Going to Jesus

Daily Thoughts

 Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:

• Collection

  Thoughts for the Morning Thoughts for the Evening Random Thoughts

• Month

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• Day

  05-01 Separating Yourself 05-02 Keeping the Law, Part 1 05-03 Keeping the Law, Part 2 05-04 Forsaking Christ 05-05 Going to Mount Sinai 05-06 Going to Mount Sinai, Response 1 05-07 Going to Mount Sinai, Response 2 05-08 Accursed 05-09 “I Make Myself the Transgressor” 05-10 “I Am Not Lying!” 05-11 Titus 05-12 Free From Law 05-13 The Spirit of Law 05-14 The Best State of Man 05-15 What Is God Always Doing? 05-16 Convincing The Jews 05-17 Convincing The Jews, Response 1 05-18 Convincing The Jews, Response 2 05-19 “Showing forth the Lord’s Death” 05-20 How Did The Spirit Come? 05-21 In A World Without God, Part 1 05-22 In A World Without God, Part 2 05-23 In A World Without God, Part 3 05-24 In A World Without God, Part 4 05-25 The Only True Thing 05-26 The Gospel Cannot Be Forced 05-27 Two Gospels 05-28 Doubt Leads to Damnation 05-29 What A Cult Is 05-30 Not Much of a Christian 05-31 God, Plus Zero

 

Thought for the Morning
5-23

In A World Without God, Part 3

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ”
David, in Psalm 14:1

Paul made a list of good and evil things in Galatians 5, but look at them from the point of view of these men, from the viewpoint of a world without God. First, the evil “works of the flesh”:

The Works of the Flesh in a World Without God

(Gal. 5:19-21)

• immorality - In a world without God, any kind of immoral conduct is acceptable, no matter how perverse it may seem to those in a world with God. And Paul’s exhortation to young Timothy to “flee fornication” is shown to be merely superstitious bondage.
• uncleanness - In a world without God, purity has no value. It actually becomes an undesirable hindrance to a right understanding of life. So, people who are child molesters in God’s world, appear in a world with no God to be child educators, broadening a child’s narrow horizons.
• licentiousness - In a world without God, any restraint upon human moral conduct is oppressive nonsense. The most perverted acts are seen as mere expressions of self and of liberty.
• idolatry and sorcery - In a world without God, as in God’s world, this kind of conduct is wrong. But in a Godless world, it is mere foolishness practiced by the shallow-minded. In God’s world, it can be deadly, for demons can become involved and deceive people with their power.
• hostilities, strife, and disputes - In a world without God, violent conflicts are unavoidable, as different people’s quests for self-aggrandizement conflict. In the end, a world without God becomes a “dog-eat-dog” world in which the strong crush the weak.
• emulation and envy - In a world without God, desire for the pleasure and wealth that others possess is reason enough for murder or for war. Envy becomes a primary motivator of all human action.
• angry outbursts - In a world without God, there is nothing to restrain violence if one is frustrated with failures or has a lack of anything.
• selfish ambition - In a world without God, the pleasing of self is the only wise and reasonable purpose for doing anything.
• factions - In a world without God, people can unite in groups to take from others something they want, but how long can such a group hold together when self is the only real motivating factor?
• drunkenness and revelry - In a world without God, “getting high” or wild abandon to fleshly lusts is just as acceptable a life choice as becoming a builder if that is what self wants. There is no standard by which either goodness or wickedness can be determined, nor can there be, in a world without God.

Next Time: In A World Without God, Part 4