Selflessness is key to serving God successfully.
God uses only the dead to self. We must be totally dead to qualify as instruments in the hand of God.
To be used by God, one must deny Himself. That is, count Himself as non-existent, totally abandoned to doing just the will of God. Lk.9:23-27
It is just what remains of self that God can use.
To be fully used by God one must be fully dead to self.
To be used like Christ we must be prepared to make ourselves of no reputation and take the form of a servant as he did. Phil.2:5-9