Not Even One
December 14, 2009

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.
The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.
They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one.”
- Psalm 14:1-3

Do you think that people are basically good, or basically corrupt? Well, quite honestly, it doesn’t matter what you or I think on the subject, because God has already made an omniscient evaluation: corrupt. Totally and universally.

And that, my friends, is why we are now celebrating the season of Advent. Because God, who declared all of humankind hopelessly corrupt, sent us Hope to us in the form of his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

• Read the verses above, and spend time acknowledging before God that that is what you were before you knew Christ: foolish, blasphemous, corrupt, and evil.
  
• Did you find the above exercise easy or difficult? Why?
  
• Spend time in quiet meditation, focusing on the fact that Jesus came because you were utterly corrupt and incapable of saving yourself – simply because he loves you so very, very much.