Category: Relationship

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Better Than Sacrifice

How hard is it for you to forgive? Sounds like a loaded question doesn’t it?

Last week Dave and I heard a heart-stirring message on forgiveness. I think I do a good job not holding a grudge or offense. It seems to be easy to forgive, for the most part. But then an old memory comes to mind and I get all churned up inside. I go to the Lord and lay it at his feet, again.

When we look at forgiveness from a strictly personal, human perspective it can seem almost impossible to forgive some and easy to forgive others. It all depends on how deeply we have been hurt or wronged.

Forgiveness seems to be based on our feelings and we often don’t want to take responsibility for letting them go.

In this morning’s reading Jesus was teaching on this very thing.

“Jesus said to his disciples: There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck. 3 So be careful what you do. Correct any followers of mine who sin, and forgive the ones who say they are sorry. 4 Even if one of them mistreats you seven times in one day and says, “I am sorry,” you should still forgive that person.

5 The apostles said to the Lord, ‘Make our faith stronger!’

6 Jesus replied: If you had faith no bigger than a tiny mustard seed, you could tell this mulberry tree to pull itself up, roots and all, and to plant itself in the ocean. And it would! 7 If your servant comes in from plowing or from taking care of the sheep, would you say, “Welcome! Come on in and have something to eat”? 8 No, you wouldn’t say that. You would say, “Fix me something to eat. Get ready to serve me, so I can have my meal. Then later on you can eat and drink.” 9 Servants don’t deserve special thanks for doing what they are supposed to do. 10 And that’s how it should be with you. When you’ve done all you should, then say, “We are merely servants, and we have simply done our duty.” Luke 17:1-10 CEV

Jesus talked to his disciples about forgiveness. They tried to make it a “faith” issue. Jesus quickly refuted that and told them they didn’t need more faith – even a small amount of faith was sufficient to make earth moving changes.

What he did talk to them about was their obedience. Verses 1 through 5 don’t seem to tie together with verses 6 through 10 but read it again and you will see the correlation. Jesus starts in verse 6 telling them their faith is sufficient and then immediately goes into a teaching on obedience, the obedience of a servant.

The disciples, servants of Jesus, are being challenged to obey what the Master has said. Forgive!

Take forgiveness out of the realm of feelings and place it where it belongs – it is an act of obedience! We don’t need to struggle with doing something we are commanded to do. Just obey!

“ But Samuel answered, “Which pleases the Lord more: burnt offerings and sacrifices or obeying his commands? It is better to obey the Lord than to offer sacrifices to him. It is better to listen to him than to offer the fat from rams” I Samuel 15:22 ERV

Obey because it’s what the Father has instructed us to do. Obey and know that we have done our duty as a servant of the most high God.

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Growing in Harsh Climate

I’ve had a hard time this summer keeping some of my plants alive. I bought what I knew were hardy plants that are suited for our climate, the Mexican Bird of Paradise, but they failed to grow. In fact, they died.

It’s frustrating.

But there has been some success, and I am so grateful for that. We bought two bougainvillea and also some tecoma stans or bells of fire. They are growing well and my heart is happy.

This morning, it just so happens that I was reading in Mark 4 where Jesus is telling the story about the farmer who was sowing seed in a field. Some of the seed fell on the road, some on rocky ground, some in the weeds and some on good soil. It was a reminder of what I have been through with my plants.

“Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this picture-story? Then how will you understand any of the picture-stories? 14 What the man plants is the Word of God. 15 Those by the side of the road are the ones who hear the Word. As soon as they hear it, the devil comes and takes away the Word that is planted in their hearts. 16 The seed that fell among rocks is like people who receive the Word with joy when they hear it. 17 Their roots are not deep so they live only a short time. When sorrow and trouble come because of the Word, they give up and fall away. 18 The seed that was planted among thorns is like some people who listen to the Word. 19 But the cares of this life let thorns come up. A love for riches and always wanting other things let thorns grow. These things do not give the Word room to grow so it does not give grain. 20 The seed that fell on good ground is like people who hear the Word and understand it. They give much grain. Some give thirty times as much grain. Some give sixty times as much grain. Some give one hundred times as much grain.” Mark 4:13-20 NLV

The seed is God’s word. Sometimes we hear God’s word and it is stolen from our hearts before we have time to see it grow. Our hearts are hardened, and the seeds can’t penetrate. Then other times the Word begins to grow and we are so happy to see God working in our lives but our roots don’t go very deep and when heat and dryness comes, we wither.

Oh, and then there are times when we hear God’s word and it begins to grow. The Word is coming up strong and things look good. Then we get too busy to pull the weeds of selfish ambition, pride, bitterness and a love of other things and the seed gets choked out.

But thank God for the good ground. We hear and understand the Word and it grows and flourishes and we see a fruitful harvest. The blessings that God’s word brings to our lives – forgiveness, joy, healing, peace, patience, self-control and unfailing love.

The four different types of ground were in the same field. We can also have all four kinds of soil in our hearts. Hard places, rocky ones, unattended weeds and good soil. The Bible tells us to break up the hard and rocky ground in our hearts. We should also be on guard against weeds of worry and greed.

And finally, we take care of the seed. We water it and make sure it’s the right kind of seed that will grow even when the climate is harsh. Peter, the disciple of Jesus, said God’s word is incorruptible seed. It will grow and produce when we nurture it.

Let God’s word grow – the harvest is amazing!

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Heart Attitude

Boy – that can say a lot. When our kids were younger, we told them that we had 2 rules in the house. Obedience and respect. You can obey without respecting and you can be respectful and not be obedient. We stood for both.

This morning we are going to look at Jonah and his disobedience, disrespect and ultimate obedience without respect.

God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh and speak out against the sin and evil there. Instead Jonah decided to run from God and head in the opposite direction just as quickly as he could. He got on a ship headed for Tarshish to “flee from the presence of the Lord.” Not a good sign.

“ The Lord spoke to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Nineveh is a big city. I have heard about the many evil things the people are doing there. So go there and tell them to stop doing such evil things.” 3 But Jonah tried to run away from the Lord.” Jonah 1:1-3 ERV

Most of you know the story – storm at sea, the sailors throw Jonah overboard, he’s swallowed by a great fish, spends 3 nights in the fish’s belly, Jonah cries out to the Lord and then is spit out on the beach a 3 days walk to Nineveh.

In the belly of the fish, Jonah recognizes that it’s the Lord who has sent the fish to save him from drowning. He agrees to go and proclaim judgment over the people of Nineveh. At Jonah’s declaration of God’s displeasure with the ungodly living in Nineveh the King declares that all the people are to repent and hopefully they will be spared.

At the end of 3 days, the city has repented and God acknowledges their repentance and spares them. Jonah gets mad and tells God, “I knew you would spare them if I came here” and he went to the outskirts of the city and pouted. He was very angry with the Lord for sparing them.

Jonah had cried out to the Lord while in the fish’s belly and was saved but he became angry with the city cried out to God and they were spared. He was obedient to do what God called him to do but he didn’t respect God’s actions when it came to others.

“Jonah was not happy that God saved the city. Jonah became angry. 2 He complained to the Lord and said, “Lord, I knew this would happen! I was in my own country, and you told me to come here. At that time I knew that you would forgive the people of this evil city, so I decided to run away to Tarshish. I knew that you are a kind God. I knew that you show mercy and don’t want to punish people. I knew that you are kind, and if these people stopped sinning, you would change your plans to destroy them.” John 4:1-3 ERV

Are we like that?

We expect God to forgive us for the things we’ve done but we become angry when we don’t see others “getting what they deserve”. Sometimes we find it hard to forgive those who have hurt our feelings or mistreated us in some way.

We need to follow the example of Jesus. He prayed for those who spoke evil against Him, those who plotted His death, even those who drove the spikes through His hands and His feet.

“So get rid of everything evil in your lives—every kind of wrong you do. Be humble and accept God’s teaching that is planted in your hearts. This teaching can save you.” James 1:21 ERV

Our obedience to God’s word shows the world that we respect His authority and honor Him with our hearts and our actions.

Let’s live like Jesus today and not like Jonah.

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Praying With A Heavy Heart

This morning, I came to my prayer time and sat silent for almost an hour. There were no words, only a heavy heart for my family and friends, for those I do not know, for our world.

There has been so much tragedy, unrest, so many anxious moments, so many disasters. Yet in all of it there is a peace that only God can give.

“Come to me all of you who are tired from the heavy burden you have been forced to carry. I will give you rest. 29 Accept my teaching. Learn from me. I am gentle and humble in spirit. And you will be able to get some rest.” Matthew 11:28-29 ERV

These are the words of Jesus. John the Baptist said of Him, “He came to take away the sins of the world”. If anyone knew what it was like to carry a heavy load it was Jesus. Daily He was moved with compassion as He met the needs of those searching for a miracle.

He healed the lame, the leper, the blind, all manner of sickness and disease. He had compassion on those who were broken-hearted, imprisoned by demonic forces, and those held captive by betrayal and fear.

At night he would separate Himself and go away to pray. His heart would ache as He prayed for those who were rejecting the goodness of God and the love His Father had for the world.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You kill the prophets. You stone to death those that God has sent to you. Many, many times I wanted to help your people. I wanted to gather them together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you did not let me.” Matthew 23:37 ERV

The Lord knows the heaviness of a broken heart and He desires to carry your load. His desire is to give you rest.

“ Jesus, our high priest, is able to understand our weaknesses. When Jesus lived on earth, he was tempted in every way. He was tempted in the same ways we are tempted, but he never sinned. 16 With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:15-16 ERV

Yes, with Jesus as our high priest we can come freely to God’s throne and find grace, mercy, and kindness to help in our time of need.

As I sat still, in the silence, the heaviness lifted and I knew my prayer time was complete. My heart was filled with hope and my mind was filled with song.

“My life is in You, Lord
My strength is in You, Lord
My hope is in You, Lord
In You, it’s in You

I will praise You with all of my life
I will praise You with all of my strength
With all of my life, with all of my strength
All of my hope is in You”

Let me leave you with this. “Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest”!

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Godly Character

It’s very important to me that we have a true view of the Father’s character.

Growing up when preachers on television and in the movies were characterized for preaching hell, fire and brimstone, and one of the popular songs of the day was “God’s Gonna Get You For That”, a cloud was cast on God’s character.

God’s goodness is something I marvel at, almost on a daily basis. The Apostle Paul wrote:

“God has been kind to you. He has been very patient, waiting for you to change. But you think nothing of his kindness. Maybe you don’t understand that God is kind to you so that you will decide to change your lives.” Romans 2:4 ERV

And James writes this: “ Everything good comes from God. Every perfect gift is from him. These good gifts come down from the Father who made all the lights in the sky. But God never changes like the shadows from those lights. He is always the same.” James 1:17 ERV

I didn’t realize until just now that James 1:17 is an ALWAYS verse.

Probably everyone reading this has heard at least one teaching on the fruit of the Spirit. These are the character traits that the Holy Spirit develops in our lives once we are born again. I see them as being part of our spiritual DNA. (Divine Nature Attributes)

When we’re born naturally we have inherited traits like blue eyes, dark hair, olive complexion, left-hand dominance. Well, when we receive new life from the heavenly Father we inherit His traits and characteristics.

“But the fruit that the Spirit produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their sinful self. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. 25 We get our new life from the Spirit, so we should follow the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25 ERV

Our heavenly Father’s life displays all of these. Jesus’ earthly life was an example to us on how to act like the Father. His life was selfless, kind, good and loving.

I heard a wonderful teaching on the goodness of God. Goodness is one of God’s attributes. He is always good! He can’t be anything but good; He is, and everything He does is, motivated by love. His love is never tainted with selfishness or envy so everything He does is good.

Don’t attribute the bad things that happen in your life to God. When you do you are misguided in your thinking. The enemy, the one responsible for the destruction in this world, takes pride in getting you to mistrust God and to lose your confidence in His goodness.

Remember these words from the Apostle Paul: “Brothers and sisters, continue to think about what is good and worthy of praise. Think about what is true and honorable and right and pure and beautiful and respected. 9 And do what you learned and received from me—what I told you and what you saw me do. And the God who gives peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9 ERV

Let’s keep our thinking on the Father and His character and we will see true and lasting fruit grow in our lives.

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Always and Forever

Yesterday I shared with you a few verses on the Father’s character that NEVER change. Today I want us to look at a few that are ALWAYS the same.

Realizing that God has chosen to hold Himself accountable to His word gives me such tremendous confidence in the Lord. He will ALWAYS keep His word.

Just this morning I was reading in the Psalms and saw this verse:

“The Lord is always kind to those who worship him, and he keeps his promises to their descendants 18 who faithfully obey him.” Psalm 103:17-18 CEV

This ties in with the verses we read yesterday from I Corinthians 13. Love, God, is never jealous or rude. There is also an always verse in I Corinthians 13.

“Love is always supportive, loyal, hopeful, and trusting. 8 Love never fails!” I Corinthians 13:7-8 CEV

One of the last things Jesus told his disciples before He ascended back into heaven was this:

” Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” Matthew 28:19-20 CEV

I will be with you always is a promise without an end date. Always means exactly that – always.

Just a couple more before I end my thoughts on the Father’s unchangeable character.

“ I am grateful that God always makes it possible for Christ to lead us to victory. God also helps us spread the knowledge about Christ everywhere, and this knowledge is like the smell of perfume.” II Corinthians 2:14 CEV

Now, that’s a lot to process. ALWAYS kind, always supportive, always with us and always leading us to victory!

“Your kindness and love will always be with me each day of my life, and I will live forever in your house, Lord.” Psalm 23:6 CEV

Forever and always our heavenly Father’s love will not fail.

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Rolled Away

Some mornings I can’t write fast enough to keep up with what the Lord is pouring into my heart.

My simple prayer each morning is “Lord, what do you want me to share?” Then I sit quietly and wait. This morning my heart began to sing a song, complete with hand motions, from my childhood Sunday School days.

“Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away
Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away
All my sin had to go, ‘Neath the crimson flow..
Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away”

This was followed by three thoughts from Scripture. I’ll share each one as briefly as I can and hope you will let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what stones the Father has rolled away for you.

Let’s go to John 11 first. This is where we find the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. He was Jesus’ close friend, he had been dead and buried when Jesus arrived.

Jesus wept. And after He wept, He prayed and took authority over the situation.

“ Jesus then said, ‘I am the one who raises the dead to life! Everyone who has faith in me will live, even if they die. 26 And everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die. Do you believe this?’

27 ‘Yes, Lord!’ she replied. ‘I believe you are the Christ, the Son of God. You are the one we hoped would come into the world.’” John 11:24-27 CEV

When we believe in Christ we are no longer dead but we have new life; we are born again.

“Then he told the people to roll the stone away. But Martha said, “Lord, you know that Lazarus has been dead four days, and there will be a bad smell.”

40 Jesus replied, “Didn’t I tell you that if you had faith, you would see the glory of God?”

41 After the stone had been rolled aside, Jesus looked up toward heaven and prayed, “Father, I thank you for answering my prayer. 42 I know that you always answer my prayers. But I said this, so the people here would believe you sent me.” John 11:39-42 CEV

Roll away the stone – they did – He prayed and Lazarus came out of the tomb.

“His hands and feet were wrapped with strips of burial cloth, and a cloth covered his face. Jesus then told the people, “Untie him and let him go.” verse 44

Lazarus was wrapped up in grave clothes. He was tied up in his past, in death but the command of God was more than enough to speak new life into his being. Jesus set him free from the past and gave him an eternal relationship. No longer to be bound to sin and the distresses of this life.

Now quickly, let’s go to John 20. We are at another tomb, this one was for Jesus.

“ He bent over and saw the strips of linen cloth lying inside the tomb, but he did not go in. 6 When Simon Peter got there, he went into the tomb and saw the strips of cloth. 7 He also saw the piece of cloth that had been used to cover Jesus’ face. It was rolled up and in a place by itself.” John 20:5-7 CEV

This time God rolled away the stone. This time no one needed to untie the man from the grave clothes. This time the man in the tomb, Jesus, walked out in victory. Death had no hold on him! Jesus had come out of the grave with the keys of life for all who believe.

“Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. ” I Peter 1:3 CEV

Now, let’s go back to that children’s chorus. “Rolled away, rolled away, rolled away
Every burden on my heart rolled away”. The stone of our tomb has been rolled away and Jesus has called us out to a new life. A life not bound by grave clothes – no, Jesus had us leave them in the tomb, rolled up and laying there.

We have had our sins rolled away and we now live in newness of life!

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How Far Is Too Far?

I’m sure that’s the question that the four friends of the crippled man were asking themselves. They had taken their friend, on a stretcher from his home and carried him through the streets of town.

Once they got to the house where Jesus was teaching, they couldn’t get in. The place was packed and it was SRO, standing room only, around the doors and the windows. Everyone wanted to hear this new teacher who had come to town.

He spoke like no one else, He spoke with authority. He knew the Torah and He lived it.

The friends had to re-evaluate their motives and their actions. In the next few moments, the decision was made. We’ll go to the roof!

Now, I’m not sure if you have seen those roofs but they were substantial. In the book of Acts, we see that Peter was on the rooftop of the house for his prayer time. These men had to accurately assess where in the house they thought Jesus might be and break through right above Him. There would be no second chance to get it right.

Now imagine the people in the house. Jesus is teaching and roofing materials begin to fall on you. Do you stay, do you panic? Jesus just kept preaching.

A sizable hole opens up above Him but wait, there’s more! A man on a stretcher is being lowered down, right in front of Jesus.

“Jesus was still teaching 3 when four people came up, carrying a man on a mat because he could not walk. 4 But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they made a hole in the roof above him and let the man down in front of everyone” Mark 2:2-4 CEV

Mark records that Jesus “saw their faith”. Not just the faith of the lame man but the faith of his friends, as well. Jesus spoke to him, forgiving his sins. This angered the religious leaders. They didn’t think anyone had the right to forgive sins except the high priest so Jesus made it easier for them.

He told the lame man you’re no longer lame. You’re healed pick up your bed and go home!

“8 At once, Jesus knew what they were thinking, and he said, ‘Why are you thinking such things? 9 Is it easier for me to tell this man his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and pick up his mat and go on home? 10 I will show you that the Son of Man has the right to forgive sins here on earth.’ So Jesus said to the man, 11 “Get up! Pick up your mat and go on home.”

12 The man got right up. He picked up his mat and went out while everyone watched in amazement.” Mark 2:8-12 CEV

My question today is how far would you go to help a friend come to Jesus? Or how far would you let your friend go to bring you to Jesus?

Let the Holy Spirit direct you in your relationships so that you can be a stretcher-carrying, roof-removing friend. The results will amaze you!

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Freedom

Each morning I rise with gratitude in my heart.

Thankful for God’s love, the sacrifice of Jesus when He paid the price for my sins and the Holy Spirit who dwells in me, guiding my life.

I’m also thankful for the freedom we have in this nation. So much to be thankful for, so much to appreciate. God has blessed us so much in this country of ours…its great to have these days of Independence, reflecting on the sacrifice of so many and remembering that the fireworks are a symbol of cannon fire and rifle blasts. The sounds of freedom!

I am eternally grateful for the freedom from the wages of sin. I have this freedom because Jesus chose to die for me! Unconditional love and a gift of mercy!

” In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God. 2 Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil power] that are above the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God. 3 In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God’s anger just because of the way we were.

4 But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. 5 We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.)” Ephesians 2:1-5 ERV

Each day I am thankful for the “But God” that is in Scripture. “But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much”. God’s love is greater than our transgressions. His mercy and grace eliminate the penalty that we should have to pay for our sins. That freedom comes to us from Christ.

“ So if the Son makes you free, you are really free.” John 8:36 ERV

Free from a guilty conscience, free from past failures and shortcomings. Free from the power of sin and death.

“If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. 2 The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. 3 The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin.” Romans 8:1-3 CEV

There it is again…But God. He set us free!

As our nation is set to celebrate our independence as a country, make it a day to celebrate your freedom in Christ!

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The Little Things

We have been experiencing some really hot, dry weather. The skies have been a dusty brown making the air quality poor. The weatherman has been predicting the summer monsoons will be starting soon but it seems we have been waiting in vain.

However…late yesterday afternoon the clouds began to gather, and we were blessed with a sprinkle. Not a shower by any means, but a sprinkle. The temperature dropped into the 90’s, the dust in the atmosphere settled.

Thank you, Lord, for the little things!

“The Lord made the heavens and everything in them by his word. 7 He scooped up the ocean and stored the water. 8 Everyone in this world should worship and honor the Lord!” Psalm 33:6-7 CEV

This morning, we have blue sky, white clouds and a gentle breeze. Chance of rain in the forecast. It brings hope to a dry land.

Sometimes, just sometimes, our hearts and emotions get as dry as this parched desert. Circumstances heat up and would like to dry us out the way the sun dries the earth. What do we do then? Do we get crusty and prickly like a cholla cactus? Or do we lean into God?

“O God, You are my God. I will look for You with all my heart and strength. My soul is thirsty for You. My flesh is weak wanting You in a dry and tired land where there is no water. 2 So I have seen You in the holy place. And I have seen Your power and Your shining-greatness. 3 My lips will praise You because Your loving-kindness is better than life.” Psalm 63:1-2 NLV

In the dry places, our praise is like a sprinkling of rain. It brings refreshing; it lifts the spirits and waters the soul.

“Always be filled with joy in the Lord. I will say it again. Be filled with joy.” Philippians 4:4 ERV

There is always something to be thankful for. The first thing that comes to mind is God’s unconditional, unfailing love! He is for us and has promised to never leave or abandon us. That’s more than enough to get us through the hard times.

I would have loved a good frog-strangling rain last night but I’m thankful for the sprinkle that brought a refreshing and a hope of things to come!

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