

So we ask: are you hindering God's plan for you? Accepting God's offer of salvation and walking in holiness can lead to something much greater than dust -- a gift of eternal life.