Worthy Brief - 4/26/2023
Friend, rejoice, this is the day that the Lord has made!
Psalm 69:32 (YLT) The humble have seen--they rejoice, Ye who seek God--and your heart liveth.
There is an important lesson here and in other places of God's Word, namely that humility and gladness go together. What do the humble and the joyous have in common? They both lookup. The humble are those who don't look down on anyone. The truly humble look up all the time. They have to look up because their eyes are on God, and He's above them. The joyous are always looking up as well, otherwise, they wouldn't be rejoicing.
The joyous are believing the Good News, so they rejoice! The prideful, however, are those who think they're above everything else and so they look down on people. The prideful are connected to the others who look down, the cynical, the doubting, the despairing, the depressed, the sorrowful, and the hopeless. In the same way that the humble and the joyous go together, so do pride and despair. Humility leads to joy. Pride leads to despair.
Friend, let's get our eyes off of ourselves, off of our problems, off of the world around us. Let's fix our eyes on Him, the Redeemer of our souls. Those who look up in humility, also lookup in joy! Together, let's fix our eyes on Him and be glad!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Going to Christian College in Dallas, Texas)
Jerusalem, Israel
Turkey, Iran, Syria, Russia hold ‘constructive talks’ over rebuilding ties
The defense and intelligence envoys of Iran, Russia, Syria, and Turkey held talks in Moscow on Tuesday as part of efforts to rebuild ties between Ankara and Damascus after years of hostility during the Syrian war.
Indonesia struck by 7.3 earthquake west of Sumatra Island
Just months after a magnitude 5.6 earthquake killed 340 people in West Java, Indonesia was struck by a 7.3 earthquake west of Sumatra Island on Tuesday, causing residents to evacuate to higher ground and triggering a tsunami warning for two hours, Reuters reports.
Dutch New Broadcaster Threatened With Closure
A Dutch rightwing broadcaster founded by a former war reporter and Nazi hunter has been fined and is threatened with closure over its content and perceived refusal to cooperate with liberal-leaning networks.
Analysts warn of global rice shortage due to extreme weather and Ukraine war
Analysts have warned of a global rice shortage as extreme weather conditions have hit major rice-producing countries like China and Pakistan, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has led to supplies of relatively cheap Ukrainian grain being blocked in Black Sea ports.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
US House passes pro-Israel measure 401-19, but growing number of Dems vote against
The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to pass a resolution marking Israel’s 75th anniversary, heralding the importance of the US-Israel relationship and urging the expansion of the Abraham Accords.
Egyptian Education Reforms Eliminating Antisemitism from Curriculum, According to New Report
A nationwide reform of Egyptian curricula has made progress towards eliminating antisemitism from state issued textbooks, according to a new report by Israeli education watchdog Impact-se.
Inside the United States
President Biden Launches Re-election Campaign
Americans are waking up Tuesday with news that U.S. President Joe Biden is launching his re-election campaign despite worries about his age and style.
SCOTUS to consider whether government officials can block critics on social media
The US Supreme Court has agreed to hear appeals in two cases where lower courts gave divergent rulings on whether the Constitution's First Amendment prohibits government officials from blocking their critics on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, Reuters reports.
Christian News
Global Anglican Conference rejects church leaders who accept homosexuality, calls for “resetting” of Anglican Communion
The fourth Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) has issued an official statement rejecting any Anglican church leader who accepts homosexuality, has called for a "resetting" of the worldwide Anglican Communion after the Church of England voted to approve blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples who married under civil law, the Christian Post (CP).
Pakistan Detains Christian Widow For ‘Burning’ Koranic Pages
An illiterate Christian widow has been jailed in Pakistan’s Punjab province for accidentally burning verses of the Koran, deemed a holy book by Muslims, several Christian sources told Worthy News.