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Timothy: Romans 1:18-23
The Knowledge of God has been Revealed to the Gentiles

18 For God’s wrath is revealed from Heaven on all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, holding the truth in unrighteousness,

19 because the thing known of God is clearly known within them, for God revealed it to them.

20 For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse.

21 Because knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful. But they became vain in their reasonings, and their undiscerning heart was darkened.

22 Professing to be wise, they became foolish

23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into a likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.

[Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

Dear God, You are my Beloved Father. I thank You for the Living Word You have given me today. Through it, I am reminded of the power and majesty of God. God is Almighty, for He is the Creator of all living things. God is majestic, for He rules over all with love, holiness, and justice. Therefore, anyone who does not believe in and honor God, and who acts against Him, deserves to be punished by Him.

Dear Father, I understand that not believing in and honoring God is a failure to acknowledge and worship God as the Creator whom all living things must obey and worship. Injustice, first and foremost, is the failure to believe in and honor God. It is from this failure that actions against God arise. Actions against God are a violation of God’s will, which is expressed through God’s commandments. The Bible calls injustice a sin.

Dear Father, I understand that those who do not believe in God always commit injustices to satisfy their every desire, disobeying God’s law. They use their injustices to cover up and oppress the truths of God, hoping to keep God’s truths from being known by many. They even set up laws in their own legal systems to prevent anyone from living according to God’s commandments, using their unjust laws to harm those who live by the truth and preach the truth.

Dear Father, I realize that today’s world has fallen into such disbelief and injustice that sin is rampant everywhere, perhaps not much different from the time of Noah before the Great Flood. The truth of God has been oppressed even more when nations join together to establish laws that permit and protect those who violate God’s commandments, while at the same time condemning and harming those who live by God’s commandments.

Dear Father, I understand that because humans were created by God to govern His creation, God has placed within humans the knowledge of Him, the One who created them and all creatures. Even in the consciousness of the Vietnamese people, we also have knowledge of God, whom we call “Ông Trời” (Heavenly Father).

Dear Father, I understand that God’s creative work is evidence of His existence, His greatness, and His omnipotence. Even without anyone proclaiming it, humans only need to look at nature to realize the existence of an Almighty God. Humans can also recognize the love, holiness, and justice of God by looking at their own conscience.

Dear Father, I understand that You have enlightened the truth of God in the human mind so that they can know love, holiness, and righteousness. This knowledge is called conscience, which is the foundation of all human activities. However, when faith in God is lost, and humans love themselves more than God, they choose to live according to their contrary desires instead of holiness, and injustice arises. Instead of living righteously according to the truth, humans use injustice to suppress the truth.

Dear Father, it is true that humans have become arrogant and consider themselves wise when they discover Your laws of physics and create devices that provide comfort in life. However, they do not worship God but worship the things they have made with their own hands. They are also deceived by demons, causing them to worship angels who oppose God under the guise of various divine beings. Some worship themselves, and even worse, some worship the images of insects, birds, and animals that You have given humans to manage.

Dear Father, it is true that in the minds of those who do not believe in God, there are only empty ideals, lofty thoughts that do not bring true value according to Your truth. They know that there is an Almighty God who created them. They know what love, holiness, and justice mean according to God’s laws in their conscience. They know they do not believe in God and are committing injustices every day. In fact, they live to commit injustices, and they find joy in them. They also know that life is short, and they will have to pay for every injustice they commit. But they are lost because in their hearts, in their minds, they no longer have an understanding of the truth.

As the Holy Spirit said:

“But these as unreasoning natural beasts, having been born for capture and corruption, speaking evil in that of which they are ignorant, they shall utterly perish in their corruption” (II Peter 2:12).

Dear Beloved Father, please help me always be filled with wisdom and knowledge of Your Word so that I may have ideals that please You and have eternal value. Please help me live each day in gratitude to You, so that everything I do is worthy of glorifying You. I desire to continually honor You and be a righteous person in Your Kingdom. Thank You, Father.

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
03/05/2023