Good on our own?

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Psalm 127:1

Put simply, unless you're doing it for God, it's worth nothing. And unless we put it in God's hands, it will not succeed ultimately.

Often I hear from non believers, "Why do we need God to be a good person?" And I've made the argument in the past about how we all define "good" in different ways, even if slightly different.  But here's my argument this time: the difference is in the why.

Let's look at Gandhi. I think most people would agree that he is considered to be one of the better people in history. Now, he was known for being a bit of a racist, sure, but on average - from more worldly perspective - he's done far more for peace than almost anyone in history. That, by itself, is wonderful.

But why? What were his drivers?

In the Hindu culture, being good comes from a hope that, by doing so, you bring that good into your next life... your reincarnation. One of the ideals for your next life might be to come back as a cow - an animal that is revered by the Hindu culture because those animals are seen as good and righteous ancestors, reincarnated. 

So, in this case was Gandhi doing this for others or for himself? Were his actions selfless, or selfish?

I'm not picking on Gandhi here, I'm just illustrating the point with someone who is held up in our history as someone who was "good" on his own, by his own power.

In contrast, Christians SHOULD let go and let God. And when we do let Him, then we are doing real good. If we are doing it on our own, there are always prideful intentions involved. 

Here's the bottom line: 
True good only comes from God.
If it comes from our own efforts, with our own intentions, it is tainted ... dirtied by pride.

With every "good" deed done without God, it's saying, in essence, "I don't need Him" and, "I've got this with our without Him" and worst of all, "All of what I have and what I am is my doing, not His."