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2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
2 episodes with god's child
Question: What drives your life? "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go," says the message on a car bumper sticker. But is debt really the drive shaft of your existence? What are the ingredients of a life worth living? I'm not a philosopher, but when you live long enough and analyze the mistakes of people you form some opinions. You see some live into their 90s who are bright and cheerful, and you see others, a third their age, grow bitter and cynical and begin to wither and die. We don't always bury them, but their brains are short-circuited. They are the living dead who exist but are living for nothing. Theirs is the despair which Solomon talked about when he said, "I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living who are still alive" (Ecclesiastes 4:2).
Do you want to start each day on the right beginning? 1 John 3:1-3 is a reminder how to. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/encouragingchristians/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/encouragingchristians/support
I Am God's Child The child of God works not for life, but from life; he does not work to be saved but because he is saved. — Charles Spurgeon Every human being who has lived has a biological mother and father. Whether we have met them or not, we have them. We are their offspring. Some of us have parents that chose us, and we became their children through adoption. Remembering your upbringing as a child might evoke great memories and cherished traditions. For some people, your experiences conjure up negative thoughts. Maybe your relationship with your earthly parents has positively enforced your view of God, or maybe it tainted how you see God's love for you. Regardless of your past viewpoint of your family, your Heavenly Father longs to fill your life with love and peace. John 1:12 says that if we receive Jesus and believe in His name, we get the right to become children of God. So, we've all been adopted! We are God's kids and nothing can change that. His love for us and commitment to us is steadfast even if we sin catastrophically. Because of Jesus, God's vast love covers us every single day. So, whenever we face situations where we feel utterly defeated, we must remember that we are chosen, children of God. Whenever we feel like no one loves us and feel completely alone, we must remember that we are chosen, children of God. Whenever we feel neglected and overlooked, we must remember that we are chosen, children of God. The Creator of the universe, the Great I Am, the Almighty God chose you. You are a child of God! Reflect In your own words, write down what “I am God's child” means to you. Repeat “I am God's child” throughout your day — set a timer and say it every hour so that it will be deeply rooted in you or write it on a card and place it where you can see it often. Think of a situation you have faced or will face where you can apply this truth. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/felicia721/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/felicia721/support
We never grow tired of belonging, of being someone's child. The greatest honor is to be God's child, one who 'looks like' his or her father, one who knows they can go home and enjoy the truth of belonging. Only when we know our Father is near by can we relax and enjoy our place of rest. Let this time of listening, remind you that you are home, no matter where you are. Daylight Meditations is a daily podcast from CFO North America. Please visit CFONorthAmerica.org to learn more about our retreats, and online courses. If you are encouraged by this podcast, please consider supporting us: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=VF2A36M8RWHY6&source=url Contributors: Michelle DeChant, Nancy Holland, and Adam Maddock
To be a Christian is to be given new life by God.
Rev. Howard Ellis describes what happens when we become God's child, and how we should behave once we achieve that status.
Greetings and welcome- This is our online Lord's Day service for May 9, 2021. Today we continue our series on I John 3 and come to what our perspective for life should be. Live as God's Child- Thanks for joining us.
This past year we have all been wearing a mask to protect people. Many of us have been wearing masks much longer to try and protect ourselves. Instead of letting people know who we really are, we have worn masks to hide behind. And sometimes we have worn masks so long we forget who is really behind them. In this four-week series, we are going to be looking at the concept of identity and who we really are. We will look behind some of the masks we wear to see who God has made us to be. Study Questions
A new MP3 sermon from Messages by the late Pastor H. G. Gueho is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: WH There Is No Compromise With God's Child Subtitle: Worship Hour Speaker: H. G. Gueho Broadcaster: Messages by the late Pastor H. G. Gueho Event: Sunday - AM Date: 8/20/1972 Length: 65 min.
Why don't Trinitarians or those who believe in the deity of Christ, love those who believe that Jesus is the Christ? Why do Trinitarians shun and reject those who believe that Jesus is the Christ? Comments of 1 John 5:1: "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whomever has been born of him." - For full text of this podcast, see here. https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2019/09/do-you-love-person-who-believes-that.html - 3-minute video “Deity of Christ believer, please explain 1 Timothy 2:4-5” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHafqVmYLlM - Biblical Unitarian podcast video “Where is the Trinity Revealed in the Bible?” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsX2LGI_PGc - Son of God in the Bible https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaDElO7wU_8
April 20, 2021 1 John 3:1-7 Pastor Jeremy's podcast consists of a daily devotion and scripture Monday through Friday.
Today's Promise: Romans 8:15 Are you living the Christian life as a slave or as an adopted child of God? Your answer to that question has a major impact on your walk with God. If you think of yourself as a slave of Christ, you will always live in fear. If you see yourself as an adopted child of God, everything changes. You no longer live in fear but enjoy a loving relationship with your Heavenly Father. In this episode we cover 4 things those who see God has their loving father know.
How does knowing you're married to God's son or daughter affect the way you treat your spouse? Find out from Walter and Katy how this should affect the way we see each other.
How does knowing you're married to God's son or daughter affect the way you treat your spouse? Find out from Walter and Katy how this should affect the way we see each other.
What Is The Process of Becoming God's Child? We discuss these important (3) key points: 1. Seeing & Believing Your Irreducible Identity. 2. Accepting that you Belong and Are Not Alone. 3. Experience Your Reality (Identity) Daily. Follow along at our social outlets: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joylandlife/ Zoom: https://www.zoom.us/j/3377733377 Joyland App: https://tithely.app.link/joyland (You must follow this link from reading this email through your phone.) YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5-vPe7h_wjctIQxnaUQSnQ?view_as=subscriber Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joylandlife/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoylandLife Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/joylandlife
Sunday Morning Sermons (10:45 am)
19 Jul - God's child - Rev Sara Kennett
We never grow tired of belonging, of being someone's child. The greatest honor is to be God's child, one who 'looks like' his or her father, one who knows they can go home and enjoy the truth of belonging. Only when we know our Father is near by can we relax and enjoy our place of rest. Let this time of listening, remind you that you are home, no matter where you are. Daylight Meditations is a daily podcast from CFO North America. Please visit www.cfonorthamerica.org to learn more about our retreats, and online courses. Contributors: Michelle DeChant, Adam Maddock, and Phil Reaser
Is everyone God’s child? Despite what our world thinks, scripture is clear on who is God’s child. Chapter 1 of John tells us how someone becomes a child of God.
God works through his Word. As we study God's Word, we discover how God interacts with people just like us. We learn about God's character and how he loved us enough to send his Son to die for us. We also learn about our purpose in life to be a blessing to others, as well as to bring glory and honor to our Heavenly Father in all we do. Throughout Scripture, there are lessons to be learned, examples to be followed, promises to be enjoyed and a God of grace to be cherished. This SOAP Journal will help you capture these vital truths on a daily basis. SOAP is a tool we are introducing this fall to encourage daily personal devotions. The SOAP acronym sets a pattern for reflecting on God's Word and recording the important life lessons you will discover through your time in God's Word. You are encouraged to journal as you journey through the Bible in order to catalog the blessings, promises and life lessons you've learned through your time in the Word. This Sunday will be a special worship service and Bible study as we hear from God about our devotional lives with him and gain tools to grow in that relationship.
Sunday, August 23, 2020. Know Your Worth sermon series, Week 9. Speaker: Pastor Chris Durso
What's the key to having peace even if you're anxious or afraid? Video available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/qK7reoPaG68
Please don't push me. I am very nice person. I am God's child. Be positive or leave me alone --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/james-silas0/support
Matt uses two films to show how he took an important journey to discovering his identity and that being a misfit is quite natural to the artist. Ad Music: “Storybook,” by Scott Holmes from the album, “Inspiring & Upbeat Music,” 2019. Promoted by freemusicarchive.org. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/legalcode)
Because you belong to God you also have a wonderful blood covenant with your Father in Heaven. When you repented of your sins Jesus forgave you and also enabled you to inherit all of God's blessings as you yielded all of your life to Him. His blessings flowed richly to you through His love, joy and peace in your life.All your blessings are based on the Word of God and the Holy Spirit's directions.
Jonah runs from God in part because he doesn't share God's heart for the Ninevites. Why is that? Part of the answer is that Jonah's identity is wrongly ordered. He places his ethnic and national identity above his primary identity: that he is a deeply loved child of God, made in his image. When we place other aspects of who we are – even important aspects of who we are – above our identity as God's child, we find it distorts how we see God, ourselves, and others.
There are those people in our communities who just exude kindness. Anytime there is someone in need or something that needs to be done, they always seem to be involved. Jill Wiese from Washburn, ND is one of those people. Jill spreads kindness at home as a wife, mom, nurse, volunteer ambulance worker, church music leader and across borders through her work with The God's Child Project in Guatemala. Check out The God's Child Project at godschild.org.
In this episode, Juli continues her conversation with Laurence Koo. Join them as they discuss the tension created when so much of our identity gets wrapped up in our sexuality. They'll talk about how to walk with others in this tension, how to love and engage with your child who is same-sex attracted, and how the life of a single Christian following Jesus is rich in intimacy, relationships, and service. Guest: Laurence Koo Mentioned: #297: Finding Freedom in the Midst of Brokenness This month's webinar, "Pornography: Help for Spouses & Parents," is open to EVERYONE! Subscribe to Java with Juli in Apple Podcasts
Sermon for 11/10/2019 Rev. Charles Adams Romans 13:1-7 What stories or illustrations helped you better understand today's sermon? How did the sermon relate to life? Did it challenge, comfort, strengthen, confuse, reassure, ______? How so? Did you learn something you didn't already know from the sermon? If so, what was it? In the service today, I think God was telling me....
"Living As God's Child in the Family?" Rev. Charles W. Adams, Pastor What stories or illustrations helped you better understand today's sermon? How did the sermon relate to life? Did it challenge, comfort, strengthen, confuse, reassure, ______? How so? Did you learn something you didn't already know from the sermon? If so, what was it? In the service today, I think God was telling me....
Faith Lutheran Church and Preschool Weekly Sermons Equipping God's people for a ministry of discipleship through Christ.
Pastor Nate continues our study through the book of 1 John in our series “The True Vine”.Link to Pastor Nate’s Notes
How do we approach Hashem on Rosh Hashana? Is God the teacher that's looking to catch us or is God the teacher that stands with us no matter how far we fall? Depending on how we see it makes all the difference when it comes to the Aseres Yemei Teshuva.
John 1 - Joseph Pettitt
John 1 - Joseph Pettitt
The boys are back this week giving you their controversial digs on the latest news: More mass shootings, Popeye’s chicken craze, Impossible/Beyond meats, Social Media Credit Scores, and why school isn’t so cool…Also the guys dive into topics such as: there being no such thing as an ex-Christian(Apostasy), worship service, Hillsong Church and Bethel Church needing to be taken out of the praise and worship rotation....tune in! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/radicalchristianpod/message
We were blessed in worship Sunday to baptized someone in the river! The scripture and the occasion remind us that we are precious in God's sight.
This week we think about church on holiday - should you go? If you do, how can your family gain the most from the experience? We ask James Archer, father of five, educator and MD of CherishEd., how to help untangle children's misconceptions. Anna, our national coordinator, explores how to take a break from always being the grown up and remember that you're God's child... and you need Him just as much as your kids do.
We often speak about and sing about being the children of God. And we should since there is no higher and holier honor than to be called God's child- But what does it mean to be God's CHILD- What is so special about being a CHILD of God- Today's text reveals what it means to be a CHILD of God.
Don't get comfortable because you Profess to be God's Child, Don't make the mistake Israel Made. Stay away from idols and from Teachers WHo teach you you can have them as long as you dont bow down to it. They are deceivers
With Pastor Stephen Chitty from Christian Life Church
What does it mean to be called a child of God-
I am God's child and adopted into His family
Teaching from the Word of God.
Teaching from the Word of God.
Find out more about Christian life and business coaching at www.CareyGreen.com
Message from Cheryl Fletcher on February 6, 2019
God's Creation, God's Child, God's Heir The Third Sunday after Epiphany Week Twenty-five of the Gospel Year January 28, 2019 Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 139:13-18; Romans 8:14-17; Mark 10:13-16 The Reverend Thomas McKenzie Vicar (Pastor) Church of the Redeemer (Anglican) Nashville, TN
Life as God's Child Series: Romans Part II Preacher: Derek Lamont Date: 14th October 2018 Time: 11:00
Jesus is a master teacher and just as he did with Peter, he wants us to see for ourselves what it means to live as children of the Father in the world. Here we contemplate Peter's struggle with whether or not the Temple tax should be paid and, through Jesus' reply, how Peter was taught to be a son. www.spiritualbatteries.com
We ask the question today, are we to our relationship to God, as the Eternal's servant or child? We explore how living a life of service can be truly meaningful and transcendent for a modern person. We also delve into struggles one might have with these ways of relationship. Come and listen!
Click here to link directly to the audio file.**********365 days done. What an amazing journey this year has been producing this podcast. I sure have had a lot of fun doing this project. I have learned a great deal in producing these podcasts this past year. Much of what I have learned has come out of the circumstances that made this podcast possible in the first place.Right after I wrote my book called Victor - Breaking Free From A Victim-Based Society, I started writing what I thought would be a daily devotional. I had intentions of writing this devotional using quotes from my book along with a daily Bible reading to further explain the process of moving from victim thinking to victor living. It was my intention to publish this work and see how God might use it to help others on this journey to victor living.After writing almost three months of this daily devotional, life got in the way. The project was put on the back burner. Over a year later, I hadn't even touched the project at all. My thinking was that maybe God didn't want me to publish this work. Maybe He had different plans. Some pretty good devotions were left to collect dust on some server in the cloud.Over a year later, I injured my hand. I was working on a project for a friend of mine. On a day like so many before I was using a grinder to cut some metal. As I was busy doing what I do, the grinder bound up in the piece I was cutting and jumped back seriously slicing the top of my hand in three different places. I knew immediately I needed to go to the ER to get the wounds cleaned up and stitched. Little did I known it was going to be a bit more complicated than that.As the ER doctor was cleaning up the wounds and prepping it for stitches, she saw in one of the cuts that the tendon to my pointer finger was sliced in several places. Though it wasn't severed, the extent of the damage to the tendon made her realize that some more attention was going to have to be given to this injury. She sewed me up and refereed me to a hand surgeon. A week later I was in surgery so that they could repair the multiple chunks I had taken out of my tendon.Being the injury was to my right hand and that I am right handed, I became quite incapacitated. Eating, personal care, driving and even the computer work I do became things I literally had to relearn. I wasn't able to use my right hand for almost two months and after that found that it took several more months of physical therapy to get somewhat normal function to return to my hand.During this down time, I needed something to do. One of my greatest cheer leaders in life is my niece Gini Joy. Gini is a busy mom of four amazing kids, one of whom is a precious special needs child. She had asked me if I would record my book for her so that she could listen to it when she found time to go out for a run. What else did I have to do? I could read and record my book one handed. So, I took a few weeks to record the entire book for her. I really enjoyed the process of creating an audible book for Gini Joy.When Gini Joy finished listening to my book she asked me, "What's next?" She wanted more! There's not much more in this world that makes us feel like a victor than does being wanted! It was at that point that the few months of the daily devotional I had started writing so long before came to mind. What if I turned those writings into a daily podcast? I had never done anything like that before. Just like recording my book, I could put together a daily podcast one-handed. Why not? I figured out how to make a podcast happen and off we went.What I didn't expect was to be impacted as deeply as I have been by taking on this project. I really don't know if Gini Joy has heard all 365 days. I don't even know if there is any other people who might have listened to this thing. I do know that I have listened to each and every one of these podcasts on a daily basis. I can't tell you how many times what I heard being played on my podcast app was speaking directly to my soul. Time and time again, I would think, "Where did that come from?" I have needed to hear the words I recorded to help me live like the victor God has made me to be.I estimate that I have written over one half a million words in producing this podcast. That's equivalent to writing five-250 page books! Not once did I feel like this project was a burden. Not once did I dread sitting down at my computer to write, record, edit and publish this daily podcast. I thank God for Gini Joy's boldness in asking me to take on such an ambitious project. I can say with absolute certainty, this project has changed my life.Isn't that just like God? He used a time challenged mom to help an injured, prospect lacking, get-it-done kind of person do something that has had impact in this world. That impact might not rise to the level of victory this world looks to when it tries to define what a victor is suppose to look like. Remember, victory can't be the sole characteristic of a victor or victim thinking will ultimately be the result. All I know is that God wanted this victor to realize more completely the power of his victor status. This podcast has done exactly that for me.I can guarantee that there are things you are doing right now that are having the kind of impact I'm talking about when it comes to this podcast. That impact might not be universal. It might not make it so that you are sought after as an expert at what you are doing right now. If you expect that kind of result to feel like the victor God made you to be, you will be disappointed in ways that make victim thinking a real possibility in your life.All we can do is do what we are able to do and let the chips fall where they may when it comes to victory. As for being a victor, that's a cinch. All we have to do is take another breath. We are a victor because God says so. Our identity as God's Child makes us a victor whether we achieve the victory we think we need in life or not. This year of listening to this podcast has helped make that message something I truly believe. I'm hoping any success I face in the future or any failures that come my way are filtered through the fact that I am a victor whether I experience success or am in failure. Win or lose God loves me. That alone is all the victory I need to make victor living a power in all I do in this world.God is the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end. In each podcast I usually incorporate a Bible verse that helps to drive home the point I want to make about victor living. I typically take time to explain how the scripture we read connects to the subject of the podcast for that day. Since God started this project, I think His Word should end it. As I read today's Bible verses, I pray that He show you what it means for you as you live out your victor status. May God's word richly bless you and make you stand out as His Child in all that comes your way today.Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way. Colossians 3:15-17 (MSG).
This is the second Principle of our Restore series; "Because I'm God's Child, I Give My Life to His Will." You can get a copy of the restore book here; http://a.co/9qMNlPD Theme music credit: Mighty Love by Joakim Karud soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music promoted by Audio Library youtu.be/XMblPWkComQ
Click here to link directly to the audio file.**********I have been really drawn to John chapter 1. The book of John is a must read for Christians and non-Christians alike. It really is an encapsulation of how Jesus modeled God's love for mankind. You just can't go wrong letting John's view of Jesus sink into your life. I am amazed at how John penned the words he did. The first 18 verses of John 1 is nothing short of melodic in how it reads. I have to admit that I find it necessary to go back and read the words John wrote over and over again. I sometimes miss the meaning as I enjoy the skill in which this disciple was able to communicate the message of Jesus in his writings. As an example, take a look at today's Bible reading from John Chapter 1. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. John 1:4 (NIV)This is one of John's more brief and to the point sentences describing Jesus. As short and sweet as it is, there is a lot to unpack in today's reading for those of us looking to live a victor's life. Let's take a closer look at this verse now.In Him was life... Such an important concept for victors to get from their heads to their hearts. Life can be lived to the fullest when it is In Christ. It isn't that a walk with God through Jesus makes life easy. It is that as we lean into who God says we are through Jesus, that life seems to just make sense. In Christ we have purpose. In Christ we have identity. In Christ we are valued. In Christ we are wanted. In Christ we are eternal. In Christ we are accepted. In Christ there is love. I can't think of a single thing in this world that brings to the table this list of benefits. Can you? Does you job bring universal purpose, identity, value, want, eternity and/or love? Sure there are times your job might fit the bill on one or more of these benefits, but can you completely depend on your job for all these things? How about your marriage? Your kids? Your friends? Your Church? I have yet to find a worldly endeavor that brings the kind of peace a relationship with Christ has brought to my life. In Him I have found life. John really nailed it with the first four words of today's reading. Amazing thing is that he isn't done yet. John goes on to say that the life in him is the light of all mankind. That's a pretty bold statement. to make. For those who find that their own efforts are enough to bring the peace they need in their lives, this light John introduces here is of little use. For those of us who have been overwhelmed by the darkness of this world, this light is a total life saver. This life is the light... as a statement is beginning to make more and more sense in my life these days. I love the fact that John uses light as a descriptor of the life we have in Christ. I took a look at the Greek word used for the English translation of light. In the definition section of the tool I used to translate the Greek word for light, they used several metaphors to help identify the subtly of this word. One of the metaphors used was the following. God is light because light has an extremely delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant quality. Light can be harsh and abrasive. Light can also be soft and alluring. In the performance world, light plays a critical role in creating the right atmosphere for what is trying to be communicated. Implement the wrong lighting plan and the message often gets lost on the audience. Same goes when using the word light to describe the life God promises for us through Him.For those stuck in trying to make this life be all about who we are, what we do and how the world sees us, the light of God will seem harsh and unappealing. The message will surely be lost when it is bathed in a light that is the light of God. For those who have seen the futility of trying to make this life prove anything about who they are, the light of God is a safe and welcoming sight. John goes on to talk a lot about the light of God in John chapter 1. He makes some points about God's light that make it so that we have to allow what He says sink in a bit. Today's reading opens the door to the possibility of viewing our life in a light that helps life be something that we are more able to understand. It is when our identities are illuminated by the light that is God, that a power becomes available to us like never before. That power comes as God's light opens our eyes to a different perspective in life. As we view who we are and what we do from God's perspective, the outcomes we face don't have quite the impact they did when our light source was something other than God. Life can be such a roller coaster when we try to light our way by what we do. When things are going well, things seem bright and easy to see. When things take a turn for the worse, the darkness can make us feel lost and afraid to move forward. Life will always be filled with ups and downs. It is such a shame to let those ups and downs be overly impacting on who we are. We allow that to happen when we look to a light other than God to make this life be what it was intended to be for us. When we allow God to light up our life, the highs are so much more impacting and the lows don't take quite the toll on who we are they once use to. The last thing I see in today's reading is purpose. If life is in Christ and that life is the light to all mankind, we become something appealing and alluring to those around us as we let that light shine from our lives. We all want to be significant. We all want our lives to count for something. It is when we settle on letting worldly objectives be enough to make us feel significant or to have impact that victim thinking can't help but to be something we will have to deal with. When we are living a life in Christ, we exude a light that is different in this world. That light is what the rest of the world longs for but are looking in all the wrong places to find. Your life can not be more purposed then when you let God illuminate who you are through what Jesus did for us on the Cross. It is as we live out our identity as God's Child that victor living becomes a distinct possibility. As God's light shines in your life, know you are empowered to do more than you could ever dream or imagine. All mankind is looking for that kind of light. You may never be called to preach from the mountaintop as to what that light means in your life. What you are called to do is to let that light shine... let that light pour out of you in all that you do. Think about what kind of light is working in you. Let the life in Him be a light to all mankind. Shine like the victor God made you to be and bask in the extremely delicate, subtle, pure, brilliant quality of God's glory in your world today.
Click here to link directly to the audio file.**********I have spent the better part of this year talking about how we add to the plan God instituted when it comes to who we are. It is easy to think that it is Jesus plus success. We look to Jesus plus holiness when it comes to walking out this life with God. We seek after Jesus plus purpose to find meaning in this world. We yearn for Jesus plus our comfortable life as proof that God loves us in life changing ways.Anything we add to the fact that Jesus did it all for us become stumbling blocks when it comes to walking out our victor status. This is the case with our identity as God's Child. It is just as true when it comes to our ability to relate to this God that made us. When it comes to who we are, and who this God is in our lives, it is a Jesus plus nothing strategy that makes victor living something we can experience no matter what our lives look like.I have a friend who has suffered a moral failure. His entire world is crumbling around him because of the sinful things he has been doing that have come to light. Right now this friend is battling the natural thoughts that it is Jesus plus getting his life back into order. In other words, this friend is being told that until he gets this mess cleaned up, he isn't worthy of much in the Christian world. That's a lie from Satan that I don't think the Christian Church is too good at recognizing.Many of his Christian friends have abandoned this fallen man. Some are even advocating that others leave him high and dry as well. I totally get their anger and frustration at the craziness of this situation. I'm angry too. What I don't think they can see is that they are living a Jesus plus something kind of life that just isn't part of what I see the good news of Jesus is to be all about.I think this is why Christians have been accused of shooting our wounded at times. You see, this man who has fallen is wounded. It is my guess that he has been so for quite a while. He has been living a Jesus plus something kind of life by allowing sinful coping mechanisms to help him deal with the feelings that something is missing in his life. That emptiness in this friend's life that led to sinful coping mechanisms are in us all. It is when we turn to things of this world to help deal with the pain of feeling that emptiness in our lives that we let victim thinking take over in victimizing ways.It is much easier for us to just pretend that everything is OK. I have to look as holy as my other friends in the church seem to be. I can't share how unholy I feel at times because that might make the fragile identity I've worked so hard to build and maintain collapse in ways I just can stand. I pretend it is Jesus plus nothing but let my coping mechanisms be the plus that dulls the pain of loneliness and shame that are too deep to share. If I were to share them there is a good chance I'd be shot! Not literally, but figuratively. I'd be rejected. I'd be labeled. I'd be sidelined. I'd be judged and sentenced in ways the church has been way to quick to do to too many of its own.You see, even in the aftermath of this friend's sin being uncovered, God still sees him as blameless and without fault. I know how shocking this sounds, but it is true. Jesus died for ALL our sins. This includes the sin of friends that betray us in the right here and the right now. That's why I can say with confidence, that for my friend who is disgraced by sin, it is Jesus plus nothing. It isn't Jesus plus repentance. It isn't Jesus plus restoration. It isn't Jesus plus reconciliation. It is simply Jesus that makes it possible for this man to walk as the victor I know him to be in spite of the consequences of the failures he has lived out in his life.This doesn't condone what he has done to bring such disgrace on him and his family. What he has done is so completely wrong! This friend will face serious, and potentially irreparable, consequences due to his actions. But, for us to treat him with such disdain is a sin in of itself. It is telling this friend and the world that it is Jesus plus a perfect life that is required to be the victor God calls us to be. I'm sorry, that just isn't something that the Bible supports. Praise God it isn't because we all would be doomed to victim thinking if it was.There is nothing wrong with being angry at my friend as a result of his actions. There isn't anything incorrect with being frustrated to the point of needing to take a break from relating with this fallen man. Maybe that's what this man needs right now - time alone with God. But expecting something other than what God expects is adding to the powerful message of Jesus Christ in ways that I just can't be a part of.This begs the question, "What does God expect?" Take a look at today's Bible reading with me now and let's see if we can't see some of what God expects from us.Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done!Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music!Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life!Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence.Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered Psalm 105:1-5 (MSG)I have to be honest with you. There are plenty of verses in the Bible that speak to obeying God's laws and keeping our lives pure that could be taken as what God expects of us. Of course God wants us to walk with Him in purity and honesty. What we too often do is make these self focused actions be what it takes to make relationship with Him something we can attain to. That's a failed way of living that Jesus came to replace.Think of it this way. If your relationship with your spouse or your child was dependent on them doing everything you expect them to do perfectly and without question, do you think you'd be in relationship with those people right now? There is no way! Our spouse and our kids are just like us. They are prone to failure. They are prone to going in their own direction. This fact makes our works based strategy so completely useless when it comes to the foundation for relating to one another in any meaningful and long-term way.Same goes with God. Our reading today points to something that can be so hard to define. Love is the basis from which we are to be in relationship with this God and with others. We are to look for the works of love God performs in our lives. We are to share those works of love with one another. Why? So that we all will be better able to let doing take a back seat to being when it comes to who we are. Love is to be the foundation of a Jesus plus nothing kind of life that makes us victors at every turn.My friend who has fallen did so because he failed to see God's love in his life. That makes him no different than you and than me. We are lousy at seeing the love God has for us. That's why we add so much to the Jesus plus nothing equation. When we are in that place where we doubt the love God has for us we can be driven to do some pretty victimizing things as a result of our victim thinking fueled ways.Those friends of this fallen man that are rejecting him are failing to see God's love just as completely as my fallen friend. The sad reality is that they are leaving as wide a wake of victims in their failure as this sinful man has wound up leaving in his life. When we add to Jesus, anything in this world, the results aren't something God is all that pleased for us to be a part of in this life.It's Jesus plus nothing. That's it. That's all we have when it comes to who we are. That's all we have when it comes to who this God is in our lives. The troubles we face can easily be traced back to adding something to the Jesus message. You are a victor because of what Jesus did for you on the cross. Stop adding to that amazing sacrifice and live in the power of who you are as God's Child today.
Click here to link directly to the audio file.**********A friend of mine use to have a college professor that would always ask this question. He would say, "Who's fool are you?"This wise man would often talk about the fact that we are always willing to be someone's fool. How many times have you done or said something to impress someone who you thought held a higher position in life? I have been in plenty of situations where foolish didn't even come close to how I acted because of who I was around. When I think back on those times, I realize how much I allowed victim thinking to drive my foolish actions because I really didn't have an appreciation for who I was.Not only are we willing to act foolish for others, things can make us look the fool as well. Money, power, position, possessions and a whole host of other things in this world can drive us to do and say things that we might later be sorry of. It is when we let the things of this world work to bolster who we want the world to see us as being that foolishness springs out of victim thinking.My friend's college professor was alluding to today's Bible reading when he asked, "Who's fool are you?" Take a look at our reading with me now.We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, we are dishonored! 1 Corinthians 4:10 (NIV)Do you see the sarcasm in Paul's writing today? He is contrasting what it looks like when we are settling for being a fool of the world. It is when we fight to feel wise and strong and honored that we embark on a fools errand. When we tie our identities to the need to be seen as wise, strong and honored, we have made it clear that we have chosen to be a fool for the world. People will always think that your choice to follow Jesus is a foolish thing. If you think about it, they are absolutely right! We are following an invisible God, born of a virgin who raised Himself from the dead. That's about the most foolish thing I have ever heard! Yet, that sequence of foolish sounding events gives me a peace like nothing I have chosen to be foolish over that the world has ever been able to match. I have tried to impress people in all stations of life. They have all failed me in one way or another. I have tried for all I'm worth to make money and power and impact be what defines me. There has never been enough to fill the bottomless pit of need when it comes to who I am. People and things just can't do for me what a foolish sounding savior has done. Jesus has made it so that my identity has a standing that can't be taken away by success or by failure. My victor status is empowered by the fact that I am God's Child. I don't have to do a single thing to impress Him to have the power of that status. I don't have to jump through hoops to make that status be mine. He gives it to me and all He asks in return is for me to get to know Him. If that sounds foolish to you, I am proud to say, "I am a fool!"If chasing people and things makes your identity be all it needs to be in your life, I can honestly say I'm happy for you. I wish that that strategy worked for me as well. For some reason it just doesn't work any more. My advise to you is work it for all you are worth. But, be honest with yourself. When the doubts come, don't sweep them under the carpet. There might come a day when people and things aren't enough anymore. When that day comes, think about who you are in God's eyes. I plan on going after as much of a good life as I have the energy to pursue today. What I'm not going to do is step over the line into foolish antics to try and make that good life happen. I'm trusting God that what He says about me is enough for who I am. I'm going to let my victor status do the talking in my life, even if the rest of the world calls me a "Fool for Christ!"
Click here to link directly to the audio file.**********I recently attended a memorial service for a friend of mine. The pastor gave a wonderfully passionate message about how this friend believed in Jesus as His Savior. The room was packed. This friend lived in a way that made his faith real to those of us who knew him. My friend didn't struggle with sharing his faith. In fact, I don't think he even thought much about the need to share. He simply lived his faith in a way that made words almost completely unnecessary. I think that's why so many people were at this man's memorial service.My friend wasn't all that great of a communicator. He wasn't all that versed on the intricacies of Biblical interpretation. He wasn't all that polished and perfect. What he might have lacked in the skills we sometimes attribute to great evangelists, he more than made up for with his life. I've said it two times before. I'm going to say it again. This man lived his faith. The fact that he lived his faith turned out to be more powerful of a witness than any words one might use to describe his faith.As the pastor spoke of my friend to the group that knew him so very well, he used one of the most recognizable verses in the Bible. This pastor quoted the following...For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)The pastor went on to talk about how my friend lived this verse. He focused on two words that really struck me. The pastor said that my friend believed into Jesus. If you go back and check the verse we just read you won't see the word "into." Our reading says "believe in", not believe into. The pastor went on to teach that the original language should have been translated "believe into". He then went on to talk about how it is easy to believe in. Believing into is something totally different.To explain what he meant by that, he pointed to the podium in front of him. He said that it is easy to believe in the podium. You can see it. You can touch it. We so often simply think the proof our senses is enough when it comes to belief. Trusting our senses so completely is such a failed strategy in life.The pastor then did something really amazing. He climbed up on the podium and hung on. He pointed out that believing into is different than believing in. He needed a faith and understanding that that podium would hold his weight in order to believe into the podium. That faith and understanding allowed the pastor to shift from the goodness of believing in the podium to the greatness of believing into that same podium. The pastor told us that our friend believed into Jesus rather than just settling to believe in Him. That's why this simple man had such impact on the lives of so many of us in that room that amazing day. His faith came from believing into something, not just believing in that same thing.My friend believed into Jesus. He trusted that Jesus could hold the weight of his life. He understood the love Christ has for Him is worth all the hell this world happened to throw at him and his family. His belief into Christ made it easy for him to share his faith by simply living his life.My friend's identity as God's Child was something that he believed into. His job wasn't ever going to catapult this man to greatness. His accomplishments weren't never going to amount anything important enough to fill a room full of people weeping over this man's death. This friend did more than believe in who He was. He lived in the faith of believing into what Christ says about him. That kind of life changes the world. His life changed mine and a lot of other folks sitting in that room that day.It made me think about how I approach my life. Do I just believe in or am I also someone who believes into who I am? I'm not sure this man would have been able to see the difference in his life were he sitting in that room listening to this same sermon. I would be willing to bet that he thought himself falling short of believing into who he was just as profoundly as I feel at this moment.Maybe God made it that way. Maybe we just can see the impact our identity is having in real time. Maybe it is through the lives of a room full of people who were changed by a life of one who believed into Jesus that this man could have seen the proof needed. Maybe that proof is best seen from heaven looking down.All I know is something changed for me this day. I don't know if I will ever be able to prove I'm believing into who I am or not on this side of heaven. What I can do is to know that there is a difference between just believing in my victor status and believing into that same status. I want the best for my life. That best is when I choose to believe into who God says I am rather than just believing in the identity God has given me. How do I do that? I think it is like tying to tie your shoe. You just do it. Somehow you learned how to tie your shoe. Now it is like a secondary function in your life. Trying to put into words how you do it is almost impossible. Though it is hard to describe how it is done, you just know how to do it. Such is the way I think it is when it comes to believing into who we are. Today, I think I came into contact with the fact that I just know how to believe into. Whether I can describe it fully or be able to prove that I am doing so to the fullest might not be something all that easy for me to do. All I know is that I can believe into. Judging from this room full of people at this man's memorial service, I think that realizing that we can believe into has a power to change many, many lives. I hope today's presentation opened your eyes to something different. I pray that you see how much power there is in letting your life rest in the belief into something bigger than yourself. It is when we believe into who we are as God's Child that I think this world becomes something completely different. Let who you are be founded and supported by the love God has for you. Then the challenges of this world might not be as impacting is they are when we choose to simply believe in who we are.
Click here to link directly to the audio file.**********Comparing and competing. Do these actions ever do anything good for the individual? I'm beginning to see how comparison and competition in ways to one up others makes it so hard to keep out of victim thinking. Today's Bible reading seems to confirm this notion. Check it out with me now. For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you’re sitting on top of the world—at least God’s world—and we’re right there, sitting alongside you! 1 Corinthians 4:7-8 (MSG)On the surface, it could seem like Paul is making a case that we are nothing more than misfits. It seems that he is arguing that all we have accomplished, even those things God has had His hand on, aren't all that much to take notice of. Knowing Paul as I do, this couldn't be further from the truth.You see, Paul was quite an accomplished man. He was a hard driver. His type A personality got him into some amazing opportunities as well as in some deep trouble to boot. Not only is Paul heralded as the most prolific church planter of all times, he was also a very successful business man. This guy worked his tail off! Not only did he stay busy, he was pretty good at all he put his hand to.With that kind of pedigree, why would Paul write words that seem to condemn all that we do? I think it is because Paul saw the damage that happens to each of us when we let our accomplishments be what bolsters our identity. It was when Paul compared his ministry, his work or his life to any one else that trouble started for this man of God. It was when Paul gave into the notion that he was in competition with others that his work drained the life out of him and those around him.We can't help but to think badly or ourselves or others when we compare what we do with what others might be doing in their lives. Jealousy and all sorts of other ill feelings happen when we feel life is a competition. This is particularly the case when we approach our spiritual life with a strategy of comparison and competition.After his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, Paul settled into a mode of aggressively pursuing what was right before Him. He didn't worry about what others might be doing in the next town over. He let the Love of God flow through Him right were He was at. Though others might appear to be doing more, Paul settled into the rhythms of following what His God was doing. He didn't let others dictate his actions quite the way he use to before Jesus revealed Himself to this man of God.Today's reading holds the secret to Paul's ability to let comparison and competition not take hold as badly as it use to in his life. I believe it was contentment that made Paul so effective in the tasks God gave him to do.When we compare we are driven to be discontent. When we see life and others in this life as competition we can't help but to be discontent with what we have, who we are and what we do. The lack of contentment makes it possible for us to get on a treadmill in life that is so difficult to recognize and eliminate. What usually makes us get off the treadmill is a catastrophic event. A massive health scare, a family crisis, a series of troubled relationships, a total breakdown, these and other events make contentment something that we usually pay attention to when life takes turns we didn't expect.I don't think contentment means that we don't have dreams and desires. I don't think contentment eliminates that natural drivenness some of us have been given. Paul continued to be one of the most driven men in the Bible right up to his death. We can be driven and still content. How? It is when we disconnect what we are driven to do from who we are that contentment plays the powerful role it is suppose to in our lives.Think about the last thing you have been driven to achieve. Wasn't there a lot of comparison and competition wrapped up in what you were doing? Wasn't some of the drivenness coming from a place of wanting the success of whatever it was you were after to be part of bolstering the way the world would see you? That's the danger of drivenness when contentment is not in our lives. Drivenness leads to do and say things that can cause victims around us. Worse than that, when what we are driven to accomplish doesn't turn out like we want, victim thinking is quick to take over.The world doesn't make it all that easy to be driven without out letting discontent control what we do. I have to believe that, just like Paul, it took a lot of practice in order to let contentment be what tempered his driven nature. Paul practiced living in that place of his true identity. Paul let the fact that He is God's Child be all he needed in this world. Everything else that he was driven to accomplish was nothing more than icing on the cake as far as Paul was concerned.That's how we are to live our lives. If nothing more comes our way than the amazing gift of being God's Child, we are incredibly blessed. I guaranteed there is more for you to accomplish. What we need to be doing is letting our God-given identity as His Child be the fuel for the contentment that kills comparison and competition in our lives. That's the only way I have found that my victor status takes on the power needed to make things happen in the world around me.What are you driven to get done today? How much of that drivenness is being directed by discontent? It is easy to judge this situation by looking at how much comparison you are doing in your life. You can also tell how much discontent is driving your live by how much you feel pressured by the competition in your life.Live in the power of who you are. Let the fact that your victor status is guaranteed because God calles you His Child be all the force you need to drive you to get done what God wants for your life today.
Click here to link directly to the audio file.**********Yesterday we talked about the drive to be known. There is a deep seated need for us to be known and to be accepted in the knowledge of who we are. Problem is that we have been hurt by those around us when we have allowed others into our lives. Being known has driven many of us to rely on false identities in an effort to not be hurt by the people we come into contact with in this world.False identities are epitomized by the strategy of wearing masks when it comes to interacting with people around us. We create facades depending on our circumstances. We only let people see what we want them to know about us. We might have one mask for our family. When it comes to work, another mask is what we wear. Masks present an amazingly effective strategy for protecting ourselves from being rejected but they do little for our need to be known. The better we are at making our masks work for us the more alone we will feel. Some of the most lonely people I have ever met were those with the most, of what they would call, friends. Masks are great at generating quantity when it comes to friends, but masks do little to develop quality in those same friends. If you can relate to what I'm talking about here in any way, you can't blame those, so called, friends for how lonely you are. They are simply reacting to the mask you are wearing. You feel so alone because they really don't know who you are. The mask is blocking them from being able to see the real you. That loneliness you feel so profoundly is because the need to be known is being hindered by the masks you are wearing. Not only is loneliness a result of the strategy of relying on masks when it comes to identity, exhaustion is also the by product of wearing masks. It takes a lot of work to make masks do what we want them to do. This is especially the case when we are forced to wear multiple masks in this life. We have to keep straight all these false identities. The more elaborate our ruse when it comes to who we are the more exhausting the process of maintaining that ruse can be. That tiredness feeds the feeling of loneliness in ways that make victim thinking more and more of a possibility. Problem is that victim thinking makes us put on yet another mask to help protect us from the world really knowing how lonely and tired we are. I have experienced this case first hand. It was during those days when I was suffering form depression so badly that masks played an important role in my life. During those days, I didn't want people to know how depressed I was. Unfortunately for my family, that fact wasn't something that I could hide. For other, however, hide is what I did. The thought that I would be known as being depressed scared me so completely. People who could have been a big help to me simply weren't allowed in. My fear wouldn't let me let them in. I was afraid I would be seen in a light that my self-made identity just couldn't handle. I used masks to help portray an image of my life that was nothing more than a lie. Making that lie look like the truth nearly killed me. I was so tired from being depressed. Toss on top of that the work it took to make my mask work to protect me and you can see how tiredness really took over in my life. Worse than that, I felt so alone. Though I had many people around me I felt like I was completely shut out. My masks were isolating me. I have so many dear friends who would have given more than I could ever imagine where I able to have let them into my life at that time. My not knowing who I am allowed an ailment I was dealing with take me to places God never intended for my life.Today's reading is a little longer than I normally present. I think it speaks so directly to the issue of being known in ways that honor God. Read it with me now.If we die with him, we’ll live with him;If we stick it out with him, we’ll rule with him;If we turn our backs on him, he’ll turn his back on us;If we give up on him, he does not give up— for there’s no way he can be false to himself.Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God’s people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they’re not backed by a godly life, they accumulate as poison in the soul. 2 Timothy 2:13-17 (MSG)Paul says that we are to "repeat these basis essentials over and over TO God's people." The essentials are nothing short of challenging to be sure. Paul is saying that we are to go great lengths when it comes to walking with this God. Perseverance, forgiveness, determination, even sacrifice are the essentials Paul says we are to repeat. I believe he is making this point because of what he quotes does as a result.It isn't about what these essentials does in the world that God sees as important. It is what He does that we need to be focused upon. Masks make focusing on God's actions so hard for us to do. They block our view of God in ways that make these essentials seem meaningless and cruel.Paul knew this to be the case. He wore many masks in his life. Those masks chipped away at his faith. His masks make it possible for Him to nit pick in pious ways that actually caused others to die. The work Paul was doing on behalf of God brought shame into his life in identity crushing ways. The poison in Paul's soul came as he allowed his actions to be driven by the masks He wore. Then Paul encounters God on a road to Damascus.The incredible light of who God was shone through Paul's mask so powerfully it actually blinded him. Though his physical blindness was healed by God, I believe a blindness remained that we all need in our lives. I believe that encounter with God make it possible for Paul to be blinded to the need for masks in his life. I think that Paul came into contact with the inventor and completer of his identity so completely that masks no longer played the prominent role in Paul's life they once did. I want that kind of blindness in my life - I hope you do as well.It is as we trust God in ways that allow us to remove the masks that we use to project an identity we think will be acceptable to those around us that our need to be known can start to be met. Deep down we want to be known but we are afraid. Being vulnerable has cost us in the past. Masks have been shown as absolutely necessary for the protection of who we are. Masks limit our growth. They hinder our ability to live in the power of who we are. It isn't until we are blinded by the light of who God is in our lives that masks will continue to damage us in identity backed ways. What masks are you wearing today? Are those masks doing for you what you really need? Isn't it time to let the light of God reveal who you are? Isn't it time to live in the power of that identity in ways that make this world hunger for the God that makes you who you are? May the fact that you are God's Child be all the identity you need to shed the masks that keep you from being known by those around you today.
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Soddy church of Christ
Soddy church of Christ
The story of the annunciation -- with a teenaged Mary obediently submitting to bear God's Child -- is complicated in light of power dynamics, abuse, and discussions about consent. In this episode we hear how Mary's consent, agency, and role as a prophet can be reclaimed, and how her story can help the church when discussing sexuality, purity, and power. www.alterguild.org Twitter & FB: @alterguild
Another Year as God's Child by
DOWNLOAD PDF SERMON NOTES HERE John Piper calls adoption the Heart of the Gospel. He writes, “The deepest and strongest foundation of adoption is located not in the act of humans adopting humans, but in God adopting humans. And this act is not part of his ordinary providence in the world; it is at the heart of the gospel.” Galatians 4:4-6 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” The word “Abba” is the most intimate word for “dad” (it derives, most say, from a baby’s first words), yet Paul combines it with the word “Father” to show the far reaching implication of the statement. What does it mean that God has adopted you? How could the truth of being wanted and chosen by God change our view of not only ourselves, but how we interact with the world around us?
Message from Daniel Jung on August 20, 2017
Hebrews 12:6-11: Message that clarified what a "spiritual son" is vs a "biological son." Message also addressed how GOD wishes to receive all of us as spiritual sons, provided we are chasten spirits (able to be taught). GOD also desires for us to be adopted spiritual sons vs continuing a life as illegitimate spiritual sons, due to being rebellious, unteachable and not submitting to authority.
Hebrews 12:6-11: Message that clarified what a "spiritual son" is vs a "biological son." Message also addressed how GOD wishes to receive all of us as spiritual sons, provided we are chasten spirits (able to be taught). GOD also desires for us to be adopted spiritual sons vs continuing a life as illegitimate spiritual sons, due to being rebellious, unteachable and not submitting to authority.
Scripture Text: Jeremiah 21:31-36
You are God's Child! by Living Christ Lutheran Church
Rob Balfour
A Study in Galatians
A Study in Galatians
Humble Longings of God's Child | Psalm 119:33-40 | 11/10/2013 by
I am a great somebody...I am God's Child!
Baptism Sunday
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