Wisdom from the Psalms, Daily Thoughts and Meditations, at One Place






"Sin is not merely doing what is wrong, but doing what is wrong in the sight of the Lord. God has offered us suggestions for living full and happy lives. Our being disobedient to those suggestions doesn't hurt God, it hurts us. God is saddened by our refusal to be obedient, but He is always willing to hear our petition for forgiveness, and He will show us His mercy. When we sin, it is a private matter between God and ourselves. Take your sins before God, repent of each one, and glory in the grace of God, by which we receive full pardon of all we do wrong."

Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.
Psalm 51:4

Love Your Neighbor, by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop; Thirty Meditations in Scripture for Each Step in Recovery, at One Place 

"A friend of mine recently shared a story with me. She said that she’s lived in the same neighborhood for twelve years and never really reached out to any of her neighbors. Having learned that one of her neighbors was battling cancer and leukemia, she thought that the time had come to express care, concern, and love to her."


Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.


1 John 3:18

China to Become the Leading Christian Nation?
Staff Blog, Mission Network News








"Until 1976, leaders in China tried to eradicate religion. Nearly 40 years later, Christians are seeing God move in a big way. According to The Telegraph News, experts are predicting China to be the leading nation in Christianity by 2030. Does that surprise you?

"We spoke with Wendell Rovenstine of Bibles For China about their contribution to China’s growing interest in Jesus.

"Many people assume that there are very few Bibles in China when in fact Nanjing China houses the largest printing press for Bibles in the world.

"The problem isn’t availability: it is accessibility. There are millions of Bibles ready to be distributed in China, but many are too poor to afford them. Others live in locations with little access to purchase Bibles."

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude;
1 Timothy 4:4













"Why is it that we don’t accept who we are? I don’t know about you, but I look at others around me (friends, people in the news, in movies, athletes, co-workers) and compare how I look . . . my clothes, my physical features, my sense of humor, my speaking ability, my communication skills, my car, my cell phone, my glasses, the color, length and fullness of my hair, and my experiences. 
 
"If you’re like me, you always come up short and feel intimidated." 

Troubled Comparisons, by Stephen Arterburn and David Stoop, from The Life Recovery Devotional: Thirty Meditations from Scripture for Each Step, at One Place

Hermeneutics at Wikipedia






Hermeneutics /hɜrməˈnjuːtɪks/ is the theory of text interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts.[1][2] The terms "hermeneutics" and "exegesis" are sometimes used interchangeably. Hermeneutics is a wider discipline that includes written, verbal, and nonverbal communication. Exegesis focuses primarily upon texts. Hermeneutic, as a singular noun, refers to a single particular method or strand of interpretation (see, in contrast, double hermeneutic). The understanding of any written text requires hermeneutics.[3]

Hermeneutics initially applied to the interpretation, or exegesis, of scripture. It emerged as a theory of human understanding beginning in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries through the work of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Wilhelm Dilthey.[3] Modern hermeneutics includes both verbal and nonverbal communication as well as semiotics, presuppositions, and preunderstandings.[4] Hermeneutic consistency refers to the analysis of texts to achieve a coherent explanation of them. Philosophical hermeneutics refers primarily to the theory of knowledge initiated by Martin Heidegger and developed by Hans-Georg Gadamer in his work Truth and Method. It sometimes refers to the theories of Paul Ricoeur.[5]

[1] Audi, Robert (1999). The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 377. ISBN 0521637228.
[2] Reese, William L. (1980). Dictionary of Philosophy and Religion. Sussex: Harvester Press. p. 221. ISBN 0855271477.
[3] International Institute for Hermeneutics About Hermenutics. Retrieved: 2014-01-02.
[4] Ferguson, Sinclair B; David F Wright, J. I. (James Innell) Packer (1988). New Dictionary of Theology. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 0-8308-1400-0.
[5] Grondin, Jean (1994). Introduction to Philosophical Hermeneutics. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-05969-8. p. 2.

But... what Does It All Mean? by Berni Dymet, at Christianity Works






"We can just skate through Easter and not even give it a second thought. Sure, we can do that. But if we do, we will miss the whole point. The point of our freedom from slavery. The slavery we have to our selfishness and sin and rejection of God. And what slave doesn’t want to be set free? What slave doesn’t yearn for the life of freedom?

"Is today the day to ask this question. To come before God, just as a child and to say, ‘Dad, what makes this day different? What makes it different from all the other days?’"

Pray, Sing and Talk, from Standing Strong Through the Storm, a Daily Devotional by Paul Estabrooks, at Cross Walk







'In Eritrea, Helen Berhane, with more than twenty other young women, was imprisoned in a shipping container that held only eighteen people. In her book, Song of the Nightingale, she shares what happened.

“'When [the guard] had locked us in and left, many of the women were furious and upset, and began to complain and cry. I tried to find ways to encourage them, and to make our situation more bearable. I encouraged everyone to sit on the floor in a circle and I began to speak to them.

"Remember that the walls of Jericho came down because of praises. If we keep complaining, we cannot win. Instead we must continue to pray, praise and sing. Satan wants to use discouraging words as a weapon against us, so we must continue to praise God in all circumstances. I could see some of the women nodding."