Worthy Brief - 4/21/2017
Friend, you can't escape it!
1 Corinthians 15:55-58 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death issin; andthe strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast,immoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that yourlabouris not in vain in the Lord.
Every day roughly 150,000 around the world die. Death has a way of raising our spiritual temperature and quickening us to re-evaluate life...especially to ask, "Am I doing all that I can do?"
Have you ever heard of how the Nobel Peace Prize originated?
Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, awoke one morning in 1888, shocked to discover his own obituary in the morning news. The newspaper had mistakenly printed the story about Alfred, instead of his brother, who had just passed away. As he read his own epitaph, the story of the "Dynamite King", the great industrialist who made an immense fortune from explosives -- Alfred Nobel was rudely awakened to the fact that the world viewed him as a merchant of death! The mistake was not wasted on him. Rather, it served as hiswake upcall!
As he read his obituary with horror, Alfred resolved to make clear to the world his understanding of thetruemeaning and purpose of his life. So he used his immense fortune to create a foundation which would promote and embody his ideal for world peace...and he is now remembered, not as the "Dynamite King", but the creator of what we know now as the "Nobel Peace Prize."
Friend, let's allow this little message to beourwake up call. Let's re-evaluate our lives, look within...and ask ourselves, "Are we truly doing all that we can be doing for the Lord?" Because when this life is finally past, and our deeds are all recorded in the "Books", only what was done with and for the Lord, will last...forever!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Charleston, SC
Editor's Note: We are on a cross-country speaking/music tour this spring in the United States! If you see that we will be close to your area and you want to hear a timely word from Worthy News Founder and Director, George Whitten and powerful Israeli Worship Music from Baht Rivka Whitten, Lazman Hazeh Music, as well as testimony of life and ministry in the Land, we invite you to join us -- or even invite us to speak/sing at your Congregation, Conference, Church, Midweek Meeting or Israel focused Event, especially if you see a free date on our way! We hope to hug you! Send us an email to george [ @ ] worthyemail.com for more information. Check out our calendar and see if we're speaking near you!
Around the World
Terror Strikes Paris as 'ISIS' Fighter Attacks Police with AK-47
A police officer was shot dead and two others were seriously wounded Thursday in the Champs-Elysées area of Paris – and ISIS is claiming its “fighter” carried out the AK-47 ambush just three days before the French presidential election.
U.S. confirms: ISIS launched chemical attack on advancing Iraqi forces in Mosul
Islamic State fighters launched a chemical attack against advancing Iraqi security forces in the besieged city of Mosul, injuring a number of local troops amid heavy fighting, the senior U.S. ground commander confirmed Wednesday.
Bracing for US strike, Syria moves aircraft to Russian base
Syria's military has moved its aircraft from a base targeted by the United States two weeks ago to an air base in the port city of Latakia used by Russia's military, according to a U.S. official. Most of Syria's operational fixed-wing military aircraft have been moved to the base, ABC News reported.
General Motors factory seized by Venezuela
General Motors (GM) says it has halted operations in Venezuela after authorities seized a factory.
Expert: Turkey's president dreams of new Ottoman Empire
As Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, continues to consolidate power in the formerly secular nation, one of the foremost experts on Middle East geopolitics is sounding a desperate warning.
ISIS claims attack on police checkpoint near renowned Egypt monastery
The Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an Egyptian police checkpoint near the famed Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai late Tuesday which authorities said killed one policeman and wounded four.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli President Calls Persecution of Mideast Christians 'Stain on Humanity'
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said the persecution of Middle East Christians was 'a stain on humanity,' during a meeting on Wednesday with leaders of Jerusalem's Christian community.
Inside the United States
Trump raises stakes on government shutdown, demands border wall funds in spending bill
The White House said Thursday that it wants to see money for President Trump’s border wall included in the spending bill Congress must pass next week — a demand Democrats said sours negotiations and makes a government shutdown more likely.
Christian News
Christians Facing Uncertainty After Major Conservative Islamic Victory in Jakarta Elections
Christians in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, have been left staring at an uncertain future following the election defeat of Basuki Tjahaja 'Ahok' Purnama, the soon to be former Christian governor of Jakarta.
Supreme Court justices show support for church, in Gorsuch's 1st high-profile case
A majority on the Supreme Court appeared to offer support Wednesday for a church excluded from a publicly funded aid program, during the hearing for what was considered Justice Neil Gorsuch's first high-profile case.