Psalm 14
Only fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They are corrupt, and their actions are evil;
not one of them does good!
The Lord looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt and useless
No one does good,
not a single one!
Will those who do evil never learn?
They eat up my people like bread
and wouldn’t think of praying to the Lord.
Terror will grip them,
for God is with those who obey him.
The wicked frustrate the plans of the oppressed,
but the Lord will protect his people.
Who will come from Mount Zion to rescue Israel?
When the Lord restores his people,
Jacob will shout with joy, and Israel will rejoice.
Without God, man is nothing. When I don’t lean on God, I become self-reliant. When I don’t praise and thank God, I become self-absorbed. Even if I attempt to do good, if I am in a selfish state, I’ll be doing it to gain something. I might be trying to gain the person’s respect. I could want a “thank you” from them. On the other hand, I could be trying to earn right standing with God and a resting place in heaven, which no one has ever done. However, if I keep God’s love for me primarily in my mind, I can help another person with more altruistic motivations. Because God first loved me, I can let some of that love spill onto someone else.