In a world full of voices claiming to look inside yourself or rely on yourself. A world that declares self reliance. I declare to you this day that there is no good thing within you. There may be good intentions to do the right thing. We may occasionally do the right thing, but our unrepentant heart is bent upon evil continually. It is self serving, self preserving and our thought life can be focused upon self. That is the voice of the world. We hear it in commercials when they say we need to treat our self or feed our self, pamper our self in some way. We hear it on the news, on tv shows, on the radio, magazines and newspapers. We hear it from politicians, social workers and every unrepentant person in this earth. These are the things that the world calls us to.

Even when we do something right the motivation can still be self. People want recognition for good deeds and good thoughts. But what did Christ teach? Didn’t he teach that we are full of sin and there is no good thing, no possible redemption within ourselves? Was not His whole ministry on earth to show that we are in need of saving from our sins?

Matthew 1:21
And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

For even the apostle Paul preached:

⁹ What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. (Romans 3:9)

Even King David in the Psalms declares the Lord’s purpose:

¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all His ways,
Gracious in all His works.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
¹⁹ He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
²⁰ The Lord preserves all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy. (Psalm 145:17-20)

The Lord is indeed near to all who call upon Him in Truth. Who seek Truth apart from their own desires. So that their wickedness can be turned to His righteousness.

…we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.  ²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2Cor. 5:20-21)