Since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, human brains and bodies don’t react or act the way they should.
God’s laws puts protective limits against us just living self-centered lives for what feels good instead of what is good and has good consequences.
The truth is we are not capable of keeping those laws perfectly but when we understand the loving Father, we strive to do the best we can knowing that those laws are for our protection and those limits are for our good, for our families’ good and for the good of mankind.
More importantly, God’s good laws reflect his righteous and just and loving, merciful character.
When we refuse to submit to the authority of God and walk in his truth and grace and mercy and when we’re ignorant of his laws, death and destruction is the natural result.
So fire is good and can be used for cooking and Heating, and if you have a wood burning stove a fire in a home is a really good thing. But what if you didn’t have limits on that fire? What have you said well it doesn’t matter if I set the fire in the middle of the living room that will heat the house just as well?
God gives us limits and teaches us how life is supposed to work and often there isn’t level of pain and suffering to our brains and bodies because of the Fallen World when we obey God’s good laws. Sometimes we can’t it’s too painful and then we have to go to God and Community to help us obey his laws and sometimes we fall short and we have to cry out to God for mercy.
One of his laws is a law of Mercy. So when I’m talking about God’s laws I’m not just talking about the Ten Commandments that was just a fraction of the laws that God gave. Likewise the Old Testament laws are divided into Civic laws which had to do with the government at the time the Priestly laws, so some of the laws of the Old Testament do not apply in the New Covenant because of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant, but the moral laws of love for God and love for people are most certainly applicable to all Humanity today.
However salvation from the fire of hell an eternal separation from God and His goodness is not through obeying the laws but from believing in the one who did perfectly obey the law of God and was a sacrifice for our sins. And as we accept and receive through faith the Salvation given to us by grace, we uphold the law of God.
Acknowledging that God is just and punishes sin. The sin of mankind was punished at the cross. Jesus Christ was tortured, he died and he went to hell because of just God will punish our sin and that is necessary even as innocent blood, such as the blood of Abel cries out for justice.
But God is also full of Mercy and at the cross Justice and mercy kissed. He died for your sins and for mine, otherwise when we died, we would be separated eternally from God and from the life and the joy that is in him because God does not change.
Thank God he does not change, and so we are not destroyed. All who believe simply believe in him are saved, all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord.
Don’t let the foolish argument that you will “not become a Christian because of Christians” keep you from the grace that is in Jesus Christ. It is because of that sinful nature that Christ died. That was the whole point.
And hypocrisy is not a flaw just of Christians, neither is murder, you see that with Stalin who was an atheist, you see that in the Muslim World, in every other religion and irreligion – hypocrisy, Pride, greed, murder is part of the Fallen World and is part of humanity.
Atheists and other religions and belief systems do not walk free from these sins. And if they say there is no God then there is no logic to why murder should be wrong. The current Western World concept of Justice largely based off of Bible laws though certainly not perfectly.
Most atheists in the western world still live under some Christian doctrine because generations of nations in the past before Jesus Christ didn’t put the limits on sex with minors or on killing people that we do today because of the teachings of Christ.
During the Roman times it was considered normal to put an unwanted born baby out for animals to eat, and there is a non-Christian writer that we have account of that said these Christians are strange people they do not kill their children. That was referring to that as well as to abortion. We believe so many lies. It is my body. Technically you did not give birth to yourself. Technically you do not put the breath into your being. You did very little to care for yourself for at least the first six or seven years of your life. How do you figure it’s your body? But if you’ve had abuse instead of tons of Love poured out on you, that would be a protection. It’s my body. So nobody else can touch me and harm me. God is not abusive he wants the best for you. And there are certain amounts of sufferings in this world that are natural to the world, and in a loving environment and community and family it isn’t too much. It’s enough. But when that is Stripped Away yes it is more than we can handle. Or worse when abuse plays in whether it’s spiritual emotional or physical, then we think that we are the ones to keep ourselves safe, but they’re even we are yet another part of humanity that fails at putting healthy limits on ourselves to keep ourselves safe. That safe place is where God wants every individual to be, Safe in His Arms. Jesus cried over Jerusalem. Jerusalem Jerusalem however longed to protect you as a mother and protects her chicks under her wings but you are not willing. Look your destruction is upon you. Those words he spoke and cried over Jerusalem because the people refused to come into the safe place of love for God and accepting his authority and the limits that he gives. And it wasn’t that long afterwards that Jerusalem was completely destroyed. The horrors that we want to avoid, I wish I could say that if you as an individual just live fervently for God you will avoid them, but there is evil in the world, in Jesus is honest about it and tells us that in this world you will have trouble. In this world the Son of God was tortured and killed, turned over to Roman soldiers by his own people betrayed by one of his own men.
That is humanity. That is the person in the mirror if we’ll be honest about it.
And that is for whom Christ died. That is the one that God wants to give freedom from suffering and pain and guilt and shame and he offers freely to us salvation and the promise of eternal life and a New Jerusalem that will come down from heaven where there will be no more sorrow, no more pain no more suffering.
That is what he offers us beloved.
So first and foremost, let us accept that and believe him.
Let us find a church that teaches the truth of God’s love and be baptized and learn what it means to live fully for God to take Holy Communion the body and blood of Christ our spiritual food. Let us spend our time and energy in those things, not the things of this world.
And let’s say that the life we have been living for self-centered things that benefit nothing and no one other than a few temporary moments of happiness and pleasure, we can discard like a menstrual cloth, a term the Bible uses regarding our sins.
Women, you know what to do with the thing; it goes in the trash. We don’t treasure it and put it in a safe place to make sure we have it for later, that’s disgusting. That is how we should be viewing our sin. Not as cute and okay, because you know, “everybody sins.”
Yes. We do do it all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and are Justified freely through his grace so let’s not close that door of love and grace to those who have hurt us. Let’s be honest and truthful about what God says about our sins and how we have impacted and created a generation by removing the limits God put for our protection through our greed and our pride and our lies, don’t we understand? It matters. It all matters. Our time and energy needs to be spent seeking God, not momentary pleasure that is gone so soon and just leaves you feeling empty and wanting more. We have to put limits on our brains and bodies. Not just regarding alcoholism or overuse of drugs, it starts with what fills us, not what hurts us.
Taking time with the father throughout the day to hear how much he loves us. Reading in scripture how treasured we are. That he knows the number of hairs on our head, that all of Heaven rejoices when one sinner repents do you not get this? Do you not understand how important you and I are? All of Heaven rejoices. Heaven is not oblivious to what’s going on down here. All of Heaven rejoices when one sinner repents.
We are living in a generation that is thirsty to be seen and for attention. God sees you and he loves you.
He does hate our sin because sin destroys Our Lives. But he Delights in you. No one will ever love you like God.
No relationship will ever fill like God does. Do you want an addiction? Get addicted to Jesus. Be passionate about him.
Listen to Christian music all day long, ditch the things of the world because you’re just too addicted to Christ to be interested in those other things.
We Christians pay so much money to go to concerts that do not glorify Christ and often that are evil.
We spend so much money and time and energy on things that do not exalt Jesus or care for the poor, what would happen if we actually intentionally changed our Direction?
Is it a sin to go to a concert that’s not Christian? I don’t know. That’s between you and God. For some people yes it’s a sin. For other people no it’s not. Just make sure whatever you’re doing, you’re doing in faith and obedience to God’s holy word, not twisting the word to suit our greed or selfish Passions, but being honest and not lying because lies is an Abomination to God.
But think about what you’re doing and where your time and money and energy are going.
Are you promoting the law of God and the limits that he brings into society for it’s health? Or are we pouring time and energy into things that don’t bother with the limits that God puts on us and thereby teach a culture that those limits really don’t matter, and then we are amazed after teaching people that the limits don’t matter when somebody takes a gun in a school.
And we would love to avoid the judgement of our part in corrupting this generation (our sins are forgiven – and so are theirs.)
And we might be able to avoid it for a bit, but I don’t think in the day of judgment the lies will stand up to protect us saying that it didn’t matter how we spent our time or energy or if we were mean to people or didn’t love our kids or our families or community, I do not think the lies will work when we stand before Truth incarnate. In that day I think the only hope we will have is in the grace and mercy of Christ. And so I pray that we give that grace and mercy wherever we go so that we can receive it when we need it.
Our part in the crime will be evident in that day. Our lack of love and mean spiteful words to people around us causing them to go turn to Demons instead of to Christ, those things will all be revealed in the day we stand before Jesus Christ.
So beloved for whom Christ died, let’s not wait until that day to start being honest with ourselves, with God and with others. let’s accept the responsibility given to us. And cling, cling to Christ if we can’t.
Because human responsibility is absolutely huge; we were made in the image of God.
There is often intense suffering when we choose to follow Christ, but the suffering is not worthless, but produces good fruit.
There is also horrible suffering from refusing to surrender to Jesus Christ, but that suffering is a pointless suffering that only ends in more pain and death and if we continue to refuse him, Eternal death.
So let’s not refuse him. Let’s say yes to him.
To his laws and limits but above all to his Saving Grace and his love admitting that, “you know, I really am not always capable God of stopping these sins, so would you please help me and I’ll do the best I can but when I fall short would you please keep me safe?”
And spending time and treasuring time with him and reading the Bible and going to church and praying as often as we have opportunity Bible studies communing together with believers.
And that other stuff the world offers us, that can be the menstrual Rags that we throw into the trash.
I do want to say one thing people are called to different walks in the body of Christ.
There are people that engage in the world and God has you in that position and so you do watch movies that maybe are not godly because you need to interact with the world and bring Salvation to those around you, just make sure that you’re doing what God wants you to do.
Some people are called to more of a levitical or Priestly calling and God will call you out from those things just to be with him and pray and not be so influenced by those things.
There are other people that are called to engage in worldly activities like Daniel did with King Nebuchadnezzar, not trying to overturn the evil ungodly Babylonian Empire but simply living day by day in a society that was completely contrary to the teachings of God.
But when push came to shove Daniel refused to bow, so if you are in this world and you are interacting with this world, just make sure when push comes to shove you refuse to bow to anyone but the Living God.
Put the gross menstrual rags in the trash. (Sorry, guys.)
That’s what we need to do with the things of this world that please us momentarily but destroy our lives and society around us. Hate it, don’t play with it, do not be complacent about it, when God gives you the freedom to destroy the sin , and there is a time and season for everything it’s not all right away, but when he gives you the power to destroy that sin, destroy it completely. Don’t keep a little bit to play with like Achin that caused Israel under Joshua to lose the battle.
We are called to hate evil.
And just as passionately to God and love people.
Hate the sin of the person in the mirror as passionately as fervantly as you hate the sin of those around you that are doing things that cause you hurt. Because our sin hurts God too, so let’s not be foolish or complacent about it.
God loves the person, but he hates the sin because the sin destroys not just us but those around us.
The reason we have shootings in schools and suicides is because we have taught this generation including our own families that the limits that God puts on us aren’t that important. We have not counted the knowledge of God worth retaining and how we use our time energy money resources and living space.
We have not obeyed his commands of rest. To start our day with rest and joy in Him, to trust Him for our daily bread, not being afraid for tomorrow knowing the loving Father will supply all of our needs. He tells us not to be anxious for tomorrow but we build up our 401k just like the man in the parable built his barns with plenty of wheat to sit back and say okay now just enjoy life. And in the parable God says you fool, today your life will be required of you. And what will become of all the stuff that you’ve hoarded for yourself? God doesn’t want us to be all in all. I personally don’t see scriptural basis for the way we store up in the Western World Christian churches, but that is not my gift in those people with more business Acumen than I do I defer to their thinking. I would just caution us not to put our hope in wealth. And if the spirit of God tells us to sell everything and give everything to the poor and come follow Jesus Christ, we need to understand that that will be the safest place to be. The Rich Young Ruler it says went away sad and we don’t know what choice he made. But if he refused to follow Jesus Christ 40 years later Jerusalem was destroyed in all of his wealth as well as his family would have been destroyed. But if he had followed Christ, in that moment, his family’s lives would have been spared though the wealth would have been gone. We are called to be wealthy towards God. We are the kings and queens of this generation and we will most certainly be held accountable for how we have spent our wealth. So let’s not be foolish. And yes confess your sins to God he is faithful and just to forgive your sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, but if we continue to sin when we have received the knowledge, Paul says there’s nothing left but a fearful expectation of the Judgment of God. May we walk in the knowledge that we have.
God is patient. He understands that it takes a lot of time and effort for human thinking to change, but let us do the best we can and not neglect his word or the limits he lovingly gives us – the limits that God puts on us to not be greedy and hoard, but to be generous and give to the poor, Not taking meaningful work away from them through all of our great ingenuity and modern mechanisms with no care to the fact that at least a quarter if not more of Our Generation no longer has meaningful work. We absolutely have to start putting limits on ourselves and start confessing our sin and stopping the waste of this generation. It is a crime that reaches to heaven.
Do you not see how Zacchaeus responded to Jesus love of spending dinner with him? Zacchaeus Was a rich tax collector and a known Thief. Look him up on Google and then read in the Bible how Zacchaeus reacted to the love of Jesus Christ, And then let us imitate What is good.
It’s time to throw those menstrual cloths away in the trash where they belong.
To confess our sins to God and to one another.
Lord we thought the problem was with everybody else.
But we found that the person in the mirror is in dire need of change, mercy and forgiveness. Help us lord.
Children need attention from parents. A child Left to himself disgraces his mother Proverbs says.
So why are mothers so busy with so many other things other than loving on the children and giving them the attention That they need?
Because we have so many Idols to serve that are not necessary for life that we have been told bring us pleasure and so we spend our time and energy serving them but then we don’t have time or energy to serve God or to care for even our own children. Ouch. I’m not talking to you I’m talking to us. I’m guilty. I spend too much time blogging and not enough time with my children.
The limits are there for our well-being. It’s a twisted perverse concept of freedom that thinks freedom to be a Slave to sin and pleasure is a great thing. It’s a twisted concept of freedom that thinks freedom to kill is okay. And the LIE is that somehow it’s going to make everything better for us when we live these self-centered lives, but the more we draw into that lie the more the consequences of sin become apparent and death is the result, which the loving God warned us over and over again in the Bible.
His prophets died to bring us this truth and throughout Humanity Christians were killed to preserve the written word of God so that you and I could learn from it.
We’re not to live casual complacent lives. Yes we are to enjoy life, but our enjoyment is to be in God, to Delight in him even as he Delights in Us in spite of all of the evil things we have done in spite of the fact that we have blasphemed him and hurt him deeply by our lack of love for him and others.
Yet he still Delights to love us and care for us as much as we will allow him. But he does not Delight in evil. He hates evil and we would do well to obey his commands and hate the greed and the pride and the things that destroy this culture and generation.
We would do well to exalt the cross of Jesus Christ and to be honest about our own sins with one another. To draw together to God In Love and grow, not throwing away the rules that he sets for us, but constantly speaking the truth in love and receiving his mercy and Grace.
However just because those laws are there and they are good doesn’t mean we have the mental and physical capacity to always do them.
Just because the speed limit is there for our protection doesn’t mean we’re always capable of doing the speed limit.
But when we throw the speed limit out the door and say it doesn’t matter, there will be more death.
An attitude of well it doesn’t matter as long as I’m not dying, is a sign of a sick and depraved generation.
What causes us to constantly go 85 miles an hour in a 65 mph Zone? We haven’t obeyed the laws of God regarding rest and trusting him for provision. We have filled ourselves with more and more things to do than we can possibly handle.
We exalt our work above his provision thinking that we have to take care of ourselves when he makes it clear he takes care of the Lilies of the Field and the birds of the air and work was meant to be a blessing: it was only after the fall that the ground was cursed. Work was meant to be enjoyable, caring for this world around us in our interactions with the many beautiful people God has placed in this world and the care for family and community.
But when we disobey the law of God refusing to believe that the one who spoke the world into existence, the one who created every DNA every rainbow and every Star is fully capable of taking care of those who submit to his authority, when we refuse to rest when he tells us to rest, – or to work at proper times and not be lazy – we refuse the limits but that help us be healthy.
I’m not trying to be legalistic about the Sabbath that’s a whole different conversation, but rest is part of the commands of God, and when we refuse to take our delight in God but find our Delight in so many other things, video games even Sports even some things that are good or not bad in and of themselves, when we fill ourselves up with more and more things that please us instead of the balance that is given to us in the scriptures, which incorporates balanced time for pleasure Before the Throne of God and delighting in God and rejoicing in him, balanced means of entertainment or Sports in ways that glorify God not blaspheme him, when we refuse to Delight ourselves in the Lord, the door that we close to our hearts saying, “God we don’t want to go your way,” is the same door that we close to him when he longs to bless us and protect us.
Simple steps Are to realize that this is serious.
We are destroying our brains Misusing them For the newest drug, tv, video games, the internet, instead of finding our joy in attending church and worshiping God. The problem is the further we stray from the presence of God, the more we forget how powerful he is in our lives.
The love of God is amazing and it’s given to us as a gift placed in our hearts through faith in Jesus Christ. But that faith has to be fed. We have to eat our meat and potatoes not just our sugar. We have to accept the suffering and the pain that comes with following Christ and the joy that comes with that suffering.
Right now as the nation Mourns yet again, We will pray for a season and then go back to our old habits.
We do not put limits given to us by God on our sensuality. We do not put limits on our time given to us by God by putting God first through church and how we live. We do not accept the law of God regarding our greed and we do not limit ourselves for constantly wanting to do it pleases us and seems enjoyable to us even though we sometimes are sacrificing our children on the altar of self. There’s a balance.
We have been trained for Generations to do what pleases us not what is right and these habits will not change overnight. I often say this and it is true I’m not writing to you. I’m writing to us. I’m guilty too.
What if this time we didn’t stop praying Until Revival comes? What if we gave up our Starbucks and our eating out, our Teslas, the reading of books that are not godly and do not exalt Jesus Christ, we watch movies and play video games that do not glorify God, so many things we do refusing to except in our own lives the limits that God gives us to keep us safe. Oh but doesn’t God want us to enjoy our lives? Yes. He does. He created this world. But when we find our joy in things that are seductive and Evil we lose the power to find joy often in the things that he created.
Do you find Joy when you see a flower on the side of the road? In the squirrels and rabbits that Scurry by and even the pigeons?
Do you find Delight if you live in the inner city like I did for 20 years In the most amazing astounding and beautiful part of God’s creation, of the mass of humanity around you With its many varied colors and shades?
Humans are excitingly fun. The Bible says that wisdom stood with God delighting in humanity. Enjoying as they’re working at their work and learning to sing or do Sports or create things. Humans are made in the image of God. And we are not made to be disconnected from him. The laws that he gives us in his word are laws of love to protect his people.
He is creator. He is Redeemer. He is sustainer. Be in the habit throughout your day of telling him thank you for all of the good and beautiful things he gives you. And if you can’t see them, it’s very likely that there are things from this world that have created a breaking in your brain and in mind that tries to keep us from joy in daily living.
God doesn’t want you miserable 8 hours a day only finding Joy when you have a drink at the end of the day for an hour with friends. He wants us finding satisfaction and enjoying many moments, even as we do go through seasons of suffering and pain and loss.
He doesn’t want you only enjoying the cruises and the things that the world tells us to spend money on so that a few can become wealthy while many are made poor.
He wants you to enjoy life. Not escaping life. Enjoy reaching out to the poor and seeing their smile when you give them meaningful work.
Teach them how to sew and let them provide your clothes for the rest of their lives and pay them instead of Walmart.
Double dog dare you to actually do this. I’m working on it.
Life was meant to be enjoyed in fullness, not to have constant need for escape and a running away to fun and interesting things because we can’t bear to face our reality.
By all means go hiking. By all means eat a cookie. Have a drink with friends, yes alcoholic as long as they aren’t alcoholic and neither are you, but if you have an addictive personality like I do, you might want to make a wise decision and put limits on what you permit in your house and in your life.
God gives us the power to put these limits on our lives. To not have a TV when everybody else says you have to. To not have a cell phone, no I’m not there yet, when everybody demands you should. To enjoy the moment In God’s Presence, the sunshine on your face, yes even when you have chronic pain like I do. Right now it’s at about 5.
But what happens if we as a culture say that the laws of God regarding greed and rest self-centeredness Pride don’t matter and we’re not going to put limits and listen to him? Then we teach a generation not to bother listening to the laws of God, and beloved for whom Jesus Christ died, if we refuse to put limits on ourselves and tell everybody that we’re just going to have abortions when we feel like it because it’s our bodies regardless of the body that is not ours that lives inside of us, if we refuse to put the limits that God lovingly gives upon us to our greed refusing to get into the mix of the pregnant mom that doesn’t know what to do, refusing to support her until she feels safe and stable, rather judging her instead of just plain loving her like Christ commands, if we refuse to listen to God’s laws commanding us to confess our sins to one another, And to pray for one another so that we can be healed, if we refuse to listen to God’s call and command to step away from the things of the world that destroy and to come out from among them and touch no unclean thing, and we don’t put those limits upon ourselves…
… beloved for whom Christ died, why then are we shocked when we have trained Society to ignore the commands of God and the refusal to accept his limits now comes into shootings in schools and The Taking of life through suicide?
Do you not understand that it’s the same demonic spirit that demands you kill the child in the womb that speaks to kill self or to murder? Do you not understand that it is the same demonic spirit that says that we can be greedy and have more and more fancy stuff that we don’t need for life and waste more and more time energy and money on things not needful for Life while the world around us dies, that tells us no you don’t need to limit yourself and obey the laws of God, heeding Jesus words in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, you don’t need to put those limits on yourself, really you don’t says the Demonic spirits to us the spirit of this world the antichrist spirit, and then we don’t understand why when we have raised children to not listen to the laws of God, there are no limits placed on those that shoot or that kill….
It is not the guns that need the limits it’s the culture. So yes yes put some limits on guns I’m not saying not to, but don’t we understand that if we raise a culture and ourselves to do whatever we feel like doing that this is the result? We cannot ignore God’s laws of greed and refused his command to love our neighbor as ourselves, and be shocked when following our example people are ignoring other laws. We have to confess our sins. Not hide behind the lies. We have to say to God and to people, We have sinned. We are sorry.
We have criticized you for your abortion or gender issues but we have not equally criticized Trump for his greed or ourselves for our hypocrisy and we have set a hellish example, not following the example of Jesus Christ. We have spoken the truth when it benefits us and we have hidden the truth when it causes us to look guilty. God have mercy and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
One of the laws of God, by the way in the Old Testament and New, is to cover over sins. In other words when someone screws up and they’re sorry for it, hide the sin. If they’ve repented you don’t need to be shouting it to the world. Jesus gave Specific Instructions if people have not repented to First confront them then confront them with somebody else then bring it before the church.
Isn’t that what Jesus did with us? He covered our sins, not even just covering them but he took the punishment for them and removed them completely as far as the East is from the West. So if we are wanting to obey the laws of God, forgiveness is a good place to start. Laying down the stones in our hands and drawing people into Christ’s love.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So let’s confess our sins not just to God but to one another today.
You know I really haven’t loved my neighbor as myself. I’ve been more concerned about my emotional pain and not having to see any more suffering, then I have about their actual suffering that they’re living through.
Lord please forgive me my greed and my pride and my lies because I’ve tried to make it look like I am a really good person but the reality is that as Jesus Christ said, why do you call me good? There is only one good and that is God. The truth is I am not good. I do evil. Lies is an Abomination before you most high God, as is pride.
And so Father forgive me because I have lied to people and I’ve tried to pretend to others that I’m actually good.
And then I’ve tried to hide my own damnable sins and make them sound like they’re not so bad so that I can point fingers at others.
Please forgive me Father. Truly I’m sorry because I’m realizing now finally that the problem isn’t them, the problem is us.
So please help me to draw more closely to you through enjoying Church whether my brain thinks it’s interesting or not, forgive me God when I haven’t put your limits on my brain. And thank you for loving me and not constantly telling me every little thing I do wrong often just walking with me in the. Help me to do the same with others.
I just filled my brain with so many things that are not healthy for spiritual life and I’ve taught others to do the same.
Father please help me and please forgive me and help us to grow in love for you and for others. In Jesus name amen.
And father please help those people, the victims and their families who are hurting so badly now. Help the parents of the shooters and please forgive the shooters for their evil sins against you. And please forgive us for our equally damnable sins against you, that we don’t bother listening to how you see things because we want to play our own gods and we didn’t want you to be God and this is the result father of all of our sins.
So Lord help us to comfort all those that mourn including the parents of the shooter and please make the bad stuff go away God. Lord please.
We praise you and we worship you for you alone Are Holy. In Jesus name amen.
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