Worthy Brief - 7/15/2019
Friend, don't dry out!
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
1 Corinthians 15:49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."
Revelation 21:6 And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
The first man was called "Ah-dom", we know him as "Adam". The word used for "man", as in "mankind", in Genesis 1, is also the same word – "Ah-dom". "Ah-dom" is rooted in the three Hebrew letters, aleph-dalet-mem, and one of the Hebrew words for earth is "Adamah", which contains the same three letters, however it ends with the Hebrew letter "hay". "Adamah" means "red earth", or "red clay", and this word points to the natural earth elements, the "earth dust" that composed Adam’s body, and the body of every human being since. "Man" is "ah-dom", in a very real sense, "clay".
If a piece of clay is to become anything, it has to be molded – and to be moldable it must become wet. Clay has a tendency to dry out quickly and become hardened, and once that happens, there's not much you can do with it. Since we are "ah-dom", made of clay, we are in constant need of water. This is true both physically, and also spiritually. Our bodies need a constant resupply of water to stay alive and function well. Our spirits also need "water", the "water" of the Word [Ephesians 5:26]. If we are constantly drinking this water of the word, our faith, which comes by hearing [Romans 10:17] will result in a magnificent promise from Yeshua: "He that believes in me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water!"
This water of His Word welling up through His Spirit will prevent us from becoming dry and hardened, and will enable us to "water" others, even to be, ourselves, a spring of living water.
Friend, drink from the water of life. You don't want to become a hardened vessel, easily cracked or broken. Soak yourself in Him and in His word, so that God will keep you moldable, useful, and "drinkable" by others. Water is necessary, but it is also deeply refreshing, and Yeshua's living water springs up, even to eternal life!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
France, Britain and Germany say risks Iran nuclear deal could collapse
France, Britain and Germany said on Sunday they were preoccupied by the escalation of tensions in the Persian Gulf region and a risk of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal falling apart, calling for dialog between all the parties to resume.
Anti-Christian Wave in Europe Seems Coupled with Antisemitic Wave
Anti-Christian vandalism is spiking in Europe, where investigators found a surprising culprit to the rising number of church attacks and desecrations of religious symbols in France and other historic bastions of Christianity.
Britain to send second warship to Gulf amid rising tension with Iran
Britain is sending a second warship to the Gulf amid rising tensions with Iran, as it said it was discussing with the US the possibility of building up its military presence in the area.
7.3 magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesia, causes panic
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the Moluccas islands on Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, creating panic and causing damage to houses in eastern Indonesia.
Hong Kong police fight with protesters amid rising tensions
Police in Hong Kong fought with protesters on Sunday as they broke up a demonstration by thousands of people demanding the resignation of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s chief executive and an investigation into complaints of police violence.
China's GDP growth slumps to 27-year low amid trade war with US
The Chinese economy has suffered a loss of momentum in the second quarter, with the GDP falling to 6.2 % from a 6.4 % expansion in the first three months of the year, figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Monday.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Netanyahu responds to Nasrallah threat: Will deal ‘crushing blow’ if Hezbollah attacks
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday warned the Hezbollah terror group that Israel would deal a 'crushing' blow to Lebanon if it attacks, two days after the organization’s leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel could be “wiped out” during a potential war between the United States and Iran.
Netanyahu's Claim that Iran Performed 'Clean-Up' Job At Covert Nuclear Site Confirmed by IAEA
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) test at a claimed Iranian nuclear site yielded signs of radioactivity, thus proving the site was used for storage of illicit nuclear materials, according to Israeli sources.
Nasrallah warns Israel could be ‘wiped out’ in war between US and Iran
The head of the Hezbollah terror group warned Friday that Israel would be drawn into any war between the US and Iran and could be 'wiped out' in such a conflict.
Two more F-35 fighter jets land in Israel, bringing IAF’s declared total to 16
Two F-35 fighter jets landed in Israel Sunday, the army said, bringing the number of fifth-generation stealth aircraft that the military says it has in its arsenal up to 16.
Senior Hamas official calls on members of Palestinian diaspora to kill Jews
A senior Hamas official has urged members of the Palestinian diaspora to kill Jews around the world.
Inside the United States
U.S. House passes $733-billion defense policy bill after Trump threatens veto
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $733-billion defense policy bill on Friday, defying President Donald Trump’s veto threat by including provisions like a clampdown on funding for his planned wall on the border with Mexico.
US House votes to limit Trump’s ability to strike Iran
The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted Friday to put a liberalized stamp on Pentagon policy, including a bipartisan proposal to limit US President Donald Trump’s authority to make war against Iran.
Religious 'nones' increasing nationwide
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New York City Power Outage Leaves 73,000, and Times Square, Without Electricity
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Christian News
Number of Christians in Britain in 'dramatic decline'
The number of people in Britain identifying as Christian is in 'dramatic decline', according to the latest figures from the British Social Attitudes Survey.
Syrian Christians Targeted Again by Islamic State
A suicide attack claimed by Islamic State (IS) near a church in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli shows that Christians remain a major target of the terror group, local officials and experts say.