Counterfeit Gods

I am reading the book "Counterfeit Gods" by Tim Keller....it's so good as it's drawing me more and more to the heart of worship. It's a great thought provoking book that looks at our hearts as individuals and as a culture and questions what it is that is the "supreme" thing in our life (the thing we worship). Anything other than Christ is idolatry. Here's a couple great examples of how things can become idols -

"An idol is something that we look to for things that only God can give. Idolatry functions widely inside religious communities when doctrinal truth is elevated to the position of a false god. This occurs when people rely on the rightness of their doctrine for their standing with God rather than on God himself and his grace. It is a subtle but deadly mistake. The sign that you have slipped into this form of self-justification is that you become what the Proverbs calls a 'scoffer'. Scoffers always show contempt and disdain for opponents rather than graciousness. This is a sign that they do not see themselves as sinners saved by grace. Instead, their trust in the rightness of their views makes them feel superior."  

and in the work world -

"these days, the best people don't abuse alcohol, they abuse their lives....you're successful, so good things happen. You complete a project, and you feel dynamite. That feeling doesn't last forever, and you then slide back into normal. You think, 'I've got to start a new project' - which is still normal. But you love the feeling of euphoria, so you've got to have it again. The problem is, you can't stay on that high. Say you're working on a deal and it doesn't get approved. Your self esteem is on the line, because you've been gathering your self worth externally. Eventually, in this cycle, you drop to the pain level more and more often. The highs don't seem quite so high. You may win a deal that's even bigger than the one that got away, but somehow that deal doesn't take you to euphoria. Next time, you don't even even get back to normal, because you're so desperate about clinching the next deal....an 'achievement' addict is no different than any other kind of addict."

Praying for myself (and you) that their may be ONE source of life, worth, joy, success, value, etc...in your life.