I have found myself recently going back to a familiar portion of Scripture for me. It's where Paul describes all the reasons why he could have confidence in his flesh; how he, if anyone, could put confidence in his own efforts before God.
Yet, after listings all his accolades, he describes these things as being gain for him, and not for Christ. They were all things that he could glory in. They were all things that pointed to his strength and what he could do. None of it pointed to God's strength, and what God could do.
He was doing good things, but it was still all about him. It was all about his work, and what he could do. (Of course, as he describes in Romans, all his efforts fell drastically short.)
When, in reality, it's all about what Jesus... Did.
Here's the passage:
For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ... http://bible.us/Phil3.3.ESV
