The Time of Our Life

 
The Time of Our Life!

By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© September 16, 2012
www.pastorkennedy.com

For over a century people have talked about “time travel” and “worm holes” in space – all to no avail.  Beauticians continually promote creams to make the skin less wrinkly as we age.  Nutritionists continue to develop combinations of foods, touted to give our bodies a better than average chance to add days, months or even years to our lives.  Pharmaceutical companies seem to always be modifying chemicals, which they say, will give us greater longevity.
But time continues to flow through history; silently, continuously – waiting for no one; plunging steadily toward that great, majestic waterfall of eternity. 
The old cumbersome, wind-up, chiming, living room clocks have been replaced by ergonomically pleasing atomic clocks, so accurate that they are only updated by milliseconds or nanoseconds in a year, and they never have to be wound.
Time keeps its steady pace.  Mankind strains with all their might against its constant rhythm, but no one can hold back the certainty of its next moment.  
The sun continues to rise and set.  Greatly anticipated events come and go.  The sun’s light merely gives a visual pattern to the sureness of time’s consistency.  The sun rises and light replaces the darkness, but then with unfailing accuracy, the sun’s blinding light turns into a brilliant dusk and, suddenly… light is no more.   Wait only until the exact appointed moment and the morning light will again peek once more over the horizon, to enact the same systematic ritual that it has been commanded to hold for thousands of years – never failing, always on an exact time schedule.  Light and dark, day and night, awake and sleep, again and again and again; over and over.  It never tires and it is never late.  Light is the visible hands to the invisible clock of time.  Time accepts commands from no one but its Maker, and The Maker has anointed His servant “Time” to assure that all humanity will not miss, even by the smallest nanosecond, the established appointment that He, Personally, has made with each individual and all mankind, regarding each one’s eternal destiny.  It is the “time of our life”.
There is one Psalm in our Bible written by Moses, the man of God.  It is full of an emphasis on “time”:  how God is timeless – He is everlasting; how time “flies by” so quickly for every human being; and, how we should number our days, since life is so short, to apply our hearts to wisdom.

Psalm 90 
A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.

God is Timeless
	1 	Lord, you have been our dwelling place 
in all generations. 
	2 	Before the mountains were brought forth, 
or ever you had formed the earth and the world, 
from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 

Mankind is Transient 
	3 	You return man to dust 
and say, “Return, O children of man!” 
	4 	For a thousand years in your sight 
are but as yesterday when it is past, 
or as a watch in the night. 
	5 	You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, 
like grass that is renewed in the morning: 
	6 	in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; 
in the evening it fades and withers. 
	7 	For we are brought to an end by your anger; 
by your wrath we are dismayed. 
	8 	You have set our iniquities before you, 
our secret sins in the light of your presence. 
	9 	For all our days pass away under your wrath; 
we bring our years to an end like a sigh. 
	10 	The years of our life are seventy, 
or even by reason of strength eighty; (it is interesting that Moses lived considerably longer than this, but the average life spans mentioned here still stand!)
		…yet their span is but toil and trouble; 
they are soon gone, and we fly away. 

We should Number our Days to find a Heart of Wisdom

	11 	Who considers the power of your anger, 
and your wrath according to the fear of you? (Moses has a healthy fear of God!)
	12 	So teach us to number our days 
that we may get a heart of wisdom. 
	13 	Return, O Lord! How long? 
Have pity on your servants! 
	14 	Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, 
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 
	15 	Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, 
and for as many years as we have seen evil. 
	16 	Let your work be shown to your servants, 
and your glorious power to their children. 
	17 	Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, 
and establish the work of our hands upon us; 
yes, establish the work of our hands!

Moses spent his first years in Pharaoh’s Court, his mid life as an exiled shepherd in the wilderness, and his life after 80, leading Israel out of Egypt, toward the Promised Land – including 40 years wandering in the wilderness, because of Israel’s disobedience.  He had seen the anger of God toward disobedient Israel, and he wished for as many good years as bad!  He would have liked to have more time.
Time, what an interesting dimension of our life!  Let’s look more closely at Time itself.
Time is the Great Equalizer
There seem to be many inequities in life, but “time” is not one of them.
1.	 Everyone has the same amount of Time in each Day; and, Every Person can Individually Choose how to use this Equal Disbursement of Time.
Everyone – rich or poor, sick or healthy, wise or foolish; everyone, has exactly the same time in the day.  It can be used wisely or it can be frittered away.  It can be used for much needed rest, or for intensive labor.  It can be used for good or for evil.  
Time Has No Demands
We seem to be given the generous privilege of using time however we wish.  Time is liberally poured out without any demands.  It is for our pleasure or for wallowing in our own misery.  It is for our success or for our failure.  It can be used for debased carnality, or for great spiritual blessing.  We can use it, but we cannot keep it.  We cannot restore it once it has been used.  We will be accountable for it.  It will be used in part, as an accounting of our reward or for our demise.  We will choose how to use it.  God will reward us for how we used it.
Sometimes the use of time can be puzzling and confusing – Incomprehensible!

There are at least four areas that God causes time to bring restorative productivity instead of labor productivity, into our lives:
A.	 Sleep and Rest
B.	 Sincerely “Waiting on God”
C.	 Sickness/Adversity and Recovery
D. Senior Years of Life

A.  Sleep and Rest
God has programmed our bodies to require rest and the darkness of night to reinforce it.  Rest, for more able service of God and the accomplishment of His purpose for us, is a commendable use of time, even though we are not doing anything but simply restoring the energy in our bodies while we are sleeping.  Feverish labor is foolish when we work day and night to build our wealth, only to loose our health, and our “assets” fall to someone who uses our hard earned assets foolishly.  No matter how much intensive striving we pack together in time during our extended waking hours for supposed “productivity”… sometimes we may not be productive at all! 
God uses sleep to allow our minds to sometimes solve problems.

B.  Sincerely “Waiting on God”
The Book of Psalms has many verses that instruct us to “wait on the Lord”.
Psalm 25:5 
	            5   Lead me in your truth and teach me, 
  for you are the God of my salvation; 
  for you I wait all the day long.

Psalm 27:14 
	           14 	 Wait for the Lord; 
 be strong, and let your heart take courage; 
 wait for the Lord!

 Psalm 130:5 
	           5 	I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, 
 and in his word I hope;

God allows time for living… and waiting on Him!

C.	  Sickness/Adversity and Recovery
There can be times that we are found on the bed of affliction.  We cannot “work”… We can only cry out to God.
Psalm 34:19 
		    19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, 
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

The Apostle Paul certainly experienced the testing of affliction!
2 Corinthians 12:7–10 
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Adversity is scheduled in God’s Timetable for more fully growing and maturing His Children.  There is strength that rises towards God, from the fires of adversity.


D.  The Senior Years of Life

The Sunset Years of Life:  The older we become the less energy we have to accomplish things and the more we need rest.  The strenuous physical elements are designated to younger, more able-bodied individuals.  We can spend more time in prayer and intercession.

God has also factored these days into the “Time of our Life”!

By the way, Worry is not Restorative Productivity!

Worry is something we have all engaged in, but it is a very foolish use of time.  Nothing can be accomplished by it – it only demoralizes our own spirit.  We know worry is not good for us, but it is hard to refrain from!  Worry is a thief of time!
Everyone has the same amount of Time in each Day. 
Each of us may individually choose how to use this God-given allotment.  May we choose wisely how to use it – both in work and rest … In labor and restorative productivity.
“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12

2.	 Time has a way of Catching Up with Past Sins
…but Time also gives us Opportunity for Repentance; to live honorably before God and others, and to gain Reward.
Remember the verse that says, “Be sure your sin will find you out” (Num. 32:23)?  It always will…now or later.  

Time makes sure of it.  

Sin cannot hide from Time.

Confession and repentance from sin, allows us to voluntarily reveal sin ourselves, to God and as responsibly necessary to others, now, for cleansing and forgiveness!

For those who are believers in Jesus Christ; those who have cried out for the covering of the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ for their sin, there is eternal cleansing of their sin before God.  What an everlasting mercy!
Galatians 6:7–10 
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

A Time of Reckoning and Consequences Always follows Sin
There is also a time of reckoning, both for the consequences of sin and for the life of those who do not repent of their sin and do not find cleansing for their soul through the Blood of Christ.
Others in future generations will bear consequences for their forefather’s sins.
There are several examples of this throughout Scripture, below are three.
A.  Saul’s Sins Against the Gibeonites were Justly Paid…Later
B.  Ahab’s sins were Judged during his son, Joram’s Reign (of course, Ahab sins were also uncovered when he stood before God’s Judgment Throne).
C.  God’s Judgment was Revealed against Abimelech, a Power Hungry and Treacherous son, as well as his Mother’s deceitful Clan
Reckoning and Consequences always follows Sin…in Time
A.  Saul’s Sins Against the Gibeonites were Justly Paid…Later
2 Samuel 21:1 
21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

King Saul had unjustly destroyed the descendants of the Gibeonites, with whom the Israelites had made a covenant of peace, just after they had crossed the river Jordan and had entered the Promised Land.
Do you remember the story?  Israel, just after coming into the Land, was deceived, in Joshua 9:3-17, by the nation of Gibeon, through their old crusty bread and worn out clothes.  Of course, the Gibeonites did not want to be destroyed by Israel, as were the other nations surrounding them, so they purposely sought to deceive the elders of Israel.  In the deception, Israel made a pact of peace with Gibeon.  Saul, when he had become king, disregarded the covenant of peace and had slaughtered the Gibeonites.  We do not know why God chose to judge Israel during King David’s reign, but God may have judged Israel then because He knew David would honorably deal with the unjust slaughter of the Gibeonites.
B.  Ahab’s sins were Judged during his son, Joram’s Reign (of course, Ahab sins were also uncovered when he stood before God’s Judgment Throne).
Ahab was one of the most wicked kings in Israel’s history.  At one point during his sordid reign, he, through Jezebel, had murdered Naboth and his sons and had stolen Naboth’s vineyard, because Ahab wanted the vineyard as his own (since it was near his palace) and Naboth would not sell his family heritage (1 Kings 21).  Ahab also had worshipped many false gods, which had caused Israel to fall into despicable sins and turn away from the Living God.  God would judge Ahab, by destroying his whole family…in time, through Jehu.  
[It is sometimes difficult for individuals to understand God’s dealing with sin in subsequent generations, but God’s economy is eternal and dynamic, not stationary or static affecting only the offender’s life.  Sin destroys in multiple ways, in multiples of generations, and God deals with it justly, as He sees fit.]

2 Kings 9
Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among Òhis fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. 3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.” 
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.” 6 So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. 7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.

Jehu was made king, by the Word of the Lord, and subsequently executed Joram – in a Divine Appointment.  Jehu ordered Joram’s body to be thrown on the very property for which his wicked father (and Jezebel) had schemed and murdered Naboth.
 
21 Joram said, “Make ready.” And they made ready his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as Òthe whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?” 23 Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treachery, O Ahaziah!” 24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot. 25 Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the Lord made this pronouncement against him: 26 ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons—declares the Lord—I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

Jehu Executes Jezebel
30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. 31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. 34 Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’ ”

C.  God’s Judgment was Revealed against Abimelech, a Power Hungry and Treacherous son, as well as his Mother’s deceitful Clan
Abimelech, Gideon’s (also called Jerubbaal) son, sought power through deception and murder (read all of Judges 9).  God is completely just and righteous, and He will call all things into account.
Judges 9:1–6 
Abimelech’s Conspiracy
9 Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon) went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother’s family, 2 “Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, ‘Which is better for you, that all seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you, or that one rule over you?’ Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.” 
3 And his mother’s relatives spoke all these words on his behalf in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.” 4 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows, who followed him. 5 And he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left, for he hid himself. 6 And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

Judges 9:56–57 
56 Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their heads, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

These earthly examples are examples to us of God’s Hand moving against ruthless and malicious people, power mongers and abusers of others, for their own personal gain.  Their sin has found them out…“now or later”.  
Time is God’s servant to bring sin to account.  These grim Biblical passages simply remind us that God is not mocked.  Whatever a person sows, he or she will also reap.  A person’s sin (as does a person’s good) also affects the generations that follow – an outworking of the reality of the 1st Commandment in the 10 Commandments:
Exodus 20:3–6 
3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Sins:  There will be an accounting, in time, for your sins and my sins.  This may be before we die, but it may be after we die.   It will involve those on earth, and it will involve our eternal rewards.  God assures us, that there will be an accounting, either through the Sacrificial covering of the Blood of Christ (for those who cast their sin on Him by faith – accepting God’s gift of righteousness), or through our own judgment and personal demise.
Rewards:  There will also be an accounting for that which pleases God: maybe now, but for sure, in eternity!
1 Timothy 5
24 The sins of some men are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden.

Proverbs 10
     9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

Matthew 10
26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known.

Psalm 37
6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, 
and your justice as the noonday. 

Daniel 12:1-3
“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

•	We have seen the Biblical examples of those being “rewarded” both good and bad, in “time”.  
•	If we are sinning against God, may we consider our ways, repent before God, and change them!
•	If we are honoring God, we should rejoice!
 
“Hide me, Lord, in Your Holiness,
Ev’ry sin I now confess.
Praise to You, forgiving Lord,
Hide me in Your Holiness,
Hide me in Your Holiness!”

Review:
1.	 Everyone has the same amount of Time in each Day; and, Every Person can Individually Choose how to use this Equal Disbursement of Time.
2.	 Time has a way of Catching Up with Past Sins, but Time also gives Opportunity for Repentance, and an Opportunity to those honorable to God, to gain Reward.
3. If we “number our days” we will use our time more wisely and effectively…and we will definitely have a greater sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, accomplishment, and reward when life is over!
It is easy to enjoy the luxury of “letting time go by” – without any thought of its value. 
If we look at time as simply a blank wall out in front of us, which has no meaning…no estimation; we are just living day-by-day taking whatever comes, as it comes; then, we are not “numbering our days”.  Moses gives us a secret of claiming the value of future time that could otherwise be easily squandered.
•	Number our days:  by honestly evaluating the truly limited time we actually have left (no matter how long).
Count how many days we may potentially have.  Seek God’s Face on why He gave us those days, and how He wants us to live them.
•	Number our days:  by honestly considering that we will one day face our Maker –  
o	To confront the reality our sin (none of us are perfect), 
o	To be reconciled to God, 
o	To seek to live honorably before Him as we continue in life.
If Moses gives us a calculation of the expected end of our journey (“70 or 80 years”, Psalm 90:10), let’s evaluate what to do in those potentially useful days that we have left… and we don’t have to be paranoid about death, if we are believers in Jesus Christ.  At Death we face God, and we joyfully begin our eternal Life with Christ!!

4.	 God allows all the Dimensions of Life to finally be Dynamically Brought Together, through Time, according to His Will.
Some things in life will not take place unless other things precede them.  In God’s economy, He uses Time to accomplish this intricate interweaving of occasions, meetings, accidents, blessings and other accomplishments consistent with His overall plan, allowances and purposes.  All of us fit into that plan, but God uses the dynamic of time to finalize the intricate workings of His Will and Purposes!
Romans 8
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

5.	 God’s Patience…in Time
God is not slow in fulfilling His Word; He is patient.  He want all to reach repentance.
2 Peter 3
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation….

Conclusion
Moses gave us his thoughts on Time in Psalm 90:  
•	God is eternal – everlasting and undisturbed by time.
•	Everyone’s life is under the eclipse of fleeting time.  
o	Our life is swept away like a flood.  
o	Our days are like a dream – like grass that flourishes then fades and withers.   
•	We should learn to evaluate our days with a heart of wisdom.
Time:  God graciously gives everyone time – to work, to play, to rest and, most importantly, time has been given to us to accomplish God’s will and to be honorable to Him, in everything.  
God does not force obedience, but He does require an accounting of our time.  We can be blessed by time, or time can be a curse when misused.  Do we not feel rewarded when time is well used and well spent?
Time is the Great Equalizer
1.	 Everyone has the same amount of Time in each Day; and, Every Person can Individually Choose how to use this Equal Disbursement of Time.
2.	 Time has a way of Catching Up with Past Sins, but Time also gives Opportunity for Repentance, and an Opportunity to those honorable to God, to gain Reward.
3.	 If we “number our days” we will use our time more wisely and effectively…and we will definitely have a greater sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, accomplishment, and reward when life is over!
4.	 God allows all the Dimensions of Life to finally be Dynamically Brought Together, through Time, according to His Will.
5.	 God’s Patience…in Time
May we use our time wisely!  And…may we look forward to Christ’s Coming!
Ecclesiastes 3:1-14 
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: 
     2  a time to be born, and a time to die; 
          a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; 
     3  a time to kill, and a time to heal; 
          a time to break down, and a time to build up; 
     4  a time to weep, and a time to laugh; 
          a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 
     5  a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; 
          a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 
     6  a time to seek, and a time to lose; 
          a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 
     7  a time to tear, and a time to sew; 
          a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 
     8  a time to love, and a time to hate; 
          a time for war, and a time for peace. 

“So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.”
Psalm 90:12



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