WE ARE PROTECTED IN AN EVIL WORLD!

God is loving, God is faithful, God is righteous, God is wise and God saves!

Read the Psalm

Psalm 36:1-6

To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the Lord.

1 Transgression speaks to the wicked

deep in his heart;

there is no fear of God

before his eyes.

2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes

that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.

3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;

he has ceased to act wisely and do good.

4 He plots trouble while on his bed;

he sets himself in a way that is not good;

he does not reject evil.

This psalm is written by David, the servant of the Lord. His implication, with the title of servant, is that he is submitted to God, willing to do obey and serve faithfully. What a contrast to the description of God’s enemies in the first four verses!

The heart of the wicked is evil, and he has no respect or fear of God. He has no ability to even evaluate himself correctly. His heart is inclined to evil, and so his words and actions manifest themselves according to what he treasures in his heart. He desires evil, he schemes evil and he invites evil.

Dear friend, do you find yourself being frustrated and upset with the evil around you? Although the world believes that men are fundamentally good, or that their evil actions are only the consequences of an evil environment, God explains man’s behavior very differently:

Ephesians 2:1-3

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 

The Bible describes men without God in these verses in three ways:

1 – They follow the actions of other sinners

2 – They follow the direction of the devil

3 – They follow their own desires

What can we expect, when we live in a society where we are surrounded by this? But, before you feel any arrogance toward them, remember what Paul says: we walked the same way, before we were transformed by God.

Man was evil at the times of David, at the times of the Apostle Paul, and still continues to live according to his nature today.

Are we victims of our society? Is evil going to overwhelm us? CERTAINLY NOT!

Psalm 36:5-6

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,

your faithfulness to the clouds.

6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God;

your judgments are like the great deep;

man and beast you save, O Lord. 

God is loving, God is faithful, God is righteous, God is wise and God saves!

God’s love is everlasting. He loved us when we were unlovable, when we lived each day as described by Paul, with no inclination to do good. His love will never change or ever diminish; God can only love perfectly.

God is faithful. We are and will be unfaithful, but God will always remain true to His word. We never need to fear that God will change His mind about us.

God is righteous; He cannot do or desire evil. He is just, and His justice will prevail. God will never be overwhelmed by the evil of man.

God is wise; His purposes are always perfect. He is always in total control. Although it might seem to us that man’s evil is controlling the events on earth, God’s purposes will always prevail.

Our God saves! We have the privilege to know and enjoy a relationship with God, Himself! We know our eternal destiny. We never could have saved ourselves and we cannot keep ourselves saved, for both are His sovereign gifts. What security we enjoy, knowing that God loves us perfectly, His actions towards us are perfectly wise, and He is perfectly righteous in His character and plans.

GOD’S GRACE IS SUFFICIENT!

WE NEED TO ASK GOD TO HELP US KEEP ETERNAL VALUES IN MIND

Psalm 35

1 Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;

fight against those who fight against me!

2 Take hold of shield and buckler

and rise for my help!

3 Draw the spear and javelin

against my pursuers!

Say to my soul,

“I am your salvation!”

4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor

who seek after my life!

Let them be turned back and disappointed

who devise evil against me! 

In this Psalm, David is asking God to come to his side. He is asking God to be the supreme Judge through his whole ordeal. Although David is being persecuted, he is not looking for personal vengeance, but for God to rescue him.

He is expecting the Lord to fight for him; he is looking to God to expose the evil behavior of his pursuers. He knows that he did not rejoice in the calamity of others, while he watches them rejoice in his trials.

As David asks for God’s intervention, he knows that God is righteous, and so he expects Him to act according to His character.

As he concludes the psalm, his ultimate desire is that the Lord will be praised, that even in his life God will be glorified.

27 Let those who delight in my righteousness

shout for joy and be glad

and say evermore,

“Great is the Lord,

who delights in the welfare of his servant!”

28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness

and of your praise all the day long.

As we read this psalm, it could seem to us that there is almost arrogance in David’s requests. But the fact that he is asking God to judge shows that he recognizes that the Lord will be the ultimate judge.

Does this apply to us? Can we go to God, expecting Him to come to our rescue when we are mistreated?

David’s ultimate desire is the glory of God, and that must be our driving desire, as well. Often we seek reprieve or revenge for our own benefit. Eternal values, instead, need to be our driving desire.

Matthew 5:10-12

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

Hebrews 11:24-26

24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, 25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. 

1 Peter 4:12-14

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 

You may be going through a difficult situation, where you are sure that you are being mistreated for wrong reasons by ungodly people. Asking God to be vindicated for His glory is not wrong, but our goal should always be to live a life that points people towards the grace of God.

Is it easy? Well, I know that it’s not even possible in my own strength, but God can give us the strength to endure trials, for His glory.

How should we pray? We need to ask God to help us keep eternal values in mind, to be faithful to His Word, to be His instruments to encourage believers in their faith, and to attract unbelievers to see His strength and power in us.

The Apostle Paul learned his lesson:

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

May we learn to be content, as Paul did. As we go out today, knowing that there are those who desire evil for us or for other believers, may we remember that God’s grace is truly sufficient. 

Psalm 34:15-22 ARE YOU LOOKING DOWN, OR UP?

YOU ARE IN THE HANDS OF A GOOD AND LOVING GOD

Psalm 34:15-22

        The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous

                and his ears toward their cry.

        The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,

                to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

        When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears

                and delivers them out of all their troubles.

        The LORD is near to the brokenhearted

                and saves the crushed in spirit.

        Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

                but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

        He keeps all his bones;

                not one of them is broken.

        Affliction will slay the wicked,

                and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.

        The LORD redeems the life of his servants;

                none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

David continues this psalm, after having invited true believers to praise God, and reminding us that it is appropriate and right to do. Now, he reminds us that the LORD is attentive to the plights of His own.

Isn’t it encouraging for us to know that God sees the righteous and listens to their cry? Yes, we need to be seen and yes, we cry out to Him. We need to remember that when the Bible talks favorably about the righteous, it’s not speaking of people who commit no sins, for there are none. But, rather, about those who have been declared righteous by the grace of God, not because of what they have done or will ever achieve, but because of the finished work of Christ, the only sinless Man, on the cross.

If you are like me, right now you know that there are some things that you need to know that the God is seeing, and you need to be reassured that He is hearing the cry of your heart. All through this psalm, the name with which God is addressed is the one that expresses His omnipotence. His power, wisdom, and love have no limits, and His character makes Him unable to do anything that is not good.

God not only is favorable and good to His own, but He is also against those who are unrighteous. Their end will come in due time. Today the unrighteous are running their lives without restraint, but even they cannot perpetrate evil without God’s permission, and even their evil is part of God’s overall good intentions for His purposes.

Joseph learned this after he had received the evil from his brothers:

Genesis 50:20

        20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.

       

Jesus was killed by evil men, but this happened only because God allowed it (because) it fulfilled His purposes.

John 10:14-18

        14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

Remember this, friend: you are not at the mercy of angry and evil people, but you are in the hands of a good and loving God.

David repeats that God listens and delivers His people. He hears our cries and sees our troubles. And so, His children should be humbly depending upon Him.

Psalm 51:17

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

God wants us to recognize our utter sinfulness and our inability to do anything good apart from Him. He expects true repentance for our sins.

The Psalmist reminds us that even believers are plagued by many afflictions; we are not exempt. David had many afflictions, some because of his own sin, others because of the actions of evil people around him, but in all, he could rest assured that God was close to Him.

In due time, God will judge everyone. But right now, He wants to be our refuge, for no one who trusts Him will be condemned.

How do we protect ourselves from being discouraged? Philippians 4:4-9 gives us the answer. There are three actions we should do.

        4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

        8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

1 – Pray, take your request to God and trust Him for the results.

2 – Think correctly, have the Word of God inform your heart.

3 – Act righteously, practice godliness.

Dear friends, in this life, trials and difficulties will always be with you, evil people will always surround you, your fleshly desires will constantly pull you, but you are not a victim, you are in the hands of ‘the LORD who redeems the life of His servants’.

The greater the trials, the more powerful the enemies, the greater the striving for godliness, then our praise should be even greater. Where would we be today, without our God and our Savior Jesus Christ? If you and I are not praising, then one thing is sure: we are looking down, and not up!

OUR WORDS EXPOSE OUR HEART! - Psalm 34:11-14

A PRAISING TONGUE IS THE WORK OF GOD! 

Psalm 34:11-14

11 Come, O children, listen to me;

I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 What man is there who desires life

and loves many days, that he may see good?

13 Keep your tongue from evil

and your lips from speaking deceit.

14 Turn away from evil and do good;

seek peace and pursue it.

Having invited the readers to praise God, David now invites those who love and fear God to behave in a way that would please Him. The Psalmist, after having told us to use our tongues to praise God, reminds us not to use it in an evil way.

Remember what James says about using our tongue?

James 3:9-12

9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. 10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water. 

James is clearly stating that it is wrong and unnatural for a believer, transformed by the Holy Spirit, to use his mouth both to bless God and to speak against Him. In essence, every time we complain or curse others, we are rebelling against the sovereignty of God. As God said through James, “these things ought not to be so!”

We tend to forget that the Bible states clearly that our words expose what is in our heart.

Luke 6:45

The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

 Our words should be always edifying.

Ephesians 4:29-32

29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 

Our words will please God as long as wrong attitudes are put aside. Our hearts should be driven by grace. Those who have received grace should be givers of grace.

I love these words by Peter:

1 Peter 1:22

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 

Real love is the result of God’s transforming work in our heart. God’s word must produce obedience, and submissive obedience will produce love that, in turn, will produce godly attitudes and a loving heart that will promote godly speech.

David goes on to tell the readers that they must pursue: that is, to earnestly desire and work at turning away from what is ungodly to that which pleases God.

Sometimes we tend to dismiss the words that come out of our mouths. We justify them as a response to the poor behavior of others; we allow them, describing them as “just venting”. We minimize the severity of our sin.

Dear friends, as I stop to meditate on this Psalm, I cannot help but review my spoken words. Words are heard by others and invite them to worship God, or to neglect the sovereignty of God.

I must stop and review my days, repent, and ask God to help me to change. I must prepare for my day in prayer. Since you live in the world, you will have many opportunities to expose what is in your heart. We better not be careless!

A little reminder… it starts at home! God desires to work on our hearts. A praising tongue is the work of God!  The Lord is good, and He deserves our praise!

Psalm 34:1-11 DOES YOUR LIFE INVITE OTHERS TO WORSHIP?

WE NEED TO LEARN TO LET GOD DEFINE WHAT IS GOOD FOR US

READ THE PSALM

1 I will bless the Lord at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

let the humble hear and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt his name together!

  

4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

5 Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the Lord encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them. 

8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!

10 The young lions suffer want and hunger;

but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

  

We should read these verses at the start of every day, to remind us of what our attitude toward the Lord should be. Our lives should be filled with praise. David not only is expressing his praise to the Lord, but is inviting others to join him. The humble will listen to this invitation and join him in praise and worship.

The humble are those who recognize the hand of God and realize that know that in their own power they cannot do anything. They know they are completely dependent on God, and are satisfied in His care.

We should ask ourselves if our lives are continually expressing our praise to God and if we are truly inviting others to join us in this praise.

One of the greatest examples of praise that invited others to know and worship God is found in Acts, when Paul was in prison.

Acts 16:25-32

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.

What a testimony! In the worst of times, Paul and Silas were faithful to God. Even when imprisoned by the hands of the ungodly, they knew that it was under the direction of the careful sovereignty of God.

As we read in the psalm, David had gone through a hard time, and when he prayed, God had answered him. He knew that the Lord was watching and protecting His own. There is such peace for those who live with an awareness of God’s presence and love. Reality is that God is always at work, but we can lose sight of this truth. How grateful we are, for this reminder of God’s goodness.

Read verses 8 through 10 carefully … there is great blessing for those who take refuge in God. Placing yourself in God’s hands does not mean that God will do all things according to your will, but that you are confident that all that He will do, will be good!

We need to learn to let God define what is good for us. Often we let the world or our desires define what is good, and then we become discontent. Our unhappiness turns into ungratefulness and that turns into complaint; that path leads us to sin.

I just came home from a hard day at work. All I will say is that it would have been very easy for me to go down that wrong path, but by God’s grace, these months in the Psalms have been teaching me so much.

The worship in this psalm is the response of a man in whom God was working, through His Word. David had learned about God’s character, he had learned to trust in it, and this trust had produced godly results.

Dear friends, why is it so important to begin our day with God’s Word? Not because we will receive some special blessing by God, but because it informs our minds, it transforms our hearts, it prepares us for the difficulties of life, and it produces worship.

Invite someone to join you today in grateful praise and worship. Lead them to the Scriptures. David knew that his invitation to others needed to be by example, as well as by audible praise. May our lives invite others to worship the Lord God, because He is good!

Psalm 33:9-22 LET YOUR HEART BE GLAD, AS YOU FOCUS ON GOD!

 Read Psalm 33

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm.

10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.

11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the plans of his heart to all generations.

12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,

the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

13 The Lord looks down from heaven;

he sees all the children of man;

14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out

on all the inhabitants of the earth,

15 he who fashions the hearts of them all

and observes all their deeds.

The Psalmist has reminded us that it is appropriate and right for man to praise God and to worship Him as the creator and sustainer of all. As he goes on, the writer reminds us that the Lord is also in sovereign control of all.

God’s sovereignty is not frustrated by nature, it’s not thwarted by man who sins, it’s not impaired by nations or politics, and it’s not diverted by the will of man. God is in total, absolute, careful, and purposeful control of all things! This control is not strenuous or tiring for God; He is utterly capable to do it; He does not need help. He does not need extra strength or wisdom or love to perfectly accomplish His intentions. His judgment is eternally perfect, for His sovereignty is powerful to oversee every human being at the same time.

As we read and reflect on these verses, we have to be in awe of the fact that our perfect, holy God would reveal Himself to us and love us in such a meticulous way. Nothing can happen to us unless God permits and ordains it, and it’s always exactly what is best for us. This truth should drive us to penitent, submissive worship. Those who understand and believe these truths are blessed. Israel was blessed by being God’s chosen people, and we are blessed by being His chosen children.

Are you taking the time to rehearse your life, like I am? God was in total control through every day of sunshine, rain or storm that I have ever gone through, and has loved me more than I could ever comprehend. God is totally aware of every detail of my life right now, for nothing escapes Him or surprises Him: it all fits into His perfect plan.

God knows every heart, every thought, every plan; in fact, He knows exactly why we do everything we do. Are we trusting Him and resting in these truths?

16 The king is not saved by his great army;

a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.

17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,

and by its great might it cannot rescue.

Even the most powerful men, who think they are choosing their destiny and controlling their lives, cannot do anything unless God allows them to do it. I know that I am not a king, but many times I tend to live as if I am ruling my life. The writer reminds us that this is certainly not so. We tend to put our hope in our abilities and strength, or in the power of others, and we forget that we are all totally dependent on what God does. Knowing, and especially remembering, these truths, is so freeing. We need not worry, we must not fret, but trust! Turbulent times, raging enemies, pain from our sin or the sin of others is not the result of a society gone wild, but is entirely under His control.

Let’s not forget that there is a purpose in all that God allows in our life.

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,

on those who hope in his steadfast love,

19 that he may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive in famine.

20 Our soul waits for the Lord;

he is our help and our shield.

Our responsibility is to fear God, trust Him, and rest in the Lord’s steadfast love. His love is perfect at all times, it has our best interest in mind at all times, it’s never earned by our behavior or response, it is eternally perfect!

Dear friends, God’s purposes are not always visible or clear to us, but we must wait upon the Lord. When we are anxious, we are exposing our lack of hope, when we are bitter, we expose our lack of belief, when we complain, we expose our lack of trust, when we rebel, and we expose our lack of submission. So what is God expecting our response to be?

21 For our heart is glad in him,

because we trust in his holy name.

22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,

even as we hope in you.

The writer was so right when he said that we are blessed! Do you remember our state before God came into our life?

Ephesians 2:12

            …remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

Dear friends, we have a blessed hope! So we must worship God with lives that expose the trust and gladness of heart we have, because we know God! 

PRAISING GOD IS THE OUTFLOW OF A BELIEVING HEART

The wise recognize the hand of God and act appropriately… 

Read the Psalm

1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!

Praise befits the upright.

2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;

make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!

3 Sing to him a new song;

play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

The invitation is clear! The righteous should be shouting for joy in praise to the Lord. The writer reminds us that it is appropriate, indeed, for those who have a relationship with the Lord to praise Him. Sometimes it’s more impactful to think about it in the negative: that it is inappropriate not to praise God.

Think about your expressed attitudes in the last few days. Would those who have watched you say that your life has been an example of praise? The praise the psalmist is portraying here is elaborate, and the righteous are well- prepared, skillfully playing accompaniment with musical instruments to their words of worship!

There is a clear image of excitement. And when we stop and reflect, we quickly realize there are certainly many reasons for us to do the same.

The psalmist goes on to remind us of some of these reasons for our praise:

4 For the word of the Lord is upright,

and all his work is done in faithfulness.

5 He loves righteousness and justice;

the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;

he puts the deeps in storehouses. 

The word of the Lord can be trusted, and all He does is done in faithfulness to His character and His promises. God loves all that is righteous and just, and all that He does is true to what He loves. All God does is motivated by His love. God is active in showing His love to all mankind, even though they might be oblivious to it. God’s creation is a display of God’s care for mankind, as He sustains and controls everything in it.

The more we reflect on these truths, the more evident it becomes that is right for man to worship and praise God.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;

let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!

9 For he spoke, and it came to be;

he commanded, and it stood firm. 

The writer commands the earth to fear God; man should first of all look at nature, recognize the hand of God and be amazed at the display of power and perfection in His creation. God’s control is effortless: simply by His spoken word, He creates, controls, and sustains all.

As I think about this, not only should our praise be loud and clear, but it should also be without shame or fear. We certainly should fear God, but never man. Even though we live in a world where evolution has become the religion of the majority, we believers should be courageous in our praise for the Creator of all.

Romans 1:18-20

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

The wise recognize the hand of God and act appropriately… They praise Him each day with loud praise. Every man who does not recognize the hand of God in creation and does not worship Him accordingly will receive the wrath of God in the judgment day.

May today and all our days be filled with praise!