The philosopher, Paul Deussen... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

The gospel of Christ is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.When we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Romans 1:16; 5:6


The philosopher, Paul Deussen (1845-1919), once said the following:

"The power necessary to stop our planet from revolving or make it orbit in the opposite direction would be enormous cosmic power. Yet it would be minute compared with the power needed to put an end to man's egotism and set us on another pathway."

This observation of human striving contains much of the diagnosis of mankind found in the Bible, which points out that man's thoughts are selfish and unloving (cf. 2 Timothy 3:1-5). So the Word of God insists on the need for conversion. But in himself man is powerless and incapable of altering his way of life. The strength for a radical change can come only from God. For this reason He sent His Son to earth, and "when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

When God calls on us today to be converted, He does not mean that we should better ourselves or keep His commandments to the letter, but that we should admit our weakness and confess the entire guilt of our life to Him. Then He directs our eyes to Jesus Christ and His atoning death, by which all God's righteous demands were fulfilled. For all who rest on that sacrifice the gospel proves to be "the power of God to salvation", giving us the strength for an entirely new life.

Today's reading: Lamentations 3:1-24 · Psalm 44:9-17