Seize the Moment – Day 827
Remain Faithful to God!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, June 22.
In our secular-humanist culture, with the wall between religion and state, it is hard for us to imagine how religion and politics were yoked in Israel. God’s prophets would foretell the rise and fall of kings and kingdoms. We see this in the prophetic ministry of Ahijah the Shilonite and the rise and fall of King Jeroboam.
Ahijah was introduced during the reign of Solomon, immediately after Jeroboam was first introduced in 1 Kings 11:28 as a “valiant warrior” and “industrious.” In verses 30-40, Ahijah, reminiscent of the prophet Samuel’s anointing of David during Saul’s reign, endorsed Jeroboam as the next king and spoke of him tearing away ten of the tribes from David’s household. Just like when Saul ripped Samuel’s cloak, Ahijah ripped his own cloak into twelve pieces to symbolize the tearing of the kingdom (30-31). Additionally, he used dynastic language, similar to Nathan’s prophecy to David (38).
Ahijah remained faithful in his role as God’s prophet, but can you imagine how he must have felt since his ministry was intimately yoked with the rise and fall of Jeroboam? His ministry was filled with moments of hope and exaltation when Jeroboam was coronated king, then with grave disappointments as he watched God’s man rebel against the very one who put him into office. Yet, Ahijah himself remained faithful to God regardless of these circumstances, and Jeroboam’s bad choices.
Seize the moment and be faithful to God regardless of your circumstances, and the bad choices of others.
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Seize the Moment – Day 826
The Call to Radical Obedience!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, June 21.
Has God ever asked you to fast from food for a prolonged time? There was a time when I was in the US Army, faced with a difficult challenge, when the Lord asked me to fast from food for three days in preparation for a significant meeting. I didn’t understand why at the time, but in retrospect, I see that God has always had a better plan than any of my plans.
In 1 Kings 13, an unnamed man of God from Judah traveled to Bethel to confront Jeroboam, the king of Israel, and to prophesy God’s judgment against the altar he had built at Bethel (1-10). The prophet spoke with authority, and gave a sign, but Jeroboam didn’t repent, and Israel remained in its apostasy (33-34).
The prophet walked in submission to God, until, along on his way home to Judah, he ate in the home of a deceptive old man. It was his last meal. Shortly after, God struck him down by a lion proving that he was a prophet, his calling authenticated by God’s immediate judgment of his disobedience (11-32). One hundred years later, the prophet’s words were proven true by King Josiah, as recorded in 2 Kings 23:15-20, as this prophet was remembered as the harbinger of God’s judgment of the altar at Bethel.
Seize the moment and obey God’s call because you never know the impact of one act of radical obedience. You may not know why God asks you to do certain things, but trust that God’s Word never returns void (Isaiah 55:11).
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Seize the Moment – Day 825
The Importance of Wise Counselors!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, June 20.
How do you approach making big decisions? Do you make your big decisions all by yourself, or do you seek the counsel of others?
Proverbs 15:22 teaches, “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.” The Bible emphasizes the importance of having a trusted community of wise counselors in your life. These people don’t have to be professional therapists, but they do need to be trusted friends and family members who will give you biblical and timely wisdom. They should neither make your decisions for you, nor serve as your rubber-stamp committee, but be brothers and sisters who love you enough to ask the hard questions to ensure you are living for Jesus in every area of your life.
A great example of the need for such a community comes from 1 Kings 12:1-15. Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, and successor to the throne of Israel, was ambivalent on how to respond to the plee of his people in verse 4, “Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” The elders counseled him to lessen the people’s burden, whereas his contemporaries counseled him to increase their burden (6-11). In fulfillment of God’s judgment, Rehoboam forsook the wise counsel of the elders to follow the foolish counsel of the young men he grew up with. Henceforth, the people rebelled, forsook him as king, and the kingdom was divided from that day forward (13-33).
From this story, we learn that we must choose our counselors wisely. It takes time and effort to find them but surround yourself with people who will walk in the way of Jesus with you to the glory of God.
Seize the moment and build a community of wise counselors for your life.
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Train to Live on Mission- Week 18
Battle Drill #18:
Protect Your Priorities!
Proverbs 11:1-5 (NAS95)
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “ProtectYour Priorities!”
As a good soldier, you need to know the mission of your commander, but you also need to know the commander’s priorities for the mission. When I was an AT (anti-tank) platoon leader in the Army, we would have high value targets that we were to engage first with our TOW missile systems. Every round mattered and we trained hard to not only get a solid hit with every missile, but to also be able to identify targets and make critical decisions, under stress, on which target to engage first based on mission priorities, to accomplish the commander’s intent. In the same way, I believe there are mission priorities that every good soldier of Jesus Christ must know and train themselves to identify and engage successfully, first, regardless of the stressful conditions.
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual. The battle drill we are going to learn and apply this week is from Proverbs11:1-5:
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is His delight. When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. Riches do not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless will smooth his way, but the wicked will fall by his own wickedness.
To better understand how I am applying this Scripture, you need to hear the rest of Proverbs 11, so let’s continue with verses 6-31. Read from the Bible. This is what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply today’s battle drill to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit. Priorities reveal our hearts! What we devote our lives to is ultimately what we serve and what we serve is where we put our time, money, and energy. Where you put your time, money, and energy focuses your loyalty and grips your heart.
As a friend recently reminded me, “This is also true of our conversations. If we are into politics, that’s where our conversations will frequently focus on. If we are into New Castle HS Baseball and their recent run to Semi-State, our conversations will be peppered with baseball, or New Castle sports.” This is what Jesus was teaching us in Luke 6:45, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”
You are defined by that which you prioritize so be wise and discerning in what you put first in your heart. As you meditate upon it, it molds you into its image! This happens because God designed you this way, on purpose – we are designed by God to worship and that which we worship, we become like because we become enmeshed, or entangled, with it, for life or death.
A biblical illustration of this is found in Jesus’ confrontation of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19:16-26:
And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” And He said to him, “Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” Then he said to Him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not commit murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother; and You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?” Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?” And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The rich young ruler was enmeshed with his possessions. He couldn’t imagine his life and well-being without them, no matter what Jesus promised him. He, like each of us, is called to open his hands and pray the ancient prayer of Job, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). The point isn’t that we need to sell everything to follow Jesus, but that nothing we have should grip us so tightly that we can’t surrender it to follow the Lord. In other words, you must be very careful what you consider precious because it will take hold of your heart. We are all unique and can become uniquely enmeshed with different priorities that are not inherently sinful, but become sinful because of our devotion to them. Who or what is “your precious”? Who or what is on the throne of your heart?
To further emphasize the point of Jesus’ encounter with the young ruler, and encourage us to train this into our lives, listen to Jesus’ parable from Luke 14:16-24:
But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. ‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’ ”
Jesus was intense in His teaching – don’t miss the eternal wedding feast because you have become distracted by the things of this life! He was making it clear that when we don’t protect our priorities, we become derailed from God’s purposes for our lives. This is why Paul said to his protégé in 2 Timothy 2:3-4, “Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” As good soldiers of Jesus Christ, we are commanded to protect our priorities – to not become entangled in the affairs of everyday life. Why? Because there is an eternal feast waiting us and we never know when He is going to call us to it.
Bob Sheffer to share his testimony.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval. It is easy to be distracted in today’s world. There is a constant feed of information and entertainment available at your fingertips. Beyond those distractions, there are also a multitude of good causes and charity organizations to focus your time, money, and energy. These are good things, but are they God things? Jesus modeled for us how we are to protect our priorities in Mark 1:32-38:
When evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was. In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.”
The amazing testimony of Jesus Christ is from John 17:4, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.” Jesus was focused on the Commander’s intent for His life and prioritized high value targets with His words and deeds. Jesus did this by first taking time to be with His Father. Jesus knew God’s Word and Jesus spent time with His Father in prayer. He sought the pleasure of His Father above all; this is how He protected His priorities – He accomplished the work which God gave Him to do! Mission first!
There are so many things you can be a champion for in today’s world, but are you doing the work that God gave you to do? Paul stated in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” You can only walk in these good works when you are first prioritizing time with God, in His Word and in prayer, like Jesus modeled for us. Jesus emphasized today’s battle drill of protect your priorities with this command from Matthew 16:24-27:
Action Step #4) Live on mission. Jesus lived on mission and did not allow anything to distract him from setting His face like flint to Jerusalem and the fulfillment of His mission. Even when people had the best of intent in their desires for him, Jesus protected His priorities – the mission of God. We see this in the context to the passage I just read, from Matthew 16:21-23:
From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”
Jesus said to Peter, one of his closest friends, “Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me!” Wow, those are strong words that must have hit Peter like a ton of bricks, but when we think about what was at stake, we can see that Jesus was actively fighting to live his priorities by resisting the temptation to compromise the mission for His own comfort. Jesus did not let good things or good people distract Him from protecting His missional priority – the Cross! Paul modeled this missional focus when, he, like Jesus, set his face like flint to Jerusalem in Acts 21:10-14:
As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”
This is your mission: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven” (Matthew 6:10)! We fulfill the Lord’s Prayer when we remain focused on the mission of God and live according to the priorities modeled for us by Jesus. Paul understood this and followed Jesus’ example, no matter the cost. We must remember that not every distraction will present itself as a distraction on the face of things. Some things, many things, will present as “opportunities.” This is why discernment is so important – pray and seek His will.
Jesus asks you today, “For what will it profit [you] if [you] gain the whole world and forfeit [your] soul?” Live your priorities and may your priorities be to the glory of God as you do His will on Earth as it is in Heaven. Make this battle drill a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Therefore, live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.
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Seize the Moment – Day 823
Today’s hymn focus will be
“When We All Get To Heaven”
First published in 1898, this gospel hymn was written by two friends, Eliza Hewitt and Emily Wilson. The two had met at the camp meeting services at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. They were both dedicated to writing songs with the goal of reaching and teaching both children and adults the truths of the gospel.
Providing what has been described as oxygen for the human soul, the anticipation of heaven is proclaimed in both the verses and the chorus:
When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus, we’ll sing and shout the victory!
We need to wake up and allow our imagination to look forward to that day when the entire family of God is gathered around His throne, gathered for an endless celebration of praise! Allow this blessed hope to brighten your day!
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When We All Get To Heaven
Sing His mercy and His grace;
In the mansions bright and blessed
He’ll prepare for us a place.
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Clouds will overspread the sky;
But when trav’ling days are over,
Not a shadow, not a sigh.
Trusting, serving every day;
Just one glimpse of Him in glory
Will the toils of life repay.
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
Soon His beauty we’ll behold;
Soon the pearly gates will open;
We shall tread the streets of gold.
What a day of rejoicing that will be!
When we all see Jesus,
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
We’ll sing and shout the victory!
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Seize the Moment – Day 822
Keep Your Focus on Jesus!
1 Kings 11
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, June 17.
As I read about the sad ending to Solomon’s life in 1 Kings 11, I couldn’t help but to reflect on how I want to finish my race– with my eyes on Jesus. Solomon experienced a long season of peace and prosperity during the first half of his kingship, but his final years were marked by anxiety and turmoil. Solomon lost focus on God! In 1 Kings 11:11-13, God declared His verdict on Solomon for his idolatry:
Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant. Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.
God raised up adversaries against Solomon, including Jeroboam, the man who would be the one to fulfill this prophetic judgment. Ahijah the prophet declared Jeroboam to be the future king over ten of the tribes of Israel, dividing the kingdom after Solomon’s death (29-39).
God had given Solomon’s kingdom great peace and abundant prosperity for many years, but instead of using that time and that wealth to lead his nation to more deeply love and worship God, Solomon sought pleasure from many women and privilege from his position. His loss of focus destroyed his life and divided Israel. It’s amazing how one person’s focus can bring life or death, blessings or curses, upon themselves and others.
Seize the moment and keep your eyes on Jesus, all the way to the finish line of your life (Hebrews 12:1-3).
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Seize the Moment – Day 821
Something Greater Than Solomon!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, June 16.
Have you ever had a chance to meet a powerful or famous person? Did that person live up to your expectations?
King Solomon received many important visitors, and one of the most famous was the Queen of Sheba. After spending time with Solomon and inspecting every aspect of his kingship, she concluded in 1 Kings 10:6-7, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard.”
As a point of comparison, Jesus referenced this story in Matthew 12:42, “The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.”
To further illustrate this contrast, 1 Kings 10:23-24 explains of Solomon’s power and fame, “So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.”
What can possibly be greater than the greatest king on Earth?It is the Kingdom of God, the sovereign rule of God over all creation, Heaven and Earth, through the rightful kingship of the King of Kings, God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus declared that He was ushering in “something greater,” and that was His wisdom, His riches, and His rule, which far exceed all who had ever come before Him, including King Solomon. Jesus has put all things in subjection under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:23-28).
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Seize the Moment – Day 820
The Score at Halftime!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, June 15.
What is the least important statistic in sports? The score at half-time!
Fast forward 20 years and King Solomon’s building projectswere finished (1 Kings 9:10). As we get this glimpse of Solomon’s kingship, at the halfway point of his 40-year reign, we see that he has been blessed by God and was prospering in every way. Unfortunately, there were also strong indicators of his eventual defeat if he didn’t shore up his weak areas. God, like a good coach who challenges his players to play like champions in the second half of the game during the half-time locker room talk, confronted Solomon in 1 Kings 9:6-9:
But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and do not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight. So Israel will become a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And this house will become a heap of ruins; everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, “Why has the Lord done thus to this land and to this house?” And they will say, “Because they forsook the Lord their God, who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and adopted other gods and worshiped them and served them, therefore the Lord has brought all this adversity on them.”
Solomon did not heed the Coach’s wisdom and all of God’s warnings were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in Jeremiah 52. Regardless of the score at half-time in your life or ministry, live like a champion today, all the way to finish line (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).
Seize the moment and finish strong, persevere until the end(Matthew 24:13).
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Seize the Moment – Day 819
Blessed to be a Blessing!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, June 14.
The word “blessed” has become common place in our culture recently. There is nothing wrong with using it if you know that God’s blessings always come with a stewardship responsibility – a charge from God to be a blessing!
There was a big celebration in Jerusalem, and throughout Israel, as the ark of God was relocated to the temple. As it was placed inside the most holy place, the cloud, the glory of God, filled the house of the Lord (1 Kings 8:1-11). God was with them! King Solomon spoke (12-21), gave a prayer of dedication (22-54), and then in verses 56-61, he blessed the people:
Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us, that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His ordinances, which He commanded our fathers. And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the Lord, be near to the Lord our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day requires, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no one else. Let your heart therefore be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as at this day.
Solomon’s blessing was filled with gratitude and faith, yet it also charged the people to live for God wholeheartedlyaccording to His commandments, and to bless the nations for His glory.
Seize the moment and walk in God’s blessing by living out God’s charge upon your life – you have been blessed to a blessing!
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Seize the Moment – Day 818
Acquire Wisdom and Get Understanding!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, June 13.
While it is important to be a competent and capable person, your character is of the greatest importance.
The construction of the temple was complete, and it was time for the intricate details to be crafted. Accordingly, in 1 Kings 7:13-14, King Solomon called upon the best artisan, a skilledworker who was filled with wisdom and understanding, “Now King Solomon sent and brought Hiram from Tyre. He was a widow’s son from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze; and he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill for doing any work in bronze.”
This passage is reminiscent of God’s words to Moses, during the building of the tabernacle, in Exodus 31:1-3:
“See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship.”
When God chooses a person for an important job, it is not only for their competency, but also for their character. The skilled artisans, who were selected by Solomon and Moses, were people of wisdom and understanding. This pairing of “wisdom and understanding” in the Bible is used to describe the quality of a person’s spiritual maturity – they feared God and listened for His instructions. Isaiah 11:2a details this truth in a messianic prophecy, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding.”
God desires for His people to be empowered by His Spirit in all their work, and to not lean upon their own understanding, no matter how educated or trained. It is good to further your education and pursue your training, but don’t neglect the fear of the Lord!
Seize the moment and “acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding” (Proverbs 9:10).
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