Narcissus was a most beautiful and proud youth. He was cursed with falling in love with anything more beautiful than him. He therefore fell in love with his reflection, and starved staring in adoration at himself.

Paul here gives some sober reminders. The first is that thoughts matter. We should concentrate on the good: we have to be anti cultural to a lot of the secular messages out there, not because they are secular, but because they concentrate on the bad.

Secondly, we are not to devalue ourselves, neither are we to worship self esteem. We are to do good, not get pats for trying. High self esteem is not an end: doing good is an end.

Besides, we should count our life poured out as a sacrifice.

Romans 12:1-8

1I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.

3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

via Daily Lectionary Readings — Devotions and Readings — Ministries & Programs — GAMC.