Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/30/2021)...

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.” 

Bishop Harry Jackson

Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.

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Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.

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2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/29/2021)...

“It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them, more ‘manhood' to abide by thought-out principles rather than blind reflex. Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles and an immature mind.” 

Alex Karras (1935-2012), NFL Pro, wrestler, actor and announcer

2 Corinthians‬ ‭12:9-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) ...So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

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James 1:2-5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/28/2021)...

“Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” 

Michael Jordan

James‬ ‭1:2-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

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Luke 15:11-24 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/27/2021)...

“Why was the father of the prodigal son in the well-known parable so overjoyed to see his son return...? Because the son had, of his own accord, chosen to repent and to return to his father. The latter had not forced nor bribed his son to come back; that was what made the young man’s repentance and love even more valuable to the father.

That’s why God calls us His children, and not His servants. If He had made man such that we had no choice but to obey Him, our “love” and “loyalty” would not mean much to Him. No, He wanted us to decide for ourselves if we wanted to love Him back. So He made us with a free will, the ability to choose whether to follow His instructions or not.”

Leslie Koh (ymi.today)

Luke 15:11-24 (NLT) To illustrate the point further, Jesus told them this story: “A man had two sons. The younger son told his father, ‘I want my share of your estate now before you die.’ So his father agreed to divide his wealth between his sons. 

A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living. About the time his money ran out, a great famine swept over the land, and he began to starve. He persuaded a local farmer to hire him, and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him. But no one gave him anything. 

When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.’ 

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’

But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”

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Image: CC ("The Return of the Prodigal Son, 1667/1670" by leoncillo sabino is licensed under CC BY 2.0)

John 7:24 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/26/2021)...

“I judge people by what they might be,—not are, nor will be.”

Robert Browning (1812-1889)

John 7:24 (NLT) Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.

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1 Corinthians 13:4 (NLT) Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud

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Proverbs 12:25-26 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/23/2021)...

“Try to be a rainbow in someone else's cloud.”

Maya Angelou

Proverbs 12:25-26 (NLT) Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray.

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1 Thessalonians 5:14 (NLT) Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

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Proverbs 22:3 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/22/2021)...

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”

Jimmy Dean (1928-2010)

Proverbs 22:3 (NLT) A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

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Colossians 1:9-14 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/21/2021)...

"Are the things we are living for worth Christ dying for?”

Leonard Ravenhill (1907-1994)

Colossians 1:9-14 (NLT) So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. 

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”

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Luke 18:9-14 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/20/2021)...

“The best of men are but men at best.”

Unknown Author

Luke‬ ‭18:9-14‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 

But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

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Romans 8:22-28 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/19/2021)...

“God is working all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose. It may not always seem so! Sometimes when we are suffering heartbreak, tragedy, disappointment, frustration, and bereavement, we wonder what good can come out of it...But whatever God permits to come into our lives is designed to conform us to the image of His Son. When we see this, it takes the question mark out of our prayers. Our lives are not controlled by impersonal forces such as chance, luck, or fate, but by our wonderful, personal Lord, who is ‘too loving to be unkind and too wise to err.’”

Wm MacDonald 

Believers Bible Commentary/Romans 8:28

Romans 8:22-28 (NLT) For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.) 

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

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Matthew 10:42 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/16/2021)...

READ AND CONTEMPLATE CAREFULLY

Oh, Jesus if I die upon A foreign field some day, 

'Twould be no more than love demands No less could I repay, 

"No greater love hath mortal man Than for a friend to die" 

These are the words He gently spoke to me, 

"If just a cup of water I place within your hand 

Then just a cup of water Is all that I demand," 

But if by death to living They can thy glory see, 

I'll take my cross and follow close to thee.

Ira F. Stanphill, “Follow Me” (1953)

Matthew‬ ‭10:42‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.

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Mark‬ ‭9:41‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded.

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Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/15/2021)...

READ AND CONTEMPLATE CAREFULLY

"I work so hard for Jesus" I often boast and say, 

"I've sacrificed a lot of things To walk the narrow way, 

I gave up fame and fortune, I'm worth a lot to Thee," 

And then I hear Him gently say to me. 

"I left the throne of glory And counted it but loss, 

My hands were nailed in anger Upon a cruel cross, 

But now we'll make the journey With your hand safe in mine, 

So lift your cross and follow close to me. 

Ira F. Stanphill, “Follow Me” (1953)

Jeremiah‬ ‭9:23-24‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!

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Romans 8:18-25 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/14/2021)...

READ AND CONTEMPLATE CAREFULLY

I traveled down a lonely road And no one seemed to care; 

The burden on my weary back Had bowed me to despair, 

I oft complained to Jesus How folks were treating me, 

And then I heard Him say so tenderly, 

"My feet were also weary, Upon the Calv'ry road; 

The cross became so heavy, I fell beneath the load, 

Be faithful weary pilgrim, The morning I can see, 

Just lift your cross and follow close to me." 

Ira F. Stanphill, “Follow Me” (1953)

Romans‬ ‭8:18-25‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us. We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Image: CC Jacopo Tintoretto - The Ascent to Calvary 

Leviticus 19:17-18 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/13/2021)...

“Hate will hurt you more than the people you are directing it at, because hate eats you up from the inside. It’s a negative emotion that isn’t good to have. So, if anybody is hateful, I feel bad for them. I only really feel bad for them because that is no way to live.”

Shloime Malky 

Hasidic (Jewish) community, Boro Park, NYC

Quote is an excerpt from video by Peter Santenello titled “What Hasidic Women Have To Say.”

Leviticus‬ ‭19:17-18‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

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Matthew 5:43-47 (NLT) You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

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1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

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Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/12/2021)...

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”

Zig Ziglar

Romans‬ ‭5:3-5‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

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Hebrews 9:24-28 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/9/2021)...

POST-EASTER THOT...Hebrews 9:24-28

“It has often been pointed out that we have three appearances of Christ in verses 24–28. They may be summarized as follows:

Verse 26: He has appeared. This refers to His First Advent when He came to earth to save us from the penalty of sin (the past tense of salvation).

Verse 24: He now appears. This is a reference to His present ministry in the presence of God to save us from the power of sin (the present tense of salvation).

Verse 28: He will appear. This speaks of His imminent Return when He will save us from the presence of sin (the future tense of salvation).”

Wm MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary 

Hebrews‬ ‭9:24-28‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) 24 For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. 25 And he did not enter heaven to offer himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. 26 If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice. 

27 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, 28 so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

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Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/8/2021)...

POST-EASTER THOT...

“He died for what we are just as much as for what we have done. In so doing, He condemned sin in the flesh. Our sin nature is never said to be forgiven; it is condemned. It is the sins that we have committed that are forgiven.”

Wm MacDonald

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV) Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT) For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

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1 Peter 1:19-23 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/7/2021)...

POST-EASTER THOT...

Jesus did no sin...1 Peter‬ ‭2:22‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.

Jesus knew no sin...2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Jesus had no sin in him...1 John 3:5 (NLT) And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him.

Romans‬ ‭8:3-4‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit.

1 Peter‬ ‭1:19-21, 23‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory...For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.

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Romans 8:1-3 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/6/2021)...

POST-EASTER THOT...

“These are two opposite laws or principles. The characteristic principle of the Holy Spirit is to empower believers for holy living. The characteristic principle of indwelling sin is to drag a person down to death. It is like the law of gravity. When you throw a ball into the air, it comes back down because it is heavier than the air it displaces. A living bird is also heavier than the air it displaces, but when you toss it up in the air, it flies away. The law of life in the bird overcomes the law of gravity. So the Holy Spirit supplies the risen life of the Lord Jesus, making the believer free from the law of sin and death.”

Wm MacDonald (Believer’s Bible Commentary)

Romans‬ ‭8:1-3‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

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Matthew 28:5-10 (NLT)

 FROM TODAY’S READING (4/5/2021)...

POST-EASTER THOT...

“This week, whatever you may be facing, remember that in three short days, the disciples and family of Christ went from hopelessness to hopeful, from devastation to celebration, from defeat to victory! Because of the cross and the tomb, you have a hope in Christ!”

Sheri Easter

Matthew‬ ‭28:5-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

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John 20:1-10 (NLT)

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/2/2021)...

EASTER THOT...

“The stone was rolled away from the door, not to permit Christ to come out, but to enable the disciples to go in.”

Peter Marshall

John‬ ‭20:1-10‬ ‭(NLT‬‬) Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 

Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. Then they went home.

Image: CC (wallpaperuse.com)

Matthew 27; Luke 23; John 19

FROM TODAY’S READING (4/1/2021)...

EASTER THOT...

Some thoughts about Joseph of Arimathea...

• He had a common name...Luke 23:50 (NLT) Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council...
• He was wealthy...Matthew 27:57 (NLT) As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea...
• ‭‭He was a follower of Jesus...Matthew 27:57 (NLT) As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus...
• ‭‭He experienced understandable societal challenges...John 17:38 (NLT) Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body...
• He was respected in community...Luke 23:50 (NLT) Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council...
• He sought the Kingdom of God...Luke 23:51 (NLT) He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.
• He personally and passionately embraced Jesus...John 19:38-42 (NLT) Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.                                                                 
  
  Image: CC (Public Domain: Christ buried by Joseph of Arimathea (Giacinto Brandi) - Nationalmuseum - 19087)