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With a Prayerful Spirit

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Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Psalm 119:18.

Many a portion of Scripture which learned men pronounce a mystery, or pass over as unimportant, is full of comfort and instruction to him who has been taught in the school of Christ. One reason why many theologians have no clearer understanding of God’s Word is [that] they close their eyes to truths which they do not wish to practice. An understanding of Bible truth depends not so much on the power of intellect brought to the search as on the singleness of purpose, the earnest longing after righteousness.

The Bible should never be studied without prayer. The Holy Spirit alone can cause us to feel the importance of those things easy to be understood, or prevent us from wresting truths difficult of comprehension. It is the office of heavenly angels to prepare the heart so to comprehend God’s Word that we shall be charmed with its beauty, admonished by its warnings, or animated and strengthened by its promises. We should make the psalmist’s petition our own: “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.”

Temptations often appear irresistible because, through neglect of prayer and the study of the Bible, the tempted one cannot readily remember God’s promises and meet Satan with the Scripture weapons. But angels are round about those who are willing to be taught in divine things; and in the time of great necessity they will bring to their remembrance the very truths which are needed. Thus “when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19).

Jesus promised His disciples: “The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). But the teachings of Christ must previously have been stored in the mind in order for the Spirit of God to bring them to our remembrance in the time of peril. “Thy word have I hid in mine heart,” said David, “that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11).—The Great Controversy, 599, 600.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 112
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray hard for E and her children that God will work mightily in their behalf. R
—-Please pray that Ainsley can get in to see the neurologist before July. Annie
—-Please pray for Harold who is in the hospital. Angie
—-I must ask for prayers for my daughter. She is in the final stages of Hodgkins Lymphoma. Please pray for her children and family. James
—-Please continue to pray for Linda who is in rehab with a stroke and her Billy her husband as they are both very discouraged.
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Dear Friends,
The weather this past weekend was perfect for camping, but we did not camp. The temperature was ideal and it was nice and sunny, but we could enjoy it only briefly. Ron and I wished that he had had the camper ready for we would have grabbed a few necessities and found a quiet spot to enjoy God’s great creation. He had been intending on getting it de-winterized long before this but has been working such long hours that it was just not possible. Because it was not ready, we had to content ourselves by taking a drive at a local lake.
How easy it is to get so busy that we put off the most important preparation there is—-being ready for Jesus to come. He warns us, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matt 24:42-51
Sadly, the vast majority will not be ready for that grand and glorious day. They put off the needed preparation until it was too late to prepare. With terror and unbelievable sorrow, they will exclaim, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.” Jer 8:20
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Cor 6:2 May we remember that “the end of all things is at hand, be therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7 May we make the needed preparation before it is too late, is my prayer.
Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/with-a-prayerful-spirit.html

With a Teachable Disposition

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Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein. Jeremiah 6:16.

After asking the Lord for a knowledge of His will, for heavenly wisdom, for the light of the Holy Spirit, the petitioner will search the Scriptures, and find that passages that were dark to his mind have suddenly grown clear, and he understands his duty as never before. Jesus said: “My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (John 7:16, 17).

The knowledge of divine truth is promised to those who will render obedience to the light and truth that have been given to them. An entrance into the strait gate is not dependent upon the possession of learning or riches, but it is dependent upon the possession of a teachable spirit. He who appreciates the first ray of heavenly light, and appropriates it, and walks in it, bringing his actions into harmony with that ray, and becoming sanctified through it, will receive yet more light. He will understand that the gospel is the plan of salvation….

He who has an obedient heart, that is ready to do the will of God, will not only gladly receive truth, but will earnestly seek for truth as for hidden treasure. He will come to the Scriptures with a humble and teachable spirit, seeking to understand how he may walk in the light, and saying, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6). He is ready to sacrifice anything and everything, if required, in order that he may be in harmony with the will of God.

It is not always an easy matter to render obedience to the will of God. It demands firmness of purpose to enter in at the strait gate and to travel in the narrow path that leads to eternal life, for on every hand are voices inviting the soul into bye and forbidden paths. Those who love wealth and honor and high position will not enter in at the strait gate unless they part with their idols. There is not room to enter in at the strait gate and carry the things of this world along.

He who would enter in at the strait gate must make an entire consecration of his all to God. Jesus says, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).—The Review and Herald, March 28, 1912.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 110
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for a friend’s wife fell a couple months ago and broke her other hip and has been in Rehab for several weeks she knows just sleeps. all the time. I told the people who told me that she is getting ready to go home to her Saviour her husband may have to go in the hospital he is on blood thinners and bleeding. you know how to word this with out too much information. Also got a request for prayer for some very dear friends of mine . . . he is in his early 80’s very active but they found out that he may need a pace maker his pulse is 36. please pray for Ernie. he is a super nice guy loves the Lord and helps everyone he can. . . . an update on the little boy he is home and at church [and doind well] he was born with out a rectum had so many surgeries o his rectum trying to create one he has been on a colostomy bag. that little guy is so cheerful and super friendly in spite of all his surgeries. I tell people he is trying to show people that no wonder what we are going through Jesus is going though it with us. and that we need to keep the JOY of the Lord in front of us.. M
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
—-Please be praying for my friend Sheila that is suffering with depression and anxiety. Dan
—-My parents house caught on fire this past Wednesday. They barely made it out in time just before the whole burned down. Thank God they are safe and didn’t get injured at all. Josue
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Dear Friends,

Some time ago, I heard a sermon on being dead to sin but alive in Christ. The main text was Romans 6:1-11: “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
As the speaker shared his testimony as an illustration of the change Jesus makes in the life that is yielded to God, I could only praise our Loving Redeemer for His goodness in giving “Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil world” and making such a change in each person who allows Him to make them dead to sin but alive through our Lord Jesus Christ. Gal 1:4 “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.” 1 John 3:1 Praise God! The Only Begotten Son of God left all of the glories of Heaven, the worship of beings unfallen, the adoration of the angels, and came to this dark and miserable planet to suffer and die the cruelest of deaths; that He might “redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Titus 2:14

Paul asks, “What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Rom 6:15,16; 1 Cor 6:19,20

May we truly become dead to sin but alive through Jesus, working “out [our] own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in [us] both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” Phil 2:12,13 May we “put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of [our] mind.” May we “put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” is my prayer. Eph 4:22-24

Rose

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Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/with-a-teachable-disposition.html

Knowing the Unknown

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For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:11.

Revelation is not the creation or invention of something new, but the manifestation of what was, until revealed, unknown to human beings. The great and eternal truths contained in the gospel are revealed through diligent searching and humbling of ourselves before God. The divine Teacher leads the mind of the humble seeker for truth; and by the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the truths of the Word are made known to him. And there can be no more certain and efficient way of knowledge than in being thus guided. The promise of the Saviour was “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). It is through the impartation of the Holy Spirit that we are made to understand the Word of God.

The psalmist writes, “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments…. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law” (Psalm 119:9-18).

We are admonished to seek for the truth as for hid treasure. The Lord opens the understanding of the true seeker after truth; and the Holy Spirit enables him to grasp the truths of revelation. This is what the psalmist means when he asks that his eyes may be opened to behold wondrous things out of the law. When the soul pants after the excellencies of Jesus Christ, the mind is enabled to grasp the glories of the better world. Only by the aid of the divine Teacher can we understand the truths of the Word of God. In Christ’s school we learn to be meek and lowly because there is given to us an understanding of the mysteries of godliness.

He who inspired the Word was the true expositor of the Word. Christ illustrated His teachings by calling the attention of His hearers to the simple laws of nature, and to the familiar objects which they daily saw and handled. Thus He led their minds from the natural to the spiritual.—Sabbath-School Worker, December 1, 1909.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 107
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue your prayers for E and the children that God will work out all things for their good. R
—-Update on diabetic friend.She will have surgery Friday A.M. pacific time to amputate her left leg above the knee joint. Pray for courage for she and her husband. Mel
—-Please pray for Linda who had a stroke a few weeks ago. Rose
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Dear Friends,

When my grandmother was 72, she was put into a nursing home by her “friend” and landlady. I don’t know how she could legally do that, but she somehow must have managed to convince her to give her the power of attorney since we lived far away. (This was in the early 1960’s, so maybe she didn’t need such a document. I don’t know.) My grandmother refused to eat or drink and died. We knew nothing about it until it was too late.

So sad, yet how many in this world are starving to death spiritually because of a lack of Bible study and prayer. In their busy life, they neglect to feast upon the Food God has provided for our spiritual nutrition.

Our Saviour told His disciples, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63 How important, then, that we “study to show [ourselves] approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.” 2 Tim 2:15

When tempted in the wilderness, Jesus rebuked the evil one by declaring, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matt 4:4 Jesus was very familiar with the Scriptures and was quoting from Deuteronomy 8:3.

Jeremiah exclaimed, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.” 15:16 As we meditate upon God’s word, we partake of the nourishment He so freely offers. Just as the elements of the food we eat, is carried to every part of our body, so by beholding God through the Bible, we become “changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor 3:18

May we never starve to death spiritually by neglecting to feast daily upon God’s Word is my prayer.

Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/knowing-the-unknown.html

Looking for Treasures

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Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Matthew 13:44.

In our day the church has been to a great degree content with the surface truths of revelation, made so plain and easy to be understood that many have thought these supplied all that was essential, and in accepting them they have been content. But the Holy Spirit, working upon the mind, will not allow it to rest in indolence. It awakens an earnest desire for truth uncorrupted with error and false doctrines. Celestial truth will reward the diligent seeker. The mind that is really desirous to know what is truth cannot be content in indolence.

The kingdom of heaven is likened to treasure hid in a field, “the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” He buys it that he may work it, plow up every part of it, and take possession of its treasures. It is the Holy Spirit’s office to direct this search and to reward it. The searcher, while digging the field, finds leads of precious ore of which he seeks to estimate the value, and he sinks the shaft deeper, for still more valuable treasure. Thus many a rich lode is discovered. The gold fields of the earth are not so interlaced with veins of precious ore as is the field of revelation with leads that bring to view the unsearchable riches of Christ.

The Lord would have every one of His believing children rich in faith; and this is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit upon the heart. From the heart the Spirit works outward, developing a character that God will approve. What a vast field of the treasures of truth did Christ add to the domain of faith to be appropriated by His disciples! We need greater faith if we would have better knowledge of the Word. The greatest hindrance to our receiving the divine illumination is that we do not depend on the efficiency of the Holy Spirit.—The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, 1537, 1538.
Ye Shall Receive Power p. 105
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Prayer Requests
—-Please continue to pray for E and children. R
—-Please lift up my friend Dr. Luke as he is dealing with colon cancer. A good man. Michael
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Dear Friends,
This is the time of year where Christians remember the great sacrifice that Jesus made for us. Even those who only go to church at Christmas and Easter rejoice that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 How good God is! He has provided His Greatest Gift, the gift of His only Son. Paul exclaims, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Rom 11:33
During those thirty-three years His Dear Son was upon this earth, God was tenderly watching, feeling every hurt, every disappointment, every care. Three times the Great Sovereign of the Universe spoke audibly to mortal man. At Jesus’ baptism He announced, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt 3:17 Again on the Mount of Transfiguration He declared, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” 17:5 Near the end of Jesus’ earthly life, He again spoke. When Jesus told the people, “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” John 12:27,28 What a privilege the disciples had hearing the very Voice of the Great King of the Universe! Yet it was but a foretaste of the time when we will not only hear His voice but see Him face to face!
In the Garden of Gethsemane, our Dear Saviour began to feel, stronger than He had ever felt before, the weight of the sins of the whole world being placed upon His shoulders. As our sins threatened to crush out His very life, Jesus committed His will to His Father. God answered by sending an angel to strengthen Him to endure His Great Sacrifice. Then, He withdrew His presence and allowed Jesus to go through the awful sense of separation from God. That separation was far worse than the physical pain of crucifixion. It was a difficult time for Jesus: it was equally difficult for the Father. Think of the heart-wrenching agony God the Father felt as Jesus was upon the cross. The pain that pierced His Great Heart of Love is beyond our comprehension. Yet He willingly sacrificed His Dearest Treasure in order that we may be saved. What wondrous love!
Yet how rarely we think of His Great Sacrifice. How many times we turn away from spiritual things and allow our mind to dwell upon the fleeting pleasures of this world. How easy it is for us to get so busy that we hardly have a thought Heavenward. How often we become so self-centered that our needs, our desires, our momentary happiness is all that matters to us. How our self-centeredness must hurt our Loving Redeemer Who longs for close fellowship with us. He Who has given His life for us desires above all else to spend every moment right beside us, communing with us, leading, guiding us, giving us a peace that passes all understanding.
May we respond to His great love by giving to Him our whole heart, our entire life, our thoughts, our words, our everything. May we daily claim His assuring promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Heb 13:5 May we reach out and take His Hand as would a little child and let Him guide us to Himself for He calls, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Rev 3:20,21
Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/looking-for-treasures.html

Going to the Source of Light

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The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. Psalm 119:130.

It is sometimes the case that men of intellectual ability, improved by education and culture, fail to comprehend certain passages of Scripture, while others who are uneducated, whose understanding seems weak and whose minds are undisciplined, will grasp the meaning, finding strength and comfort in that which the former declare to be mysterious or pass by as unimportant. Why is this? It has been explained to me that the latter class do not rely upon their own understanding. They go to the Source of light, the One who has inspired the Scriptures, and with humility of heart ask God for wisdom, and they receive it. There are mines of truth yet to be discovered by the earnest seeker.

Christ represented the truth as treasure hid in a field. It does not lie right upon the surface; we must dig for it. But our success in finding it does not depend so much on our intellectual ability as on our humility of heart and the faith which will lay hold upon divine aid.

Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit we shall be continually liable to wrest the Scriptures or to misinterpret them. There is much reading of the Bible that is without profit and in many cases is a positive injury. When the Word of God is opened without reverence and without prayer; when the thoughts and affections are not fixed upon God or in harmony with His will, the mind is clouded with doubt; and in the very study of the Bible, skepticism strengthens. The enemy takes control of the thoughts, and he suggests interpretations that are not correct.

Whenever men are not seeking, in word and deed, to be in harmony with God, then, however learned they may be, they are liable to err in their understanding of Scripture, and it is not safe to trust to their explanations. When we are truly seeking to do God’s will, the Holy Spirit takes the precepts of His Word and makes them the principles of the life, writing them on the tablets of the soul. And it is only those who are following the light already given that can hope to receive the further illumination of the Spirit.—Testimonies for the Church 5:704, 705.

Ye Shall Receive Power p. 103
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Prayer Requests
—-Please pray for Kerrien who is having surgery tomorrow. Pray also for Lorna who fell and has a concussion. Rose
—-Please continue to pray for E and family that God will miraculously guide and protect. R
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Dear Friends,

What a good invention text messaging is! A message that would have taken days to reach the addressee, takes only a matter of seconds to reach them. Often sending or receiving texts from friends and family who live far away or chatting with them over video messaging helps with the loneliness we feel because we cannot be with them.
The key to any relationship is frequent contact. Without that contact, the relationship suffers. So it is with our relationship with our Great Redeemer. If we “pray without ceasing,” our walk with Him will grow closer and richer and deeper. 1 Thes 5:17 Keeping our mind uplifted to the One Who is our Advocate, helps us to turn from sin, and do that which is lawful and right in His sight.
Yet, what little time we spend communing with the All-Powerful King of the Universe. One time I read about a survey of the amount of time spent in prayer. The average was three minutes a day! Unbelievable! How lonesome God must be to hear from His children! How His Great Heart of Love must ache with sadness to watch us go about our daily duties with scarcely even a thought of Him.
Our Blessed Saviour felt a strong need to pray. In fact, he sometimes spent all night in prayer and supplication. “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12 If He, Who is one with the Father, had need of constant communion with His Heavenly Father, should we not spend more time in communion with Him? Paul says, “Continue
in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Col 4:2; Phil 4:6
Jesus reminds us, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Matt 7:11 Our Heavenly Father answers every prayer. Because of His great love for us, He does not always answer our prayers the way we expect Him to, but He answers in the way He sees is best. He does not always give us what we want, because we often ask amiss. (James 4:3)
Just as a parent is overjoyed by the sincere love of their child, so our Heavenly Father loves to have us praise Him for His Goodness and Mercy to us. Yet, how often our prayers are full of more “give me’s” than “thankyous.” Just as we want our children to confide in us, to come to us when they have a problem, to tell us all their joys, to talk to us about what is going on in their life; so God longs to have us tell Him all these things.
He is standing there waiting to guide us through our problems, waiting to help us carry our burdens. He says, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matt 7:7 Therefore, let us keep our hearts uplifted to Him in praise and petition. Let us walk in constant communion with God just as Enoch did so long ago. Let us so live that it be said of us, as it was of Abraham, that we are the friend of God.
Rose

Source: https://rosesdevotional.org/going-to-the-source-of-light.html

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