Category: Trials

Bad Teeth and Slippery Feet - Proverbs 25:19

8/31/2012

Like a bad tooth and an unsteady foot Is confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble. Proverbs 25:19

Speaking as a man who has actually had a bad tooth and an unsteady foot, I can say that it must not be a good thing to put confidence in a faithless man in time of trouble. Today's proverb deals with who to trust when times are difficult. The one you want to trust is one who has proven himself faithful - and who has done it over the long haul of life.

A bad tooth is something that is very tricky. I had a tooth that was cracked. It was a hairline crack the entire length of the tooth. This made for a very interesting time eating - and especially drinking something cold. The problem was that the tooth would be fine a lot of the time. It was just when something hit it and opened the hairline crack that things got interesting. My dentist couldn't find it when I went to him about it. He looked and looked, but just couldn't seem to get the hairline to open so that he could see if it was that particular tooth that had gone bad. Then he was able to shoot some liquid where it went into and opened the crack. Needless to say, I began to levitate off the chair in tremendous pain. Thankfully, he was able to remove the tooth - and life has been much better. That experience helps me understand the need for good teeth - not bad.

The same can be easily said for the character of who you trust in a time of trouble. You do NOT want someone who is faithless in that moment. The faithless man is the one who will either run - or possibly even turn on you in trouble. He will not be faithful to stand and fight. He will not be faithful to stand and encourage you. He will not be faithful to stand back to back and watch your back and your blind spots as trouble passes by in life. That man is not to be trusted with your difficulties and trials. For that you want a faithful friend!

Similarly, you don't want someone who is like an unsteady foot. The Hebrew word here specifically speaks of a "slipping" foot. You want a foot that is steady - especially in times of trouble, trial, and storminess in your life. You want to plant your foot and know that it is steady and strong. You want to know that it will not slip - but will be a foundation that though all else is giving way - your foot will be steady. As I said at the begining of today's post - I know something about an unsteady foot. This particular story is somewhat embarassing because it also evidences my propensity for doing some fairly dumb things.

We live in northeast Arkansas - where in the winter we are in the habit of having some pretty nasty ice storms. One winter recently we had a doozy - which dropped about 5-7 inches of ice on us. The problem with ice storms is that they weigh down trees and break their limbs. This ice storm had broken a huge limb off of one of our trees and dropped it into our bedroom. The limb fell in such a way that it pierced through the roof and was sticking through our bedroom ceiling. Seriously lacking wisdom, I made my way onto the roof of our home (which was covered in ice) to get the limb off the roof. With a chainsaw (I know the level of stupidity is rising) and a tree saw, I went to remove the limb. I was able to accomplish this easily and lowered the chainsaw and saw with a rope to the ground. Then I went to get off the roof. The problem was I had pretty much flattened the ice on it to where it made a great slide - which, by the way, is not what you want your roof to be when attempting to get off of it. That is, unless you want to get off quickly - which was what happened to me. What was pretty sure footing on the way up - was not an icy slide on the way down. To say I had an unsteady or slipping foot is an understatement. I survived the fall off the roof onto my driveway (just missing a car hood) and decided that any other limbs could remain as a decorative touch to my roof if they damaged it. I was going to wait until the ice was gone. But, for our purposes today, this was the example of a slipping foot. Not something to trust on an icy roof - or in icy conditions in your life either.

We all are going to face difficulties and trials in life. There will be trouble if we are fallen humans, which we are, in a sinful world - which it is. Therefore there is no need to compound our trials and difficulties by having to rely upon someone who is untrustworthy and unfaithful in the midst of them. This is where you need true friends who are reliable. It is also a reminder to us on an ultimate level to consider Almighty God as the ultimate friend in all circumstances. The false gods of this world will fail you for they are infinitely unfaithful to stand in the ultimate day of trouble - the judgment day. In that day you want the "friend who sticks closer than a brother." You want the Savior whose blood speaks better than the blood of Abel. You want the foundation that will stand when the storms come and the floods burst against the house of your life. You want Jesus Christ - King of kings - Lord of lords - the True and Faithful One Who will stand. And in a lesser, yet very applicable picture for today, you want the Good Tooth and the Steady Foot - both of which Jesus is every day for all eternity. Trust Him - for He will never forsake you - or fail you!

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The Ultimate Tower of Safety! Proverbs 18:10

10/18/2010

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The name of the LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

As we walk through this world there are times when we have to wonder about our safety. We are in a wicked and ungodly world - and in it there are those who would do us harm because we represent Jesus Christ. This is true far more in countries where persecution is tolerated and encouraged by the government and by leaders of false religions. Are we safe in the Lord?

Solomon knew that indeed the godly man IS safe! He knew it not just because of a theory that he had heard - but because of true stories shared with him by His father, David. David knew personally that the name of Jehovah was a strong tower because he had faced extremely dangerous situations throughout his life. He had turned to the Lord again and again when things became very dangerous for him. He had faced enemies who laid in wait for him outside his home - planning to kill him. He had faced armies whose desire it was to destroy Israel and enslave its people. He faced personal threats from people - as well as threats that arose from spiritual realms. Yet in all this he knew that the name of the Lord is a strong tower - a place of safety into which the righteous can run.

God's name represents more than just something we call Him - it represents Who He is. He is Jehovah - the self-existant One who reveals Himself. But that name is attached to other names - ones that offer promises to us. He is Jehovah-Jireh, the One who sees and provides for us. He is Jeohvah-Nissi, the One who is our banner of victory when we face foes. He is Jehovah-Tsidkenu, the One who is our righteousness when our sins would separate us from God. He is Jeohvah-M'kaddesh, the One who will sanctify us and deliver us from our innermost battles with sin. He is Jehovah-Shammah, the One who is present with us - preparing a table for us in the presence of our enemies. He is Jehovah-Rohi, the One who will be our Shepherd and lead us through our lives. He is Jehovah-Rophe, the One who will heal us from all our diseases and bring us out of sickness and pain. He is finally Jehovah-Shalom, the One who will give us peace no matter what is happening in our lives. Truly His names are a strong tower to which we can run and find shelter in whatever situation we face. May we be wise and run to Him with all that we face in life - trusting Him to deliver us from all our fears and all our trials.

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A Friend for Times of Trouble . . . Proverbs 27:10

9/27/2010

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Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend, And do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. Proverbs 27:10

Loyalty is an interesting thing - and something that is not as prevelant in our day. Too often we don't really know who is living around us - and far too many of us don't have a group of "go-to" friends who will be there for us no matter what. A wise man knows the value of true friends - and does not abandon them throughout all of life.

Here we see that Solomon tells his son to be a loyal friend. Don't forsake your own friend - or even your father's friend. There are blessings that come to us when we have long term friends. They are there with us in the good and the bad in our lives. The book of Ecclesiastes tells us that two are better than one - because they have a good return for their labor. Two when laying down can keep each other warm - and when someone falls - it is always a blessing to have someone to help you to get up off the ground and back on your way. But then Solomon says in Ecclesiastes, "But woe to the man who has no one to pick him up when he falls." In closing we read that a cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Here is why it is good to maintain a loyalty to your friends - and even the friends of your parents. You need people in your life to help make it strong. This is especially the case when you fall and have difficult times in your life.

Having close friends is essential in a society where we don't stay close to family any longer. The strand ot three cords often cannot include close family - because we don't live close to them any longer. That is why Solomon tells us that a neighbor who is near is better than a brother who is far away. When tragedy and trouble strike - they often do so without warning. In those moments we need someone who can come quickly to our side and offer us comfort and encouragement. That is the moment when you need the neighbor who is near. But those kinds of relationships have to be cultivated over time - and that requires both effort and time. The onset of the television, the internet, and the world where videos and games dominate our time - has led to the lack of skills that are necessary to build long-term friendships - and much necessary fellowship. We may be able to get an awesome score on whatever Mario game is popular today - or on Halo with some guy from Europe who plays online with us as we attack our imaginary enemies - but we don't seem to be able to walk next door and invite a neighbor over for a meal. As a result we have multitudes of acquaintenences - but very few close friends. As a result, we have weak support systems. We are not a strand of three cords. Too often we are a single strand just making it in our everyday lives.

Take the time to make - and keep - close friends. You probably won't truly appreciate all that they can bring to your life until the moment when you need a neighbor close - rather than a brother far away. I do not think Solomon is being disrespectful to family. Family will always come to your aid - at least that was the way I was reared. But . . . my closest family member is 6.5 hours away. Therefore I need a neighbor who is near in times of trouble. They have been there when I needed them. And their value to me cannot be measured in dollars and cents. But it can be measured in comfort and encouragement!

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A Warning to Those Who Mess With God's People . . . Proverbs 24:15-16

9/24/2010

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Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; Do not destroy his resting place; For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity. Proverbs 24:15-16

There are times when you wonder about the providence of God. These are times when you look at the wicked - how they strut about on the earth - and how they attack the righteous and seek to destroy them. Asaph had one of these times in Psalm 73. He struggled mightily with the prosperity of the wicked and the difficulties and trials of the godly. Yet in the end, when he considered eternity and the end of the ungodly, David returned to his sanity and found himself worshipping God - and pitying the wicked.

Here we have a warning given to the wicked - or at least the wicked man who thinks he can destroy the godly. He is warned not to lie in wait against the dwelling of the righteous. Here we have someone who is planning to do something destructive. The word used for "lie in wait" is a single Hebrew word that means to ambush, to lurk, or to lie in ambush as a military tactic. In the military context it always has the meaning of also doing this for the purpose of killing another.

I don't want to make you stay awake at night worrying, but there are very sinister forces today that are lying in wait against the righteous. Radical Islam is one of them. For years the 9/11 terrorists were waiting and training for their one day of evil. It was spooky to say the least to learn just how long they were among us - acting like nothing was going on - and all the while they were planning the worst terrorist attack in history against us. It was even scarier to read an article that listed the top 10 ways that Muslim terrorists were planning to attack us. The article was written by someone from the homeland security department. This list blew my mind because the attack that they are planning currently makes the 9/11 attacks look timid in comparison. In addition to the threat from radical Islamic terrorists, there are also threats from the far left. The radical homosexual movement wants to destroy conservative Christianity, making it illegal to hold views that are consistent with Scripture. There are those among the religious and academic elites who think that Christianity should be relegated to the ash heap of ideas - with laws enacted and enforced to make sure this happens. Like I said, this is disturbing to know - that there are those who are plotting and planning our demise.

God warns such people that this is not a wise thing to do. Remember saints, that God considers us the apple of His eye - and warns against those who would seek to harm us. He warns that such things are very unwise and will elicit his judgment. God warns specificially against seeking to destroy the "resting place" of the righteous. It is true that some want to destroy our "physical" dwelling places - but there is also the fact that those who oppose us among academia and the marketplace of ideas - want to destroy the Biblical Christian worldview and the philosophy that goes along with it. They fight us on the front of creation and science - saying that only their view is acceptable and that creation science is no science at all. They fight us on the moral front, saying that our views on morality from a biblical standpoint are outdated and should be cast aside for more modern (read immoral here) standards, which wind up being no standards at all. They fight us in the arena of human value - as they push abortion, euthanasia, and population control. They fight us in the arena of God's purpose as they exalt the earth with their environmentalism - even saying that humans are a blight upon the planet and should be culled back from our current 7 billion to no more than 300 to 500 million people. All these things are attacks on our "dwelling place" and "resting place" in the Lord God and in His Word as the ultimate source of truth.

One could get the to the point of living in fear if he or she did not read the rest of this proverb. The relentless attacks have not been just in this generation. They have existed all throughout history. Whether it has been the emperors like Nero, Diocletian, and Galerius or the attacks of the currently worldly educated like Darwin, Nietzsche, Hitchens, Harris and Freud, Christianity is amazing just for the fact that it is still around and still considered even a marginally valid worldview. But it is far more that that. The Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ continues to transform millions every year - and provide for them a resting place for their faith and their lives.

We should take heart though, because this proverb gives us great hope - even though we are beset on all sides by those who seek to destroy us. God tells the wicked that even though a righteous man falls seven times - he will rise again. We have the peace of knowing that He Who began this good work in us, will complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. He will not allow us to be destroyed and decimated. Even in death His martyrs speak - and the blood of the martyrs becomes the seed of His church. We may fall seven times - but He will pick us up and make us to stand because of His grace and work in us.

But this proverb comes also with a warning. The wicked are warned that they will stumble in times of calamity. When difficult times come - when evil befalls because of their wickedness or because of God's judgment in their lives - they will stumble in it. The word for "stumble" here means to stagger, to totter, to be brought down or cast down. The word is used in the Old Testament to describe not just the fall of individuals, but the fall of cities and nations who fall because of the evil and wickedness that they've committed. So we come full circle on this proverb to what I began saying in this article. Asaph almost stumbled when he considered the prosperity of the wicked in Psalm 73. But in the end, he remembered the judgment and the sovereignty of God. He considered their end - and how they were consumed all at once in their wickedness and iniquity. This moved him to two things. First it moved him to worship God, who is truly sovereign over all things. He worshipped God because he knew there was more to this life than - well, just this life here on earth. In light of the fear and terror of God in judgment, he worshipped with trembling as he considered the end of the wicked. Second, he was moved to pity and mercy towards the wicked. Seeing their latter end, he pitied them and grieved over their destruction. Finally, he was thankful for God's grace and love for him.

Here is wisdom . . . God is sovereign, even when it seems that the wicked are being destructive towards His people. We should not stumble over this reality - but rather realize that God is working, even in the moments when it seems like the world is out of control - or even worse - under the control of the wicked. Know this - God is working for His own glory. If He used a moment as horrific as the cross of Christ to redeem the world - believe me when I say that He can also use anything to eventually bring about His will in this life.

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Unknowable Bitterness and Joy . . . Proverbs 14:10

9/14/2010

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The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
Proverbs 14:10

There are times when a person knows both a bitterness and a joy of soul that cannot be shared among humans. It is not that people do not try to empathize and sympathize with us, they do. It is just that certain experiences and certain things go so deep within us that the only One who can comfort and the only One who can understand is God Himself.

The heart knows its own bitterness. There is a pain that we can feel both in our physical realm - but much more - in the spiritual realm that is very deep. It is so deep that we need more than human comfort to deal with it. There are times when we face serious issues (often life threatening issues) that although we are possibly surrounded by human comforters, we need a superhuman comforter. It is in those moments when only God can offer us the comfort that we desperately need. The main reason we know this is because of how God used David to write songs about these moments.

Too often we forget that the recording studio that God used to record those songs were times of great suffering, sorrow, and trial. In those moments David expresses a depth of bitterness and sorrow that few have ever touched. He says things to God that make us step back and gasp when we read them. Truly he is in a "bitterness" of soul in the midst of such suffering and trial. And Job reminds us that when a man is suffering his words are like the wind. David is bitter of soul at times in the Psalms, but it is also in those times that he cries out to God with a passion that we may not know either. Remember this, it is those who go the deepest in suffering, sorrow, and struggle - who also know the deepest levels of passion for God.

David cries out to God with a bitterness of heart that can only be healed by God Himself. Actually, it is a blessing when God takes us to such depths because often it takes that kind of situation to make us wholly dependent upon Him. We see that, indeed as Jesus has told us in John 15, "without Me you can do nothing." In that moment of complete helplessness we cry out to Him as we've never done before, and we find that He is also, indeed, able to deliver to the uttermost!

Thus we come to the second half of this proverb. A stranger does not share its joy. David not only speaks of the bitterness of heart that comes with excruciating trials, he also speaks of the joy of God's deliverance from those trials. After coming through some fairly deep trials and sorrows I've begun to touch the hem of the garment of such joy. Just as I cannot grasp the cries of David in his deepest pain, there is also a tinge of realization as I read the Psalms that I'm not sure I am getting the fullness of His joy either. A stranger to God's deliverance will never share the joy of knowing that God is the One who not only walked in the midst of our firey furnace, but He is the One who kept our clothes from being burned - or even smelling like smoke.

Oh, the joy of those who know His working. Oh the joy of those who know when He Who took them into the depths is also the One Who will bring them out again. Oh the joys of the ones who know that He will wound us, but He will also heal us. Oh the delight of soul that comes to the one who knows a depth of pain and bitterness of heart that goes beyond human comfort - but who also knows the only One Who can reach beyond human comprehension - beyond human ability - beyond mere human comfort - and can touch our deepest and most bitter wounds and heal them. May God bring wisdom to you this day, dear saint of God, and may He be your Deliverer and Comforter in your every distress!

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Hearts of Silver and Gold! Proverbs 17:3

3/17/2010

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The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests hearts. Proverbs 17:3

In order to purify sliver it is put into a crucible or refining pot and heated to very high temperatures so that the dross can be scraped off the top. What is left is highly purified silver. Gold is similar in that the higher the purity the higher the value. Thus gold is put into a furnace to accomplish the same process. What this proverb says is that what the pot is to the silver and the furnace is to gold, God is to the hearts of men.

We read in the New Testament of Peter's comments in this same vein. "In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:6-7) James also tells us of the blessing of testing and trial in our lives when he writes, "Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:2-4). So according to both this proverb of God and the New Testament, the purifying process that God uses to test our hearts is a blessing. Why then do we have entire doctrinal systems in Christianity that disdain this process and only want health, wealth, and prosperity to be our lot?

The answer to this is a lack of teaching that involves the entire counsel of God. Another reason for this also may be our affluent and oppulent lives in our world today. We seek to insulate ourselves from any bad thing happening to us - or any kind of negative setback. We have insurance and government protection to keep us from having the negative affect us too much. The problem is that God is absolutely committed to our hearts being refined so that we will be holy and godly men and women. What that means in the long run is that God is also committed to bankrupting our entire system if that is what is requires to eventually get to our hearts. There is a scary scenario - yet one that I fear is getting closer every day.

God tells us in Romans that all things do work together for good for those who love the Lord and who live according to His ways and purposes. What many don't do is read the next several verses where God says that His purpose is that we are conformed to the image of His Son - that we become holy men and women whose character reflects that of Jesus Christ Himself. For fallen men and women that means testing.

If we could hear silver and gold as it is put into the pot and the furnace - my guess is that they do not particularly enjoy the entire process - even though in the end they are refined and far more valuable. Neither do we find that process of trial and testing all that fun either. It is hard - and often it is stressful. It is a difficult thing to encounter - and many times it reveals rather embarassing sins in our lives. Yet as the dross is lifted off our hearts in this process - there comes out something that God can mightily use.

Am I volunteering for trials and testings . . . no, but I know that if I want to draw nearer to the Lord and be further conformed into the image of His beloved Son, they are coming. It is just a comforting reminder that in this process the Lord does not have it our for me. To the contrary, this is done out of His utmost love and desire for me to know Him better and relect the heart of His son. Remember this next time you find yourself in the refining pot. He loves you through it all - and more than anything else, all this is working to show forth the glorious perfections of His Son within you.

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True Stability . . . Proverbs 12:3

3/12/2010

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A man will not be established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous will not be moved. Proverbs 12:3

This very proverb has a wonderful parallel in the New Testament in the sermon on the mount. The parable of the foundations deals with how the man who built his house on the sand, having no foundation except on sand, had his house fall. The man who rooted his house on the rock, Jesus Christ, stood against all the storms and winds that beat upon it.

The man who seeks to be established on wickedness is kidding himself. He won't know any kind of firmness or rooting. The word here means to be firm or fixed, to be steadfast and deeply founded. The picture is of a house that has deep moorings into the ground and as a result is very stable and strong. There is no promise of this for the man who wants to dig his roots into wickedness. He won't know stability - he won't have strength that will last. When troubles and trials, storms and winds come upon his life - he will fall flat.

"Shoresh" is the Hebrew word used to speak of the root of the righteous. It is a word that means a deeply rooted plant that goes far down into the ground. It refers in Scripture to things like the root and base of a mountain - the roots of large trees - and even the origins of someone or something, speaking of their roots. These are righteous roots though. This man roots himself in what is right. But where can we learn what is right in every circumstance? Jesus tells us that this is when we hear His words and do them. This is the place to find what is right - but more than that - to be rooted in what is right. We are promised that this kind of root won't be moved. Just as Jesus said, this house - this life - will have the winds come down - the rain come down - the storms rise against it and beat on it. But they will not prevail - and that house and life will not fall.

In a time when the world around us seems to be shaking at its very roots - men are scouring their minds trying to think of something or find something that will give them stability - it is interesting that we know there is a root that cannot be moved. Oh, that men would turn to this root and find the stability for which they long.

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Blessed to be Distressed . . . Proverbs 24:10

1/24/2010

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If you are slack in the day of distress, Your strength is limited. Proverbs 24:10

Why do distresses and troubles come to us? I know that I would like it much better if I had a life without these things. In fact most often I think that these kind of things are not just a problem - they are an annoyance. Some equate such things to the devil - as if troubles never come to us within the will of God or have a purpose in what He does in our lives. But they have tremendous purpose. Without them we would face grave problems in the end. Let's take a few moments today then and look closer at how God uses trials and distress for our good. The proverb today says that we are slack if in the day of distress our strength is limited. The word "slack" here means to cease and desist, to become discouraged or disheartened. To be slack in the day of distress is to lack the strength to face the distress or trial and thus to quit - become discouraged or disheartened by it. How often have we faced distresses only to realize that we lose heart in the midst of them. We don't have the strength to go through them without becoming seriously discouraged? That is why they are given to us. To teach us when we lack strength - or lack the kind of mindset that makes us fight when things get rough. We need distresses because it is only when we are tried and tested that we can know if we are learning anything from the Lord. It is only in these times that we will know whether we are just being religious - or whether we are gaining the strength to stand when things get difficult for us.

Without distresses we would not know the joy of knowing that God's strength is sufficient for us to stand in any situation. As we go through these things, we learn that our hearts need to be stronger and our minds more filled with God's Word. We learn when our thinking is off and easily led astray in trouble. These things are vital to us as we seek to mature in the Lord. Yes, it is tough to go through a distress - and on top of it learn that our strength is limited. But when we learn this - we turn to the Lord - realizing that it is only in Him that we will be able to stand in every distress and every trial!

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Bad Teeth and Slippery Feet - Proverbs 25:19

The Ultimate Tower of Safety! Proverbs 18:10

A Friend for Times of Trouble . . . Proverbs 27:10

A Warning to Those Who Mess With God's People . . . Proverbs 24:15-16

Unknowable Bitterness and Joy . . . Proverbs 14:10

Hearts of Silver and Gold! Proverbs 17:3

True Stability . . . Proverbs 12:3

Blessed to be Distressed . . . Proverbs 24:10

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