Worthy Brief - 2/21/2019
Friend, don't murmur!
1 Corinthians 10:10 nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer.</strong>
Numbers 14:36-38 Now the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation complain against him by bringing a bad report of the land, those very men who brought the evil report about the land, died by the plague before the Lord. But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh remained alive, of the men who went to spy out the land.
Numbers 16:3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the Lord?"
Numbers 16:30-32 But if the Lord creates a new thing, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the pit, then you will understand that these men have rejected the Lord." Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
Paul exhorts the church at Corinth about grumbling and complaining. He reminds the believers of the judgments that befell the 10 spies who brought a bad report of the land – and were struck down by a plague, and terrible fate of Korah and those aligned with him that came against Moses and Aaron and were swallowed up by the ground under them.
How easy is it to fall into grumbling and complaining? It reminds me of an old muppets skit with two old men, Waldorf and Statler.
Waldorf: That was wonderful!
Statler: Bravo!
Waldorf: I loved it!
Statler: Ah, it was great!
Waldorf: Well, it was pretty good.
Statler: Well, it wasn't bad...
Waldorf: Uh, there were parts of it that weren't very good though.
Statler: It could have been a lot better.
Waldorf: I didn't really like it.
Statler: It was pretty terrible.
Waldorf: It was bad.
Statler: It was awful!
Waldorf: It was terrible!
Statler: Take 'em away!
Waldorf: Bah, boo!
Statler: Boo!
It didn't take long for these two to turn something that was good into something they could complain about. It's especially easy for us to fall into this type of behavior – especially during these times!
Friend, however, our calling is to exhort, uplift and bring encouragement to the world! So let's not descend into murmuring or complaining – it did not go well for any who did.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
We are approaching the last few days of registration for our Real Israel Tour! We have a only a few spots left. If you have not contacted us, please do so ASAP. For more information, visit Worthy Israel Tours or send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com.
Trump says he expects to meet North Korea's Kim again after Hanoi summit
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he expects to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again after their planned summit next week in Hanoi.
Russian President Vladimir Putin Threatens to Retaliate if U.S. Deploys New Missiles in Europe
Russian President Vladimir Putin sternly warned the United States against deploying new missiles in Europe, saying Wednesday that Russia will retaliate by fielding new weapons that will take just as little time to reach their targets.
China, Iran meet amid efforts to preserve nuclear deal
The Iranian foreign minister’s passionate defense of Iran’s interests at the Munich Security Conference has made him 'a famous person' in China, his Chinese counterpart told him Tuesday, as the sides met amid efforts to preserve the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
Islamic State closer to defeat in last Syrian enclave
Islamic State appeared closer to defeat in its last enclave in eastern Syria on Wednesday, as a civilian convoy left the besieged area where U.S.-backed forces estimate a few hundred jihadists are still holed up.
Secret Unveiled: The Vatican's Rules for Children Born to Priests
The cloud hanging over the Catholic Church is getting darker, with a new report revealing the church produced secret documents to deal with children born to priests.
Death of internet? EU endorses killer copyright overhaul
Representatives of European Union governments have voted in favor of a plan in the EU Parliament to rewrite copyright rules, which critics say would effectively kill the Web there.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Palestinians, Jordanians expand alliance to torpedo Trump's peace plan
The Palestinians and the Jordanians have set up a joint council for the administration of the Temple Mount and other Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem in an effort to preemptively torpedo the advancement of US President Donald Trump’s regional peace plan.
Israel unveils Rafael's new advanced bunker buster missile, 'Rocks'
With tensions still high between Israel and Iran a new air-to-surface long-range missile designed to destroy targets deep underground in heavily defended areas has been developed by Israeli defense giant Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
US Palestinian mission to merge with Israeli embassy next month
The United States Consulate General in Jerusalem, which serves Palestinians, will be absorbed into the new US Embassy to Israel in March, a US official said on Tuesday, giving a date for a merger that has been condemned by Palestinians.
After marathon talks Gantz, Lapid agree party merger in challenge to Netanyahu
After marathon, all-night talks, the leaders of the two top-polling centrist parties, Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, announced Thursday that they had agreed to forge a centrist alliance to challenge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections.
Inside the United States
Democratic Party passes resolution calling for US to re-enter Iran nuke deal
The Democratic National Committee passed a resolution last week calling on the US to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal, a sign that the party’s 2020 presidential candidates will run on returning America to the landmark pact from which US President Donald Trump withdrew.
Mueller report to be finalized as early as next week: Report
Attorney General Bill Barr could announce as soon as early next week that special counsel Robert Mueller has completed his investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to a new report.
Government report reveals CBO was scandalously off in Obamacare estimates
A new report from government actuaries has revealed that the Congressional Budget Office was scandalously off in its estimates of the impact of Obamacare's individual mandate, a miscalculation that has had significant ramifications for healthcare and tax policy over the past decade.
Christian News
Muslim who sought to kill Christian cousin embraces faith after Jesus appears in dream
An Egyptian Muslim who planned to kill his cousin for converting to Christianity has shared how he embraced the religion he once hated after Jesus delivered a powerful message to him in a dream.
Judge Dismisses 'Noise' Charge Against Evangelist Who Preaches Outside Abortion Clinic
A judge in Washington state has dismissed a criminal charge against an evangelist who regularly preaches outside of a local Planned Parenthood clinic.