The overwhelming importance of LOVE rather than Strife in our lives!

28 Jun 2024 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 133:1.        Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.

And at last it was Friday… so the joyful shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ obviously were heard all around the world, but not as much as in this fair and flourishing land of Canada, where today heralds the beginning of our long, Canada Day weekend. Yes friends, on Monday we celebrate our national day, the anniversary of Canadian Confederation, the final coming together of all the disparate sections of this great land on July 1, 1867. So you can just picture the height and intensity of the celebrations this upcoming weekend. 

However my fellow believers, please, let’s enjoy the time, but let’s not go overboard as we are sometimes won’t to do. And with the summer season and it’s many activities now in full swing, we definitely need the gentle reminder of these words as we get off work today… a modicum of circumspection. (smile) Yes, it’s time to celebrate and enjoy the benefits of our good country, but it’s also necessary to keep God first place, as we do so. End of Sermon. 

And today we’re just going to have a refresher  look at the very important sentiments of Bruh David’s words in Psalm 133; the dwelling in unity, or harmony, something that unfortunately no longer exists in this turbulent and ungodly world. The psalm opens by telling us in no uncertain terms: ‘Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.’ (Ps. 133:1) 

Now that’s such a simple and very important truth; one with which we’d all concur, if asked. But in the actual doing of it, we just seem to lose the very essence of the sentiment and instead live in strife with each other. And we just have to look around our world today and see that STRIFE, rather than LOVE is what’s making it go round! How sad! 

But that’s one of the great failings of mankind; we often know to do the right thing, yet end up doing the wrong thing. It’s like we know we should be serving Almighty God with our whole hearts, souls, bodies and minds, but instead we embrace Beelzebub and his lustful desires for the perishable things of this world, reducing the things of heaven to a distant second place. How foolish! But we know it, and still do it! No wonder James tells us: ‘Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.’ (James 4:17) 

Sadly though, man’s folly and disobedience has been his downfall from the beginning of time. Our forefathers, Adam and Eve, were told in no uncertain terms not to eat of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge, for they would surely die. But they allowed the wily devil to introduce doubt into their minds by deceptively saying, that all the stuff about dying wasn’t true. God just knew that if they ate of the forbidden fruit, their eyes would be opened, and they would be like God, knowing good and evil. (Gen. 3:1-8)  

And unfortunately, it’s still the same way today; the devil is still beguiling us into ungodly acts, which are only causing strife and torment all over God’s great earth. But if our world is to survive, we’ve got to stop the constant strife and concentrate instead on harmony. It’s like when there was strife between Abraham and his nephew Lot’s people. Abraham wisely came to Lot and said to him: ‘Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren.’ (Gen. 13:8) And they settled the matter peacefully. 

But today, so many actual brothers and sisters, fellow country men and women, as well as different nations, can’t seem to settle the strife that exists between them. The same goes for Christ’s church, where strife is ever so rampant! Some of us are even allowing the devil to eagerly exacerbate it! But that should not be so my brethren. As the author of Hebrews so wisely reminds us: ‘Let brotherly LOVE continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’ (Heb. 13:1-2) 

And that’s the gospel truth! None of us know with whom we’ll come into contact on any given day. That’s why it’s so important to treat people with LOVE and kindness. Remember one of Jesus’ directives is for us to LOVE our enemies. (Matt. 5:44) Unfortunately though, nowadays, with all the anger, hatred, resentment and the many other negative sentiments overflowing our world, we don’t even seem to LOVE our friends and families, much less our enemies. Oh my fellow saints, all I can do is to try and encourage us to turn back to the imperishable things of God, and leave the perishable things of the world and Satan alone, for they do not show who we really are: the children of God. 

Now let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid, to help with our many earthly problems. Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And if we truly want and expect to see divine aid, it would do us well to remember these words of our prayer: ‘by the example, we, your faithful believers set.’ Much LOVE!

…strife is the work of the devil…unity is the work of God…

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Today’s Scrip-Bit   10 October 2023 Psalm 107:1.

10 Oct 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 107:1.        O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

And though this Tuesday morning, post the Thanksgiving weekend, has opened somewhat cool and windy, there is at least one redeeming feature; the sun’s shining! And that’s a lot to be thankful for, as the days grow cold and cloudy, and eventually snowy. Look at it nuh, just last week we were enjoying exceptional summer-like weather, now we’ve been suddenly thrown into the throes of fall (smile) that has winter as its final dance partner. And try as you want, regardless of how long you spend in this land, unless you’re an outdoor sports enthusiast, you never seem to get accustomed to that season of darkness and dreary cold weather. 

But, like all the other unpleasant and tough aspects of life, with the help of our great God, we handle it superbly whenever it raises its ugly head! Give much thanks to our gracious and merciful God for all that He’s done, is doing and has promised to do for us! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful ‘Amen!’ And just in case we’ve forgotten or gotten too busy to remember, now that the Thanksgiving weekend is over, it doesn’t mean we should stop giving thanks. No! The giving of thanks to our most wonderful God Jehovah, must be a daily occurrence, not just once a year, or when you’re pleading with him for something to satisfy your lustful desires. 

And that’s one of the major reasons why our lives are so sad and miserable; we boldly ask for a whole lot from our heavenly Father, but don’t give sufficient thanks for what we already have. Somehow or the other, it just slips our minds that, as our parents taught us, it’s good manners to say thanks for whatever you’re given. Or, we simply don’t think or believe that such a great God as ours, needs or desires thanks from His puny human creation. But that’s a thoroughly incorrect supposition my fellow believers, for the Good Library, God’s inerrant and infallible word, says otherwise, and says it very often too. 

But before we get into some of those many scriptures, let’s check out this commentary that tells us why it’s so important for us to give thanks to our God. It says: ‘What is the power of giving thanks to God? Thanksgiving reorients us to the center of all things. So, thanksgiving magnifies God: it makes him great in the sense of declaring his greatness. Here is the most foundational truth about biblical thanksgiving: it gives him the glory he deserves. It exalts him as the source of every good thing we enjoy.’ 

And that’s the indisputable truth friends! Giving thanks to Almighty God honours and exalts Him, for that was one of the reasons why He created us in the first place; to commune with Him and give Him honour and glory! Now here’s another commentary that adds further reason for being thankful. It reads: ‘But being thankful also has significant spiritual benefits. For starters, it keeps us spiritually healthy. When we live gratefully, we keep our priorities straight—focusing on God as the one who gives us “every good and perfect gift” (James 1:17)—and we don’t accidentally put ourselves in God’s place.’ 

Yes friends, giving sincere and constant thanks keep us spiritually healthy and on the straight and narrow path. Now let’s hear some of those scriptures on the importance of being thankful. First up is this mighty one from Psalm 107: ‘O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 107:1) And in all truth, there’s no better reason than that. The Lord’s good and merciful, and therefore our thanks is necessary. It’s as simple as that. There’s no better reason for giving thanks than to someone who’s good and merciful to you. 

I just wish there was much more mercy and goodness amongst us believers, and the world in general, and therefore much more thanks, for then that would make it something we’d do naturally with our good and merciful God. But unfortunately, goodness and mercy don’t exist in our world as much as they ought to, so it doesn’t naturally rub off on our dealing with the Lord. Then there’s this Scripture from the Book of Ezra, when the Israelites returned from captivity in Babylon and began rebuilding the temple. 

‘And they sang together by course (responsively) in praising and giving thanks unto the Lord; because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever toward Israel. And all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.’ (Ezra 3:11) And yes, our God does like great shouts of praise from His people, but He’s also contented with a simple ‘Thank You Lord,’ because it shows that we are thinking of Him and gratefully acknowledging the fact that He is working in our lives. And that’s all He truly desires; a grateful acknowledgement of His presence. 

Then there’s the song of thankfulness from Psalm 95. In fact, the Psalms is where the most thankfulness can be found in the Lord’s word. And just for our information here’s how many times the Bible mentions gratitude. ‘The Bible mentions the word “gratitude” 157 times. It does not appear as frequently as “fear not” (which is said 365 times), but it appears more than “thanks” or “thanksgiving” (mentioned 72 times).’ That ought to show us how important gratitude is to our God. (smile) 

But back to the thankfulness of Psalm 95, which opens thus: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.’ (Ps. 95:1-3) And there’s definitely no denying those sentiments my fellow believers. Our God is GREAT! That says it all! (smile) 

And don’t think that there aren’t thankful scriptures in the New Testament too, because they are, and some that tend to drive us crazy, especially this one from Bruh Paul’s first missive to the Thessalonians. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18) In ‘every thing’ you ask in disbelief? Yes friends…in every thing .That means whether the situation is good, bad or indifferent, we ought to give thanks. As this commentary tells it: ‘For this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.’ 

Then in his letter to the Colossian, Bruh Paul tells us: ‘And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.’ (Col. 3:17) That’s another tough scripture, but one which we should all adhere to if we want to please our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as true followers. For remember, when He was here on earth, giving thanks was also one of His strongpoints. He never did anything without giving the Father thanks. 

And we don’t have time nor space to go into it all, but you can read these instances for yourself. Jesus thanked the Father ‘for providing food (Luke 24:30), for listening to him (John 11:41), and for the opportunity to minister to others (Matthew 14:19, 15:36). Jesus began and ended his prayers with words of thanks and praise to his father and in the Lord’s Prayer he taught his followers to do the same (Matthew 6:9-13).’ And as always, if our Leader can do it, then we also ought to be doing it. 

And this a most appropriate comment with which to close our li’l talk on the giving of thanks. ‘One of the best things about thankfulness is that the more you choose it, the easier it gets. The more you profess gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for. The thankfulness muscles respond to exercise!’ Yes, my brethren! Just try it and you’ll see it’s oh so true. (smile) 

Now let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. In one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

And having said all that, it now behooves us to go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…if there’s only one word to fall from our lips…it ought to be THANKS!… 

P.S. Yes, it’s long, but oh so good, and so reenergizing! (smile) 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ       

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 July 2020 Ecclesiastes 9:7.

16 Jul 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ecclesiastes 9:7.     ​Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. 
 

Oh friends, oh friends, thank you ever so much for your prayers on Listening LOVE yesterday! Wow! The duchess and I shared some of it on the A/C problem. She talked… I listened – attentively! (smile) Then I did what she wanted – not turn the A/C as low as I had originally intended. Yuh see it works! That’s why they say: ‘A happy wife, usually leads to a happy life!’ Usually yes, but not all the time. (smile) 

Ah mih people, it’s such a joy to be able to laugh and be lighthearted amidst all the sickness, death and confusion that’s currently besieging our world. But you can only do that sincerely when you have Jesus truly running your life, because you are assured that He’s the best pilot there is and He would NEVER guide or lead you astray. Thus, I am asking all of us who sincerely believe in Christ to take life seriously, but please overlay it with that attitude of joy which can only be found in Christ Jesus, especially in troubled times like these. 

It’s that inherent joy that sets us apart from the rest of the world. As the Good Book says: ‘For the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) And that’s why the enemy always tries to steal our joy first and foremost, because he knows that once he gets us down and depressed, we’re weak and very vulnerable, and thus easily influenced by his evil schemes and lustful desires. But please, let’s remember that our God is a God of joy, of laughter and mirth. 

Hear these memorable words of Moses to the Israelites when he told them about bringing their first fruits to God. ‘And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.’ (Deut. 26:11) Yes friends, our God wants us to enjoy ALL that’s He’s given to us or allowed us to have. He is not a mean, incentive, scrooge-like deity, but a most generous and magnanimous God, desiring to bless his people, when they obey His Will and Word. 

That’s why Cousin Sol, the Preacher said in these Principles for Living. ‘Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment (oil). Live joyfully (enjoy life) with the wife whom thou LOVEST all the days of the life of thy vanity (empty life), which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest (performest) under the sun. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:7-10) 

What wisdom my people! No wonder Cousin Sol was known as the wisest man ever. And the scholars explain those scriptures thus: ‘9:7-10. For the first time in the passages on enjoyment, the key words of the exhortation are put into the imperative mood; eat, drink, live, and so on. Also, a new motivation is expressed: God now accepteth thy works (vs.7), meaning clearly that God approves of the enjoyment of life. His will is that men enjoy life. 

The idea of enjoyment is further reiterated in verse 8 with two directives. White garments on the body and ointment on the head made life more comfortable in the torrid near Eastern climates; they serve here to symbolize purity (cf. Rev. 3:4) and the enjoyment of life. Another command concerns the enjoyment of life with one’s wife (vs.9). The reasons for these commands are: It is man’s portion in this life (vs.9), and there is no working in the grave (vs.10).’ 

So there is no reason for us not to enjoy our earthly life. Remember Jesus’ memorable words: ‘The thief cometh not, but (except) for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) And what does ‘abundant life’ mean eh? Wikipedia says it ‘refers to life in its abounding fullness of joy and strength for mind, body and soul.’ Another website explains: ‘Abundant life is eternal life, a life that begins the moment we come to Christ and receive Him as Saviour, and goes on throughout all eternity.’ 

Another website breaks it down as ‘knowing God,’  ‘First John 5:12 says “Whoever has the Son has life,” so Christians have this eternal life from the moment of salvation.’ And it’s also ‘a continuous process. Like salvation, we are given abundant life at the moment of salvation, but we will grow into it.’ 

And finally another website describes the abundant life as ‘a state of being from within, not a result of external circumstances. It is the result of the pruning God does to make us more like Him, and it is what we will take to heaven with us. (1 Cor. 3:11-15). An abundant life is one that keeps on giving. Which is Better – Abundance or an Abundant Life?’ Now that’s a very good question! And I do hope that all of us will answer that the latter is oh so much better. (smile) 

So however we define it friends, Christ came to earth and died not only to pay for our sins, but also that we might have a good life beginning right here on MOTHER EARTH! We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to start enjoying life. Please, let’s remember that nuh and perk up and wear a smile and have a pleasant attitude despite all our problems, for we claim to have a Saviour who can do anything and also enable us to do anything, so let’s live like it’s true and we believe it nuh! 

Ah mih people, I had some other things to say yes, but I got sidetracked with the abundant life story, or the Lord led me to hone in on it. Take your pick. (smile) So let’s go home now declaring (ah Lord eh!) our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to enable us to do His work. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: 

‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! 

I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’ 

And those blessings have been given to us for a troubled time such as this, so please, let’s go out and share them just as generously as we received them! Much LOVE!

…enjoy the honest work of thy hands…it is thy God-given right…

Today’s Scrip-Bit 26 August 2016 Deuteronomy 4:29.

26 Aug 2016 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Deuteronomy 4:29.   But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

Oh friends, the freedom paper for the weekend has been signed… Thank God! And it’s only a matter of a few hours and we’ll be free; free to do our own thing. But please remember that come Monday morning, that freedom will be revoked, the freedom paper burned to ashes, and we’ll return to being slave labour. Hn, hn! 

I guess that’s what motivates us to pack as much pleasure as we can into the two days of freedom. And it’s all well and good to shout ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday, and the weekend is here! Thank God for Fridays and the weekend!’ 

But we also need to remember that life is not all fun and games, not strictly the fulfilling of lustful desires and pleasures, there needs to be mixed into it some serious and godly times to balance it all out. And to help us better understand that, let’s chant our Friday Chant which gives us some decent direction. 

Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. 

Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 

Yes friends, a sense of balance is what we need on the weekends if we’re to do ourselves any good. If we don’t have that, then come Monday, we’ll just be tired and miserable and won’t be able to go out and perform properly, perform as Jesus desires. And you know that is our Number ONE priority. So let’s get smart and godly and use our two days off as we ought to nuh. (smile) 

Now let’s turn to our Bit: ‘But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.’ 

Ah mih people, what an encouraging and reassuring piece of scripture! If we repent of our sins and seek the Lord our God with all our heart and soul, we WILL find Him! 

Now how gratifying is that eh, especially in these times of hardship and uncertainty? Very gratifying friends, because we know that whenever we sincerely turn to God, He will be there for us, regardless of the circumstance(s) or our behaviour. Here’s how the prophet Isaiah put it in his declaration of God’s free offer of mercy to all. 

‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7) 

What a magnanimous God we serve and worship my people! And my fellow believers, it’s not only talk, for we’ve seen how often God’s chosen people, Israel, fell from grace because they forsook God and turned to worshipping idols and other pagan gods. 

Yet when the enormity and foolishness of their behaviour, when the punishment for their disobedience finally sunk in to their thick skulls, they repented and were welcomed back into God’s fold. 

Now why can’t our society realize that eh my brethren and change our wicked, sinful, disobedient ways and sincerely repent and return to worshipping Almighty God, the ONE who made us and is still running the show? 

I guess many of us don’t even realize that we’re living wrong, since they don’t know Jesus. But enough of us do know Him and realize that a lot of the negative stuff that’s happening to us nowadays has a correlation to the sinful and ungodly way we’re living. 

Instead of running away from God, as so many of us are currently doing, we should be running back to Him, right back into His wonderful, safe and welcoming arms! It’s more of Jehovah God we need, not less! 

Remember how God drilled it into Joshua’s head after the death of Moses, and He made him leader of the Israelites? ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh.1:8) 

And if we look back to our prosperous times, barely a generation ago, we’ll discover that we were a much more godly people. However, as we began moving away from God, our prosperity also began deserting us. 

Remember friends, it’s only through obedience to God’s word that a society can truly become prosperous and remain that way for any length of time. Obviously we have forgotten that, or simply choose to believe that it’s through our own efforts that we become prosperous. What an abominable mistake! 

Anyway, my fellow Christians, we are the ONLY ones who appear concerned with the deterioration of our society, and are therefore the ONLY ones who can cause us to be convicted, not condemned, by the Holy Spirit, and thus bring about repentance and a righteous return to worshipping the ONE TRUE and LIVING God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

That’s the wisdom we so desperately need today, as our world is falling apart. So please, let’s pray, as individuals, as well as collectively, the church, and then, with God’s help, do our best to make the LOVE Revolution of Jesus a successful one. Much LOVE!

…only when God is NUMBER ONE….can a society be truly prosperous…