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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 12/28/2007 2:53:10 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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Thank you, so much! I have not been writing much lately...Need to breakout of the doldrums and get back to work...
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 1/9/2008 5:47:42 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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Because Ye Love Me
~At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God~
John 16: 26-27
The magnificent, perfect, self-sacrificing love of God is offered for all mankind as revealed to us in the Gospel of John, ~ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved~
Who can fathom such a love that would give His beloved Son to live among a hostile, dark world, and then be brutally murdered for a world, who for the most part, could care less? Who cannot be awed as we gaze upon Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the Heavenly Father’s love gift to us as He stands, pleading with His people, one last time before His death, ~ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not~. He had pleaded with His people throughout His ministry to come to Him; ~ In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink~.
Although God’s offering of His Son on the cross is the greatest demonstration of love ever displayed to the world, there is another love offered to the believer in Jesus Christ. ~For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God~. Here we see, a different, very special love reserved for the one who loves the Lord Jesus Christ. For this love means ~to be a friend to (fond of [an individual or an object]), that is, have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; specifically to kiss (as a mark of tenderness). (Strong’s).
Oh, dear believer! Do we realize that, because we are lovers of Jesus, the Heavenly Father considers us His friends? He is fond of us and has a personal attachment to us. What a special treasure this is!
After losing my dearest earthly friend a year and a half ago, I began asking God to send me another friend. I have known for a long time that Jesus, God’s Son is my Friend. God is giving me one or two new earthly friends, but I never realized that I am considered a friend to my Heavenly Father! He is fond of me.
This is not a cold, sterile, unemotional kind of love. This is a love that is vibrant with “personal attachment, affection and tenderness”. How great is His love! How great are you God!
Cherished,
1.9.07
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 1/26/2008 5:46:27 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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Introduction to my Bible Study
Light Pierced the Darkness!
~The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined~
Isaiah 9:2
Darkness…how dark it had been for hundreds of years! It was a time of political darkness as a cruel king ruled. It was a time of spiritual darkness and social-economical darkness. Palestine was in a state of decline. Hopelessness and despair abounded in many hearts.
Why were You silent, oh God? Why were You silent so long? But, quietly God stirred beneath the darkest of nights. He was born; the long-promised Messiah was brought forth in humble surroundings.
There were only a few during those early years that recognized Him as Emmanuel, God with us. Of those that God so favored, Heavenly praise burst forth from their tongues. And Mary, the mother of Jesus, wondered.
Unnoticed by most, He was born in an obscure town. Under the cover of night His mother and step-father fled with Him to Egypt, fearing the wrath of King Herod who wanted to slaughter Him. When Herod died, back the couple came with the young Jesus and dwelt in a city called Nazareth.
And then, the quiet years, as He grew up. How He must have loved nature and spent much time alone with His Heavenly Father observing the birds, the flowers, the ways of God. Years later He would gently say, in the common language of the day, things such as ~Your Father knows~, ~Will He not take care of you, oh ye of little faith? ~ ~Your Father cares, and knows all of your needs, little ones~. How tender, how kind, this gentle Jesus was!
Finally the time appointed by the Father, for His public appearing, came. ~Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world! ~ John the Baptist cried out upon seeing Jesus. John, the apostle, later wrote of the first public manifestations of Christ to a waiting world:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
John 1: 1-17
Onward to the wilderness, the Holy Spirit drove Him to be tempted by the devil for forty days and nights. He then returned in the power of the Holy Spirit…
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him.
And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
Luke 4: 16-21
With these words, He announced, that the greatest Love and Light of the world had come down from Heaven to dwell amongst His creatures – Emmanuel - God with us. It was a fulfillment of the words of Isaiah from hundreds of years earlier of what Jesus Christ came to do….
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound
Isaiah 61:1
He had come! God finally came to this sinful, dark, death-filled earth to fulfill what He promised to do.
So, let us follow Him, two thousand years later, watch with awe and wonder and see how He sets prisoners free. Let us gaze upon Him as He gives sight to the blind. Let us adore Him as we see Him go after the outcast, the sinful, the despised. Let us see Him give hope to the hopeless, joy to the broken-hearted and how He can make beauty out of a life that has been ravished by sin and despair.
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 1/28/2008 1:53:20 AM
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kisstheson
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Its so wonderful to come here and to read such refreshing words about Jesus. You are one who is obiviously in touch with His emotions and the things He is concerned about. Thank you!
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This is my Beloved. This is my friend. (Song of Solomon)
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 2/1/2008 7:56:25 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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When We Need Defending
~Thy sins are forgiven ~
There are numerous ways that God endears Himself to His people. But, perhaps, one of the most precious is He defends those who put their trust in Him. While others may criticize, judge and expose the sins of God’s children, God’s love “covereth a multitude of sins.” He shields, defends and protects His own. He does not expose our sins.
What a refuge for the struggling sinner our dear Lord is! How He wants us to flee to Him when we are tormented with sin, guilt and shame! We want to run away from Him when we fall to sin. Yet He pursues us as He looks upon us with eyes of longing Love.
God’s protective love for sinners is revealed in the story of Jesus’ encounter with “a woman who was a sinner.” Apparently, this was how she was known in the city where she resided. Imagine the shame and guilt she must have experienced! She must have been in so much emotional pain knowing that people were aware of her lifestyle.
Hearing the stories of Jesus and how He reached out with love to the outcasts, brought hope to her. She heard that He ministered to the “unclean,” the tormented and the sinners.
Yearning for acceptance, she did the only thing that she felt worthy to do for Him. As she washed His feet with her tears she could not help but kiss them. For she knew those precious, wearied feet had brought Him close to her. She sensed that Jesus was going to show her the acceptance and understanding for which she longed.
He did. While the Pharisee became critical towards the woman and her actions, Jesus defended her. What contrast between the proud Pharisee with his critical spirit and the tender, accepting and gracious love of the gentle Jesus.
“Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” came the words that she yearned to hear. With these words He was telling her that He accepted her. Even though others might criticize her, He would protect and defend her.
~ Yea the Almighty shall be thy defense ~
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 2/13/2008 5:00:45 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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And The King Wept
A Palm Sunday Meditation
~And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,
Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord:
peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
And when He was come near, He beheld the city and wept over it.
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them
that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!!
He did not deny the fact that He is a King. Born King of the Jews, He traveled over Israel, doing good wherever He went. The blind received their sight, the broken were made whole, the sinners were set free. He preached good news to those who longed for hope. He spoke often of His Heavenly Father’s kingdom, He loved the little children and He raised the dead.
As He came to the descent of the Mount of Olives, He was only a few days away from being brutally murdered. The people that were with Him called Him King as they praised God for all of the mighty works He did. Jesus did not deny that He is a King. He could not deny it because He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. However, only a few days later, some of the same people that called Him King turned on Him and said “crucify Him, crucify Him”.
And Jesus wept because He knew when He beheld Jerusalem, that the people would reject Him.
Behold such love as has never been seen before as He reveals His longing after His own people. “Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem!” His great Heart broke as He knew that the people would not come under His Heavenly wings to receive His comfort, love and compassion. How He longed to cover them under His wings, bringing them warmth, security, safety and protection.
But they would not come to Him. And the King wept.
Treasured reader, is Jesus weeping over you? Have you strayed from Him? Have you ever cried out to Him? Have you ever told Him you desire to put your trust in Him?
Oh, for the wandering one, for those who have never turned to Him, to those who do not know of His great love and longing for them, Jesus weeps. He longs to bring you under the safety of His Heavenly wings.
~Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.~
Author's note: I am thinking of the days coming upon us quickly; the most holy days of the year such as Palm Sunday, Passover, Good Friday and Easter. I will be sharing some of my past writings this year, but I hope to also include some new meditations that the Lord gives me.
I love this time of the year which culminates in the glorious celebration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ! What a victory! What a Victor we have!
Cherished.......
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 2/24/2008 4:15:07 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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Before His Feet Were Pierced
~How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
How tiny His holy feet were when He was born. He came from Heaven where He is adored down to this dark world. Emmanuel, God with us, is Jesus.
Born King of the Jews, yet He humbled Himself to take on the form of man, born in a feeding trough.
As we think of those precious feet of Jesus we see them first carrying Him coming from Egypt back to Nazareth, drawn by God the Father to fulfill His mission of love.
Embarking on His public ministry, those blessed feet brought Him to John the Baptist. In awe and adoration, the humble John cries “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”! Oh, behold Him, for there is no spot in Him! Perfectly holy and harmless is He!
Guided by His Heavenly Father, those feet carried Him north to the Sea of Galilee where He would reach out the most during His three and one half years of being in public.
Those feet carried Him through dusty Palestine, up into the hills, down to the sea, out into the wilderness bringing His message of perfect love to sinners, the outcasts, the sick and the dying. Those feet carried Him to a tomb to raise the dead. Those feet carried Him to teach the message of God’s perfect love and hope for the desperate, to set the captive free and to promise everlasting life to those who would receive Him. Those feet walked on water.
It was a woman who recognized the value of the holy feet of Jesus. Adoring His beautiful Character, she must express her adoration in any way that she could. Breaking the perfume over His beautiful feet, she washed them with her tears and dried them with her hair.
Oh, the fragrance of that one act to our beautiful Saviour! How it gave Him the courage to continue on to fulfill the last part of His earthly mission.
As we travel with Him during those final hours we see those feet carry Him to the Garden of Gethsemane where His struggle was so fierce. No mortal man can understand the agony He went through in that Garden! He went through the struggle for you, dear reader; He went through the struggle for me.
As His earthly life comes to a close, His feet carried Him up the bloodstained path to Calvary. That path was covered with our precious Jesus’ blood. We follow the Lamb of God up the hill Golgotha.
Finally, as He offers His perfect Soul as a ransom for our sins, we see the nail go through those beautiful feet.
Fixed in agony and bleeding, those precious feet were nailed to the cross until He died.
~They pierced My hands and My feet~
Cherished,
2006
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 2/28/2008 1:00:07 PM
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CherishedbyGod
Posts: 2544
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His Gentleness
~Thy Gentleness hath made me great~
How can this be? In a generation which increasing sees greatness through sports figures, movie stars, military power and even force, the Lord pierces our hearts with an entirely different concept; His gentleness makes us great.
King David…penning these words knew the Lord in intimacy which most of us will never attain to in this life.
How beautiful God was to the Psalmist! How beautiful God desires to become to us. It is a worthy pursuit, the pursuit of God and His ways with us. How our breath is almost taken away when we see Him in His condescension towards us. He stoops and bends to us from His lofty Throne to reveal to us a God that, although He is Mighty and All-powerful, yet...He is gentle towards His own.
Our Creator, our Saviour, our Strength, the One who has all might, power and Who Created all, is also gentle! Who can fathom it? This One Who will someday create a new Heaven and Earth is the gentle One.
I live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Whenever I drive up to Lake Tahoe I am totally amazed at the grandeur and majesty of those mountains. What power, how awesome! One cannot begin to imagine the greatness behind a God who with one wave of an outstretched arm spoke those mountains into existence…"Let there be". And the mountains were brought forth at the word of His command.
And yet, the same One who created those mountains with just a breath condescends in gentleness to me... I bow... I worship.
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/5/2008 8:08:18 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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Offering Our Brokeness to God
~And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now late; send the multitude away that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves food. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give them to eat. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. He said, Bring them here to me. And he….took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and broke, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples gave them to the multitude. And they did all eat, and were filled~
How puzzled the disciples were when Jesus indicated that He was going to feed the five thousand people with only five loaves of bread and two fishes.
Nevertheless, they did as He commanded and brought the small bounty to Him. After He took the food, He looked up to Heaven, blessed and broke the bread, giving the loaves to His disciples. The disciples then gave to the multitude and the multitude ate and was full.
Many of God’s people feel small and insignificant wondering what we may have to offer to God for His use. Some reading this may suffer from chronic illness or pain wondering if they will ever make a difference in this world. Some may be experiencing great emotional pain.
The order in this miracle is significant. We may follow the example of the disciples with Jesus thereby influencing our world.
First the disciples brought what they had to Jesus. After they brought the food to Him, He blessed God and broke the offering. Oh, how painful it can be when Jesus allows us to be broken! How He breaks is up to Him, but if we desire to be used by Him, we must be prepared to be broken. Are you broken now, dear one? He knows the pain that you are suffering.
After the breaking, He, if our hands are open, will give the shattered pieces of our lives back to us to feed and bless the multitude. And then, the results of our brokenness will bring us great joy and bring honor and glory to Him.
This process is so important that we find it in all four gospels. Let us ask God for the strength and courage to bring our small bounty to Him so that He may bless, break and give it back to us full of life-giving beauty to be given to the masses who are desperate and without hope.
Cherished..........
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/10/2008 8:43:55 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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Preface to Devotion
I have difficulty pouring out my heart to God and letting myself cry. Perhaps it is because I have been abused for the greater part of my life. But it is starting to change. I asked Jesus fairly recently to heal my relationship with my Heavenly Father so I might feel safe going to Him with my fears, pain and grief.
I love my pets. I find unconditional love from them which I never received growing up. For years my cats have brought great comfort to me as I withdrew from others. They seem to always be there loving me when I need to grieve. This morning, I read something from a person on an internet forum who loved their cat and expressed their grief over losing their pet. I started crying and the “still small voice of God” came to me asking me to come and share my grief with Him.
I let myself cry out to my Heavenly Father and after I cried for awhile He gave me this message to meditate on and then share with my treasured readers.
Abba, Father, did You Cry?
Abba, Father, did You cry when Your Son left His home in Heaven to come to us in this dark world?
Did You cry over the slaughter of innocent children slain because a wicked ruler wanted to kill Jesus, who You gave to us because of Your great love for us?
Did You cry when He was constantly rejected by the religious leaders of the day? So envious of Him they were that His life was often threatened. How it must have hurt You knowing the feelings of rejection and hurt He felt. Even though He is God, He is also Man and felt the pain we feel.
Did You cry when He wept over Jerusalem and at the tomb of the dead Lazareth? And what of the time of His betrayal? To have a friend betray oneself is awful! It is some of the worst pain one can feel.
Did You cry when He suffered all alone? His disciples were not able, at the time, to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings. How alone He must have felt! So alone in that garden that you sent Him an angel to strengthen Him.
Did You cry over Your innocent and harmless Son as they began beating Him beyond recognition and shoved that cruel crown of thorns upon His regal Head? Oh, the pain which You felt is beyond comparison! No one has suffered as much as You seeing such cruelty done to Your Son.
Did You cry when they nailed Him to the cross? The physical and emotional pain He endured for us and Your sake, no mortal man can know.
Did You cry when He shrieked out “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me” as the guilt and shame of every human being was placed on Him?
Did You cry when Your Son, who is God died so that we might live?
Abba, Father do you cry over the way people still hate and despise Your beloved Son, Jesus?
© Cherished, 2006
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/14/2008 4:48:36 PM
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CherishedbyGod
Posts: 2544
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Thank You, Jesus
Thank You, my dearest Jesus, for being my Creator. You created me for Your glory, and You tell me ~I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee~ I have always been the object of Divine love. There has never been a time when I have not been written upon Your heart.
Thank You, dear Jesus that I am always with Thee. Nothing can ever separate me from You. For ~ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
Thank You that You know me through and through yet You still adore me and call me Your bride. Why even the hairs of my head are numbered. ~Thou hast searched me and known me~. You know the worst about me and yet You still think precious thoughts about me.
Dear Lord, You are my refuge during times of fear, pain or sorrow. You remind me that ~ He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty~ Because I have set my love upon You, therefore you will deliver me: You will set me on high, because I hath known Your name. You tell me that when I call upon You, you will answer me, be with me in trouble, You will deliver me and honor me.
You tell me that I am one of the people of Your pasture and the sheep of Your hand. You are the good Shepherd. ~The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul~ Because You are my Shepherd, ~ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever. To think that You identify with and call Yourself, Shepherd. Shepherd’s were despised and looked down upon when You walked this earth. You identify Yourself with the despised, rejected, outcasts. I love You for that, my God!
I thank You most of all, my blessed Jesus for dying on the cross for me. The love of Christ…the love of Christ for me. How can I fathom it? You endured such physical torture and agony for me. Your great heart literally broke over the agony of being separated from Your Father. You did that for Father. You did that for me. When they took the spear and thrust it into your side, there came forth blood and water indicating a broken heart, You died from.
Finally, I thank You for Your resurrection! You are alive and you are King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Every knee shall bow to You someday. You are the Sovereign of the universe. You have absolute authority. I safely place my life, my future, my all-in-all into your loving, nail-pierced hand, I bend my knee to my King, and I say thank you, Jesus, thank you, my Lord.
Cherished of God,
Thanksgiving, 2007
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/16/2008 4:09:18 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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He Wore the Crown of Thorns
~Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him. And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe, And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands~
Your Sacred Head was wounded for us; You felt the deadly pain. It was the end of Your sorrowful life, walking amongst Your beloved creation.
Your Sacred Head first lay in a feeding trough because there was no room for You in the inn. Your were born into a world that rejected You, yet You loved us until the end.
As You grew, You grew in wisdom. No evil of us filled Your thoughts. Perfectly Holy and harmless were You. And yet, You were hated by most.
Pure kindness and grace poured from Your mouth. Heavenly mysteries You unfolded to us. The common people heard you gladly. The sick, infirmed, brokenhearted and sinful flocked to You.
You taught us the truth about the Heavenly Father. You taught us about the birds the wildflowers and You had pity on the innocent animals. You loved the children. But the religious leaders wanted to kill you.
Tears flowed from your eyes at the sight of suffering. You wept over others grief, You wept over death, You wept over Your beloved Jerusalem. You are a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Towards the end of Your life, You presented Yourself as the King of Israel. As You came to the descent of the Mount of Olives the people cried ~Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord ~
But it was not to be; for now. They mocked You saying ~Hail, King of the Jews~ They put a purple robe on You. They smote You, they mocked You. They cruelly shoved down on Your regal Head a crown of thorns. Oh, such pain and anguish, shame and disgrace You suffered; for the lost, for those with no hope, for me!
As You hung upon the cross it is possible that the only thing you wore was that cruel, cruel crown of thorns. You bowed Your Head. Your arms were outstretched to all embracing all who would come to You. Your Head bent unto death under the weight of the Crown of thorns.
Re-submitted,
Palm Sunday, 2008
Cherished
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/18/2008 9:59:50 PM
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CherishedbyGod
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My Dear Friend
~There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother~
My Jesus, I would like to share, with any that would read, what You mean to me. I could never exhaust the words to share how very special to me You have become! Always faithful to me, You have been. You have never rejected or disowned me even when You felt rebuffed by me. When my heart has wandered from You, You bore the pain of rejection and continued to pursue me with Your love and acceptance. When my devotion to You slackened and became less pure, yet Your passionate love towards me continued to burn.
My dear Friend, You have never betrayed me. While my dearest human friend betrayed me, You enclosed me in Your love and whispered to my heart "I am with thee". Knowing rejection all of my life by all human ties, yet You remained with me whispering to me and caressing me with Your soft touches of endearment. You know the deep agony of heart that comes from being betrayed. You allowed yourself to experience that pain so that you might know how to bring comfort to my oft broken heart.
When veils have come between us, because of sin in my life, You showed me how I might gaze upon Your beautiful Face again. You have never tried to get back at me because I sinned against you; oh, my dear Friend, there is no malice in Thee.
You have carried me through the deepest waters and pushed the waters back from my frightened heart. The floodwaters would have drowned me unless You had rescued me. Your right hand has raised me back up, more times than I can share. With a word saying ~peace be still~ you quiet the raging storms in my heart.
You teach me the way to go to find healing and hope. Gently whispering to me ~this is the way~ you bring soothing balm to my grieving heart; you lift me back up and bestow on me precious kindness. I could never live without Your kindness, my dear Friend! Without Your kindness, I would shrivel up and die. While others abuse me, causing my heart to break, yet, You tell me I am Your joy ~ You died for love of me.
I carry you in my heart all of the day. You are there to greet me with a whisper of love in the morning and You are by my side all of the day…. encouraging, comforting, whispering words of love to me. Lifting me up into the light of Your love, when all else would press me down, you set me free once more to soar with You above the clouds, upwards to gaze upon Your face from now and throughout eternity. I love You, my dear Friend. I love You so very much…
© Virginia – November 17, 2006
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/20/2008 4:22:01 PM
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CherishedbyGod
Posts: 2544
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Forsaken by God?
“MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”
Jesus Christ from the Cross
The horrendous desolation of that cry can never be conceived by our sinful human race. The darkness and the powers of darkness of the terrible crucifixion of Jesus, we cannot understand. This is because "He hath made him, who knew no sin, (Jesus) to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." In other words, Jesus experienced God's wrath because He took our sins upon Himself on the cross. He also experienced subsequent rejection and separation from His loving and kind Heavenly Father because of our sin.
Throughout eternity, Jesus and the Father had been loving & adoring each other. Until that darkest of all days of His crucifixion, Jesus was described by the apostle John as being “in the bosom of the Father” (John 1:18 ). What sweet fellowship they had! Even though men had rejected Him, Jesus had never experienced rejection and separation from His Father.
On the day that He died for us, He did. He experienced rejection from men. He experienced total rejection from His Father. How horrible! The depths of His emotional pain, we, if we are His, will never experience. Our beautiful Jesus, who was totally innocent, experienced the destructive forces of evil upon that cruel cross. His cry "my God, my God, why hath thou forsaken me" came from His heart that was broken for you and me and from experiencing rejection from the Heavenly Father. Reproach and shame broke His heart, also.
He experienced the horror of it all for us. God loves His creation so much He never wanted us to know the terror and emotional pain of separation from all that is good and lovely. Without His sacrifice we would have had to. If He did not experience total darkness, we would have had to.
I have experienced many effects of the destructive powers of sin in my life. Brought up emotionally and verbally abused, and being abused in my adult years, I know the deep pain of being rejected. I have had tremendous battles with the powers of evil and gone through much desolation and darkness.
But it is nothing like our beloved Jesus suffered on our behalf so that we also might know Him, the blameless and harmless One, and someday be in the loving, so kind, sweet and gentle "bosom of the Father."
Will you be with Him, dear one?
Cherished....
April 8th 2004
Author's note - I submit this today because I personally believe our beloved Jesus was crucified on a Thursday.
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/21/2008 6:00:09 PM
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CherishedbyGod
Posts: 2544
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God’s Broken Heart
Our Broken Heart
“He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief”
“Reproach hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness; and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none”
Jesus Christ speaking in Isaiah and the Psalms
When we speak of the suffering of Christ on the cross, we rightly speak of the extreme physical pain that He endured. Such physical suffering none have endured as His!
However, how little we speak of the emotional and mental anguish that He suffered.
Jesus Christ allows Himself to be vulnerable to abuse and rejection from men.
“Reproach hath broken my heart,” He says, because “He is despised and rejected of men.” He was despised and rejected two thousand years ago and He is despised and rejected by men today.
If we were to ask people who suffer from chronic physical and emotional pain which is harder to endure I believe many would say that emotional pain is the harder of the two. Certainly, chronic physical pain is horrible. It can lead to depression, early death, and put great stress on the recipient and their loved ones. But prolonged emotional abuse and rejection can break the strongest of hearts.
“Reproach hath broken my heart,” says the harmless Savior. And for those of us who might question what reproach means, it means to find fault with a person, to blame or censure.
Have we been, like Jesus, the objects of reproach? Do others find fault with and criticize us? When we know that we are innocent and yet others criticize and shame us what do we do? Has our heart been broken, perhaps many times?
Let us go to the One Who made the heart. Jesus knows so well the pain we are experiencing. Perhaps His heart was ruptured so that our broken heart could fit inside of His; two broken hearts beating together as one.
O, my precious brothers and sisters in Christ! Let us commit our sorrowful hearts into His, where we will find acceptance instead of rejection, encouragement instead of shame, gentleness instead of harshness and sweetness instead of bitterness.
Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Savior, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.
Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! Leave me not alone, still support and comfort me.
All my trust on Thee is stayed, all my help from Thee I bring;
Cover my defenseless head with the shadow of Thy wing. ~
Charles Wesley,
Lyrics
Cherished,
Devotional
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/22/2008 5:27:23 PM
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kisstheson
Posts: 947
Joined: 5/1/2006
From: AOL
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quote:
I have experienced many effects of the destructive powers of sin in my life. Brought up emotionally and verbally abused, and being abused in my adult years, I know the deep pain of being rejected. I have had tremendous battles with the powers of evil and gone through much desolation and darkness.
But it is nothing like our beloved Jesus suffered on our behalf so that we also might know Him, the blameless and harmless One, and someday be in the loving, so kind, sweet and gentle "bosom of the Father."
Jesus...*tears*
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This is my Beloved. This is my friend. (Song of Solomon)
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/23/2008 4:39:59 PM
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CherishedbyGod
Posts: 2544
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Arise, Mighty Conqueror!
~And He went forth conquering, and to conquer~
Arise, oh most mighty Conqueror! For the time has come. Darkness covers the earth and darkness covers many hearts.
Oh, dear Jesus! How we need You to arise, conquer and prevail, for a climate of fear spreads throughout the land. Evil prevails in many lands and people.
The battle has already been won by You, our conquering King! Arise, and take Your rightful place for, it is written, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly”! Thank you, our kind, King! How we look for that day!
You conquered through the cross, for it says, ~You quickened us together with You, having forgiven us all , and You blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to Your cross ~ You ~ spoiled principalities and powers making a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it~ (Your cross). You conquered by shedding your precious life-blood on that cruel cross for us. God died for you, dear reader, God died for me.
It looked, on that darkest of days, as if You had been conquered.
But then, three days later You broke the power of death, and arose from the grave! Gross darkness had covered the land but then You shattered the darkness with the greatest Light by rising from the dead! You are that great Light, dear Jesus. And You will never be extinguished again!
Oh! Look up, dear child of God! For when ~He (Jesus) ascended up on high, he led captivity captive~
The chains that have us bound were shattered when You, oh our beloved Conqueror, rose from the dead. Whether chains of sin, shame, guilt or fear, You shattered those chains, dear Jesus!
You took the enemies of our soul, whatever has us bound, and you captured them in your triumphal procession when You rose from the dead. For, we know, that when a general won a victory, he would go through the land with those who he had defeated, captured and in chains behind his chariot, to make a public display and to show the world that he had won the victory. You have already won the victory, our dear Jesus! Help us to appropriate Your victory for us by trusting You for it.
Arise, oh most mighty Conqueror! It is time for You to take Your rightful place of victory in Your Church. Quicken us, dear LORD! Quicken us to pray, not resting until we see Your beauty and glory in the Church, again! Amen.
Cherished
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/23/2008 9:37:52 PM
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GraceBro
Posts: 340
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Don't Be Afraid. He Has Risen!
"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." Matthew 28: 1-7
What will you be doing on Easter morning? Will you be taking in a sunrise service? Maybe you won't be attending services at all. Perhaps, you will be preparing a nice Easter lunch or dinner for family and friends. You might decide to treat it like any other Sunday. Whatever you do, take time to try and imagine what it was like on that first Easter morning. Mary Magdelene and Mary were going to mourn the dead Jesus, their teacher and friend. Many of the disciples had scattered in fear. All of them probably wondering what to do next with their lives. However, as they would all soon discover, Jesus was alive! The significance of which I think is missed by many Christians even to this day. They will say, and rightfully so, that the resurrection of Jesus was His triumphing over death and proving He was God. But, it is so much more than that. Jesus told His disciples before He died that they would do greater things than He. What a mind-boggling statement for them to digest given all the miracles they had witnessed Him perform. How on earth would they do greater things than He did? It was because He would do it through them through the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ's resurrection was more than a victory over death and undeniable truth of His deity, it was God's plan of salvation realized. God could now indwell mankind again, like He once did in the Garden, and be the life of every believer. The proof of the power of His indwelling life is seen right in the Scriptures.
Peter
Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him, a fact that Peter vehemently denied. But we all know what happened next.
"Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. "You also were with Jesus of Galilee," she said. But he denied it before them all. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl saw him and said to the people there, "This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth." He denied it again, with an oath: "I don't know the man!" After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, "Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you away." Then he began to call down curses on himself and he swore to them, "I don't know the man!" Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly." Matthew 26: 69-75
But, then after the resurrection of Jesus, we see a different Peter emerge on the scene. Not one cowering in fear, but one boldly proclaiming the Gospel.
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him." Acts 2: 22-24
What was the difference in Peter? It was the indwelling Holy Spirit empowering Him to boldly proclaim the Lord. A far cry from the Peter who denied the Lord, He was now putting His life on the line for the Lord.
Paul
"Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples." Acts 9:1
A couple chapters before this passage we get a glimpse of Paul when He stood by as Stephen was martyred for proclaiming the saving life of Jesus Christ. At this moment, on his way to Damascus, Paul had not changed his views about Christians as he saught to destroy and imprison as many of them as he could. But then something happened.
"As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. "Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." Acts 9: 3-6
Paul had a direct encounter with the Lord Jesus that is like none other I have heard of. Almost immediately, Paul was set on the direct opposite path he was on. No longer a persecutor of the Church, but now someone who would soon suffer persecution for his proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His change, like Peter's before him, was directly attributable to the Lord's indwelling life leading and guiding him. He summed it up nicely in Philippians 3.
"...circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ." Philippians 3: 5-7
The conversion of the average Christian may not be like those of Peter and Paul, but they are no less dramatic and life changing for those who experience it. Some may have been sympathetic to the faith, even calling themselves Christian, like myself, but never really having an encounter with the Lord and coming to a saving faith in Him. Others may have been like Paul, persecuting the Church and not wanting anything to do with Jesus, much less suffer for proclaiming His name. But, once we accept Him as our savior and He takes up residence within our spirit, we find it very difficult not to want to take every opportunity to share His love and offer of eternal life with those around us regardless of the consequences. I went from being lost and living for the next "high" to born again, sober and witnessing to family, friends and strangers. We no longer have to live in fear of not knowing where He is like the two Mary's. We know that He has risen from the dead and living His life in and through us. So, this Easter, whether you're at church, with family or taking it easy, remember exactly what it is we celebrate. We celebrate the fact that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, so that raised from the dead He could live His life through us. Now we are free to proclaim His to the ends of the earth.
Happy Easter (Resurrection Day)!!!!!
Grace and Peace
< Message edited by GraceBro -- 3/23/2008 9:51:38 PM >
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GraceRest/
www.livinggodministries.net
http://360.yahoo.com/idog96
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/24/2008 1:13:13 PM
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CherishedbyGod
Posts: 2544
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: GraceBro
Some may have been sympathetic to the faith, even calling themselves Christian, like myself, but never really having an encounter with the Lord and coming to a saving faith in Him. Others may have been like Paul, persecuting the Church and not wanting anything to do with Jesus, much less suffer for proclaiming His name. But, once we accept Him as our savior and He takes up residence within our spirit, we find it very difficult not to want to take every opportunity to share His love and offer of eternal life with those around us regardless of the consequences. I went from being lost and living for the next "high" to born again, sober and witnessing to family, friends and strangers. We no longer have to live in fear of not knowing where He is like the two Mary's. We know that He has risen from the dead and living His life in and through us. So, this Easter, whether you're at church, with family or taking it easy, remember exactly what it is we celebrate. We celebrate the fact that God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us, so that raised from the dead He could live His life through us. Now we are free to proclaim His to the ends of the earth.
Happy Easter (Resurrection Day)!!!!!
Grace and Peace
Great message! Yes, I believe the key is having an encounter with the living, loving Lord Jesus Christ! And to continue having that encounter on a daily basis.
Thank you for sharing. Come back and share more!
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~I would love for you to come and learn about Jesus of Nazareth with me in the Writer's Roundtable Folder~
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RE: Jesus Christ - Let's Share about Him! - 3/25/2008 12:50:16 AM
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