But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man “unclean”. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man “unclean”; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him “unclean”. Matthew 15:18-20.

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. Proverbs 15:4 NRSV.

Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and my hope is in You all day long. Psalm 25:5.

Normally I would share all or part of a psalm we are reading, but I love in the commentary below for Psalm 145: “Sometimes our burdens seem more than we can bear, and we wonder how we can go on. David stands at this bleak intersection of life’s road and points toward the Lord, the great burden-bearer. God is able to lift us up because (1) His greatness is unfathomable (145:3); (2) He does mighty acts across many generations (145:4); (3) He is full of glorious splendor and majesty (145:5); (4) He does wonderful and awesome works (145:5, 6); (5) He is righteous (145:7); (6) He is gracious, compassionate, patient and loving (145:8,9); (7) He rules over an everlasting kingdom (145:13); (8) He is our source of all our daily needs (145:15,16); (9) He is righteous and loving in all His dealings (145:17); (10) He remains near to those who call on Him (145:18);(11) He hears our cries and saves us (145:19,20). If you are bending under a burden and feel that you are about to fall, turn to God for help. He is ready to lift you up and bear your burden.”

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom…The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love…The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made…Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations…The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does…The Lord is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all He does…The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth…v. 3, 8, 9, 13, 17, 18.

I keep thinking of “the least of these” because in this world of ours, they are not even noticed. Jesus notices. The Father notices. Holy Spirit notices. David wrote our psalm so beautifully because he was writing about our Creator God who notices. And what did Jesus tell us? When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right hand and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.” Matthew 25:31-36. Do we notice the very words Jesus spoke to us? Do we try to understand what is holy? Do we know God’s own joy in loving…His peace in trusting Him? Who are the least of these? Us. The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me.” Matthew 25:40.

How can we take it all in? It helps to read Scripture written so we can learn about our Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. Ask for His help when you read. Passages you have read many times bring new understanding as you grow in the truth and understanding of God’s love for you and me. The least of these so important to our God, that He gave His life in the greatest love we will ever know so that we can be saved in Him. No One else could do that for you and me. Only God. Rejoice in the Holiness of our God who loves us. In God there is peace and holiness and breathtaking beauty and resounding joy. And He asks us to love one another as we learn to love Him. Only God is worthy of worship and in worshiping Him, your life begins.