Worthy Brief - 6/4/2019
Friend, dying to be free!
Romans 8:13-14 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Once upon a time, there was a prince who received a very rare and beautiful bird. He named her Goldie and placed her in a lovely, 14K gold cage. But the poor creature was not impressed by the gold at all. She pleaded for her freedom but the prince loved her much too much to part with her. Still, she continued to beg. In final desperation, she asked that he at least allow her go to her relatives and tell them that, though captive, she was still alive.
The prince was not certain she would return if he allowed her to go, so he decided to go and inform them himself. He went into the forest, where Goldie directed him and he found her sister. When she heard the awful news of Goldie's capture, she immediately fell to the ground and died.
Sorrowful, he returned to his castle and told Goldie the sad news that her sister had died. Immediately Goldie collapsed and died in the same manner.
Perplexed, but a tear rolling down his cheek, the prince then took the poor bird out of the cage, gently wrapped her in a cloth and placed her on his window sill in order to bury her. Suddenly, to the prince's amazement, the cloth began to move and Goldie fluttered out. She quickly flew out the window and landed in the nearest tree.
"You don't understand, fine prince" called the bird from the nearby, "by pretending to die, my sister taught me the way to escape."
The moral of the story is simply this. If we want to truly be free -- we have to die!
Friend, if we want to truly live a life of freedom, a life full of peace and joy, a life which provokes others to jealousy -- we must learn to die to our flesh and give our all to the One who has given His all for us! Let's take up our cross once again today.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Editor's Note: Check out our new Facebook page for answering readers questions about news, politics, religion, Israel, and ministry.
Erdogan says Turkey committed to Russian missile defense deal
President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was out of the question for Turkey to take a step back from its deal with Moscow to buy Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
UN Security Council to discuss Sudan's military crackdown
The U.N. Security Council is set to discuss Sudan after its ruling military conducted a deadly crackdown on pro-democracy protesters.
German intel: Iran buying illegal technology for weapons of mass destruction
The Islamic Republic of Iran is involved in the illicit procurement of technology for weapons of mass destruction, the German intelligence agency for the northern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern wrote in its May report.
Russia Withdraws Key Defense Advisers in Venezuela
Russia has pulled its key defense advisers from Venezuela amid U.S. pressure on the failing regime of President Nicolás Maduro, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
'Israel will no longer tolerate Arab riots on Temple Mount'
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) condemned Arab rioters on the Temple Mount, calling on the Israeli government to put an end to Arab efforts to intimidate Jews attempting to visit the Jerusalem holy site.
Report: For 2nd straight day, Israel strikes military targets in Syria
Israel fired missiles at a Syrian military air base in the country’s center late Sunday, killing at least one soldier and wounding two others, hours after another Israeli strike in southern Syria, which came in response to a rocket attack on the Israeli Golan Heights. Sunday’s strike killed three soldiers and wounded seven, Syria’s state-run media said.
Mossad intelligence helped link Iran to UAE tanker sabotage — report
Intelligence materials collected by Israel’s Mossad agency played a role in linking Iran to the sabotaging of four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last month, prompting the United States to accuse Tehran of carrying out the attack, according to a report on Monday.
Inside the United States
On fourth try, House passes $19.1B disaster aid package
House lawmakers cleared a critical disaster aid package Monday, overruling a group of conservatives who had blocked unanimous consent of the measure after three attempts at passing it last week.
House voting next week to hold William Barr in contempt over Mueller report
The House will vote next week on a resolution citing Attorney General William Barr with contempt of Congress for failing to turn over the unredacted report from special counsel Robert Mueller.
Judge rejects House Democrats' attempt to block Trump use of military funds for border wall
A federal judge has ruled against congressional Democrats who sought to temporarily stop the president from using military funds for a border wall.
Leaked FDA study finds milk, meat, produce with cancer-causing chemicals
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that cancer-causing chemicals are showing up in milk, meat, produce and even store-made chocolate cakes sold in the U.S., according to an agency study that has not yet been made public.
Christian News
Iraqi Christian Survives Immolation Three Times Due to Appearances by Jesus in His Dreams
'Hearts and Hands: Iraq,' a new documentary by Sean Feucht at Bethel Music, tells the story of an Iraqi Yazidi man who survived being burned alive three times after ISIS fighters found out about his Christian faith.
Christian Church Ruins Unearthed in Alexandria May Be Oldest Ever Found in Egypt
An excavation in Egypt has unearthed some ruins that they say is one of the oldest Christian churches ever found in the country. The experts were working on a ruined basilica when they found the remains of an even older church. This find could even be the oldest known Church in Egypt and is likely to offer new insights into the growth of early Christianity in Egypt and elsewhere in the Mediterranean.