Compelling Love

God created you for Himself. He is in love with you. However, intimacy with God and true repentance go hand in hand. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

Hebrews 12 (NKJV)
Renew Your Spiritual Vitality
¹² Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
¹⁴ Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: ¹⁵ looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; ¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

In Matthew 16:24-27, Jesus taught the disciples what it means to follow him.

Matthew 16 (NKJV)
Take Up the Cross and Follow Him
²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Do you value your own soul as much as God does?

Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We need to put on the whole armor of God to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Ephesians 6 (NKJV)
¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹ Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

Hebrews 12 describes discipleship as a race of faith requiring endurance that we can only win by  “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”.

Hebrews 12 (NKJV)
The Race of Faith
¹ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
What was the joy that was set before Jesus for which he endured the cross?
It was to bring many brethren, sons and daughters, to glory.

Hebrews 2 (NKJV)
Bringing Many Sons to Glory
¹⁰ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. ¹¹ For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, ¹² saying:
“I will declare Your name to My brethren;
In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.”

Hebrews 12:1 above says we are “surrounded by so great a great cloud of witnesses”, people who have run the race before us, described in Hebrews 11.They are rooting for  us, and not only they but Christ himself never takes his eyes of each of his beloved sons and daughters. He wants us to be turned toward Him always, seeking His face, because He loves each one of us personally. His face is turned toward each of us and He wants to be with us always, face to face. He’ll be at the finish line anticipating our victory, eager to say to each of us, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

God’s face is shining upon every believer, as described in the priestly blessing He gave to Moses for the people of Israel. Are you consistently returning His loving gaze?

Numbers 6 (NKJV)
The Priestly Blessing
²² And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²³ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:
²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.” ’
²⁷ “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

How does it make God feel when we refuse to meet His loving gaze, ignoring the reach of His love, and deliberately sin, disobeying His Word?

He wants to guide us with His eye just as He did with David:

Psalm 32
A Psalm of David.
⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye.

This means obeying His Word, keeping our eyes on Jesus and never turning our face from our Savior who died for us, and ever lives, making intercession for each of us.

Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV)
²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

In Luke 22, after Peter had denied knowing Jesus for the third time, he met the Lord’s glance  from across the courtyard, saw His look of love and forgiveness, and ran out weeping. He had true repentance afterwards, and in John 21 the risen Lord encounters and recommissions him. This is a testimony of God’s redeeming grace available to all. Like Peter, and like Paul in Philippians 3:14, may we “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Jesus is watching, waiting and praying for us. Let’s not let Him down.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

Prayer of Dedication
Let us pray that we will all know and experience the love of God in Christ more fully than ever. By the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, may we fulfill all that God has ordained for our lives even before we were born. Let us also pray that our nation will fulfill the calling God ordained for us at our beginning, that we would be a covenant people, walking faithfully with Him and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.

At a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, 2024, when Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump realized that a bullet had ripped through the tip of his right ear, he crouched down and the Secret Service agents swooped in to cover him. Minutes later as he rose to exit the platform, seeing the anxious concern in the faces of attendees, he lifted his arm high and pumped his fist in the air three times declaring, “Fight! Fight! Fight!” He later said that he had no fear because he knew God was with him. He also knew that it was only by a miracle of God that he was still alive. He said this near death experience changed him, making him more appreciative of God than ever.

Significantly, this event occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania. According  to Wikipedia, “While each of the Thirteen Colonies contributed to the American Revolution, Pennsylvania and especially Philadelphia were a center for the early planning and ultimately the formation of rebellion against King George III and the British empire, which was then the most powerful political and military empire in the world. Philadelphia served as the nation’s capital for much of the 18th century.

During the 19th century, Pennsylvania grew its northwestern, northeastern, and southwestern borders, and Pittsburgh emerged as one of the nation’s largest and most prominent cities for a period of time. The state played an important role in the Union’s victory in the American Civil War.”

The word “butler” is defined as “the chief male servant of a household”.
Exodus 21 describes the law concerning servants in biblical times:

Exodus 21 (NKJV)
The Law Concerning Servants
¹ “Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them: ² If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years; and in the seventh he shall go out free and pay nothing. ³ If he comes in by himself, he shall go out by himself; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴ If his master has given him a wife, and she has borne him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out by himself. ⁵ But if the servant plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ ⁶ then his master shall bring him to the judges. He shall also bring him to the door, or to the doorpost, and his master shall pierce his ear with an awl; and he shall serve him forever.

The pierced ear marked a servant who had voluntarily dedicated his life to the service of his master. Leviticus 14 describes a ceremony for being cleansed by the blood of a sacrificial lamb being applied to the tip of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand, and the tip of the big toe of the right foot. Oil was then applied, representing an anointing for service.

Leviticus 14 (NKJV)

²⁵ Then he shall kill the lamb of the trespass offering, and the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering and put it on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of his right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot.

²⁸ And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the tip of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of his right foot, on the place of the blood of the trespass offering.

In Butler Pennsylvania, a chief servant of the people of the United States had the tip of his right ear pierced and bloodied, and some of us believe that he was also anointed  by the Holy Spirit for service to this nation for another four years. Like Joseph, who was a chief servant in Egypt, Donald Trump could say to his would be killer, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20) The parallel verse in the New Testament is Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

For many, this event evoked memories of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Many were inspired by the words he spoke in his January, 1961 inaugural address, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” That spirit of dedication to service is also exemplified by Donald Trump, who has been willing to endure many years of attacks and persecution by his political opponents for one reason only: he loves our country and the ideals for which it stands.

In Donald Trump’s July 19, 2024 nomination acceptance speech, he declared, “Every moment we live is a gift from God. Be bold, dynamic, relentless and fearless. Remember the love, sacrifice and devotion of our nation’s founders; by faith in each other, in their country and in God, they prevailed. With dedication like theirs we will win our share of a glorious destiny. United as never before, we will make America great again.”

The fruit of a life dedicated to God is success in all that matters most. If we love and obey Him, our love and joy will be perfected, as Jesus describes in John 15.

John 15 (NKJV)
Love and Joy Perfected
⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.
¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

The greatest dedication and love of all is that shown by our Heavenly Father in giving His only Son, and by Jesus Christ in laying down His life, so that by believing in Him we may have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

Let us pray that we would all know and experience the love of God in Christ more fully than ever. By the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, may we fulfill all that God has ordained for our lives even before we were born. Let us also pray that our nation will fulfill the calling God ordained for us at our beginning, that we would be a covenant people, walking faithfully with Him and proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.

Psalm 33 calls those walking with the LORD to rejoice in Him, praising Him for all His wondrous works in creation and history. Verse 12 declares, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.”

Psalm 33 (NKJV)
The Sovereignty of the Lord in Creation and History
¹ Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.

² Praise the Lord with the harp;
Make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.
³ Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

⁴ For the word of the LORD is right,
And all His work is done in truth.
⁵ He loves righteousness and justice;
The earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

⁶ By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
⁷ He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
⁹ For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰ The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect.
¹¹ The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
The plans of His heart to all generations.
¹² Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
The people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Psalm 100 urges us to respond rightly to our Creator and Redeemer, being set apart for Him who gives us love, joy, freedom, courage and strength. 
As verse 3 joyfully declares, He made us, and we are His. 

Psalm 100 (NLT)
¹ Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
²     Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
³ Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

Freedom, both personally and nationally, comes from being in right relationship with God, believing in the Savior He has sent. He came that we might have life, life abundant and everlasting.

John 3:16 (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 10:10 (NKJV)
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

The truth will make you free – free to be all that God created you to be.  Jesus declares in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  Jesus is speaking about being free from sin, free from all that contradicts God’s perfect will for our lives, personally and nationally.

John 8 (NKJV)
The Truth Shall Make You Free
³¹ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. ³² And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

³³ They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

Daniel 11:32 declares that “the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.”  The song, “10,000 Armies” by Jonathan Traylor applies this promise to who we are today:

No weapon against me will prosper or stand
‘Cause I’ve got a promise from the Son of Man
I throw off this armor and raise up my hands
I know my God and I know who I am
Oh I know my God and I know who I am.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/ 

Three key words for Christian living are: Presence, People and Purpose. Fruitful Christian living comes from abiding in God’s presence, loving others as God loves us, and living according to His purpose.

Presence

In Psalm 16, David describes his eternal relationship with God. In verse 10, he prophesies the resurrection of the coming Messiah. In verse 11, he declares, “In Your presence is fullness of joy.”

Psalm 16 (NKJV)
⁷ I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
⁸ I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
¹⁰ For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
¹¹ You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

In John 15, Jesus teaches about the importance of abiding in His presence, and praying in accordance with His words.

John 15 (NKJV)
¹ “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

People

Abiding in the Lord’s presence enables us to love others as He loves us.

1 John 4 (NKJV)
Knowing God Through Love
⁷ Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸ He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹ In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. ¹¹ Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

In Romans 5:5, Paul writes, “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” We then pour out His love to others by obeying His words in John 14:15,  “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Romans 5 (NKJV)
¹ Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Purpose

When we abide in God’s presence and walk in His love, He reveals His purpose through our lives, and makes all things work together for good.

Romans 8 (NKJV)
²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Jesus declared that believers are the light of the world, and urged us to let our light shine for the glory of God. We do this by living in the center of His purpose.

Matthew 5 (NKJV)
¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. “On earth” means in this world and in our own lives.

Matthew 6 (New Matthew Bible)
⁹ In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
¹⁰ Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen.

In Matthew 6:33, Jesus gives the key to purposeful and fruitful living for the glory of God. May we take His words to heart.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/ 

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV), Paul declares that believers are new creations in Christ: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

In Ephesians 4, Paul describes how to “walk worthy of the calling” with which we’ve been called:

Ephesians 4 (NMB)
¹ I therefore, who am in bonds for the Lord’s sake, exhort you to walk worthy of the calling wherein you are called, ² in all humbleness of mind, and meekness and longsuffering, forbearing one another through love; ³ and to be diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, ⁴ being one body and one spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling. ⁵ Let there be but one Lord, one faith, one baptism: ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all.

Paul describes the old nature, and then enjoins believers in verse 23 to be “renewed in the spirit of your mind”, putting on the new nature, “created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

Ephesians 4 (NKJV)
¹⁷ This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, ¹⁸ having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; ¹⁹ who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

The New Man
²⁰ But you have not so learned Christ, ²¹ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: ²² that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

In Ephesians 5, Paul beseeches believers to follow Christ’s example, and to “walk in love” as “children of light”:

Ephesians 5 (NKJV)
¹ Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ² And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
³ But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ⁴ neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

Walk in Light
⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
Walk as children of light ⁹ (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), ¹⁰ finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.

In Colossians 1,Paul describes walking with God in wisdom and strength, relying on “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” This is the new you in Christ!

Colossians 1 (NKJV)
⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰ that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

2 Peter 1 describes how through the “exceedingly great and precious promises” of God we may be “partakers of the divine nature”:

2 Peter 1 (NKJV)
² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Through His Spirit, we are able to experience “the deep things of God.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV)
But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”¹⁰ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.

Evangelist Mario Murillo exhorts:
“Turn your prayer place into a chamber where you and God relate to one another and He puts power in you and peace in you to where nothing can come between you. God has reserved an intimacy, a connection, a presence, a peace, a joy and a hope that is indestructible. You’re connected to God and every storm will pass over you because of your relationship with Christ.”
(The Famous Last Words of David Wilkerson • Fire Power! 1/31/2024,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-CAT2v0Rfg, 42:54)

Jesus prayed that his followers would abide in deep intimacy with God, sharing the love he had with the Father before the foundation of the world.

John 17 (NKJV)
²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/  2/3/24