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Worthy Brief - 5/22/2017

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 look up. 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 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 look up 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, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel

Today's Breaking News
Around the World
Trump: War on Terror is Battle Between Good and Evil, Not Faiths
President Donald Trump said the war on terrorism isn’t a battle between different faiths, toning down rhetoric that had fueled concerns America was at war with Islam.
Venezuela protests: Man set alight as death toll rises
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has accused opposition protesters of setting alight a government supporter in Caracas on the 50th day of protests.
Egypt: 48 IS militants referred to court over church bombings
Egyptian Attorney General Nabil Sadik on Sunday said he referred 48 suspected Islamic State militants to a military court over the bombing of Coptic churches in which more than 70 people died.
US, Gulf States, sign deal to end financing for terror
US President Donald Trump signed a memorandum on Sunday with leaders of the oil-rich Gulf monarchies to cut funding for terrorism, a day after Washington told their arch rival Iran to dismantle its 'network of terrorism.'
Exxon and others sign over $50 billion in Saudi deals on sidelines of Trump's trip
U.S. and Saudi firms signed over $50 billion in energy investment deals on Saturday, including a major agreement between Exxon Mobil and Saudi heavy industries.
Donald Trump should worry about another 9/11 rather than making claims about Iran, says Tehran
Donald Trump should spend his time in Riyadh discussing how to avoid Saudi Arabians 'carrying out another' 9/11 atrocity in the US instead of making baseless claims about terrorism against other countries, Iran's foreign minister has said.
Trump's speech in Saudi Arabia reassures foreign policy critics
President Trump on Sunday discarded 'America First' in his speech to Arab leaders in Saudi Arabia, falling back on the bipartisan internationalism that has characterized U.S. foreign policy for decades.
North Korea launches another mid-range ballistic missile, officials say
U.S. and South Korean officials announced on Sunday that North Korea fired a medium-range missile, in the latest ballistics test for a country speeding up its development of nuclear weapons and missiles.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Next stop for Trump is Israel, in pursuit of 'Peace'
President Donald Trump has cast the elusive pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians as the "ultimate deal." But he will step foot in Israel having offered few indications of how he plans to achieve what so many of his predecessors could not.
Goodwill gestures to Palestinians came at Trump's request, says PMO
The Prime Minister's Office said on Sunday that the raft of goodwill gestures to the Palestinians approved by the cabinet on Sunday came in response to a request from US President Donald Trump.

Inside the United States
US Lawmakers Pass Bill Requiring Greater Oversight on European Antisemitism
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation requiring greater State Department reporting on European antisemitism.
Fate of Obamacare's exchanges could come Monday
A routine court filing may bring about the beginning of the end of Obamacare's insurance exchanges.
Comey, budget and healthcare collide in Congress next week
Former FBI Director James Comey could testify as early as next week about his firing, President Trump and all things Russia, which would be the topper in a week filled with several other highly anticipated events.
Trump Expected to Propose Plan to Balance Budget in 10 Years
President Donald Trump likely will propose a plan next week calling for a balanced budget in 10 years, fiscal experts predict. It also will address how to fund the border wall, higher defense spending, and other Trump initiatives over the next decade.

Christian News
Church of Scotland expected to move towards towards gay marriage
Scotland is moving towards being the country in the UK with most liberal Christian practice on gay marriage with the Church of Scotland and the Scottish Episcopal Church both taking steps in this direction in the near future.
Texas Governor Signs New Law Protecting Pastors
Texas Governor Greg Abbot is taking a huge step to defend religious liberty.
Wives of Imprisoned Chinese Rights Activists Detail Their Husbands' Torture, Persecution to Congress
The wives of Chinese human rights lawyers imprisoned and tortured by the government in China detailed their husbands' experiences and told members of Congress Thursday that families are also being persecuted by the Chinese government.