Dead to self

God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been cruxified to me, and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14)

A woman rushed up to violinist Fritz Kreisler after a concert and gushed, "Oh, I would give my life to play as you do!" He answered soberly, "That's exactly what I did."

Kreisler had made a great sacrifice of time, effort, and personal desires to attain such accomplishment. So, too, in the spiritual realm, if we would become mature followers of Christ, we must be willing to die to self.