Romans 1:18-32
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
Psalm 19:1-6
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.
Ephesians 5:15-20
God the Father
15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Nature, the world, and creation just happens to be all around us, and is hard to miss...St. Paul thought that we could look at creation and see an order and design to the world...And through this order and design, one can see a God who has revealed Himself to us...So God gives us information about Himself by what He has created, and in the world around us...The created world cries out that God is near us...Creation is real, and is our reality...And St. Paul relates this reality of creation to a real and Living God...
And not only did St. Paul see the created world and its order as a sign of God, but so could the Psalmist and King David...David says that the sky speaks of the glory of God...The skies when we look and listen to nature, we hear God....Even our scientists see signs of design and fine-tuning so that human life can exist here on earth...And maybe, just maybe this fine-tuning will lead us to God and to the Truth...
And in these verses, we see that we are to give glory and to give thanks to God...Both Paul and David say let us give glory to God in this glory of creation and in the heavens...For although people can look around and see creation each and everyday, some people just cannot see God in this created order and in the design of the earth and in the universe...Some people cannot feel the Presence of God in our finely tuned earth, so they neither have glorified Him as God, nor gave thanks to Him...So some people who cannot see God creating our universe, neither give thanks to Him or give Him glory...These people fail to have recognized Him as God through our the created order of the universe...And be looking to the sky and the heavens and the stars they cry out the glory of God...
So let us make the most of every opportunity and give thanks to the LORD...Let us give Him glory...Let us understand what the will of God is, and that in the long run and in the end God's will always does get done...So let us be close to God and be filled with the Holy Spirit, as best we can...And let us speak to one another in love and in harmony...Let us sing and make music in our hearts and always give thanks to our God, the Father in all things, and do this in the name of His Son Jesus Christ...