Idolatrous greed can take the form of trying to get everybody to like you or trying to be the very best. Whichever form or combination of forms it might take, it is this devotion of self to what the created order is believed to provide which makes a person idolatrous. Since idolatry involves saving one's own life by pushing what are considered to be the right buttons, every time an Israelite sacrificed to Baal he was depending upon Baal to provide what he believed Baal could provide him. Every time a modern cosmopolitan sacrifices time and energy toward education, social status, possessions, etc. The names are the only difference between ancient and modern idolatry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nothing is done in the spiritual realm by one's own merit.
The human being is the recipient and instrument of God's grace. He has nothing good to offer, other than the good God who calls all to repentance, by his Son Jesus. This, however, is every true Christian's subject matter. Do not gaze upon man. Let the crucified and glorified Jesus be your theme.