Worthy Brief - 7/20/2021
Friend, do you want a greater treasure?
Matthew 5:45 That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven: for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
The Lord is quoted in this scripture in Matthew and it contains an important principle which I think we sometimes tend to overlook. Many believe and even teach that if someone acquires much material prosperity, then God has surely given them favor, and that if someone is undergoing extreme trial, it must be because they have sinned or that they lack faith. But the Lord says that the sun rises and the rain falls on both the righteous and the unrighteous alike. A life of good circumstances does not necessarily mean that God is with us. And likewise, a life of trial and suffering does not mean that God is not with us!
If we base our lives on our circumstances, we are no different than people without God. What makes us different from the world is that we have something far greater than our circumstances! We can live victoriously both in want and in plenty because we have a relationship with the living God!
Friend, there is nothing wrong with rejoicing through the good times but we need to rejoice through the bad as well! If you're going through some hard times, choose to rejoice in the Lord today! We have a greater treasure and a more amazing victory when our lives are centered upon Him at all times!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Louisville, Kentucky
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Hungary, Other Nations, Spying On Journalists and Activists
Hungary’s government has denied wrongdoing after a worldwide investigation showed authorities infected cellphones to spy on critical journalists, politicians, and business figures.
Rescue Crews Rush To Save Lives As Europe’s Flooding Kills 150
Rescue crews were racing to find survivors of floods that devastated parts of western Europe, killing more than 150 people and leaving at least hundreds of people still missing. In the Netherlands, a low-lying seafaring nation, authorities declared an emergency in the south.
US said to weigh sanctions on Iran’s oil sales to China if nuke talks fail
US President Joe Biden’s administration is weighing fresh sanctions targeting Iranian crude oil sales to China if Tehran hinders ongoing talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, a report said Monday.
Second Filling of Ethiopia’s Giant Dam Nearly Complete
Ethiopia has nearly completed the filling of a huge dam on the Blue Nile River for a second year, state media reported on Monday, a move that has already angered Egypt.
China military and navy conduct landing exercises near Taiwan in apparent warning to US and Taiwan
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Navy held joint amphibious landing exercises near Taiwan on Friday, in what should be considered as warnings and a deterrent to the US and to “Taiwan secessionists,” China’s Communist Party-backed Global Times said on Sunday. The exercises were conducted a day after a military plane landed in Taiwan for the second time this year.
England lifts COVID-19 restrictions as cases rise again
England celebrated the end of many grueling months of COVID-19 restrictions as of midnight Monday, but the lifting of all restrictions came amid a surge in infections and warnings about supermarket shortages, Ynet News reports. Following an intense nationwide inoculation drive, 87% of the UK population has now received at least one dose of the vaccine; 68% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
IDF: Iron Dome shoots down rocket from Lebanon; another lands in open area
Israel's Iron Dome aerial defense system shot down a rocket from Lebanon after two were fired at Israel Tuesday morning, the Israeli military said.
Likud seeks to convince Gantz to bolt government, replace Bennett as PM
Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party renewed on Monday its public efforts to persuade Blue and White’s Benny Gantz to leave the government and form an alternate coalition with right-wing parties.
Abdullah seeks to revive two-state solution, bury ‘Jordan is Palestine’
Jordan is hoping that King Abdullah’s meeting with US President Joe Biden will pave the way for the kingdom to return to center stage in regional developments, particularly the Israeli-Arab conflict.
Israel pressures U.S. lawmakers to halt Biden’s bid to restore Iran nuclear deal
Israel put pressure on U.S. lawmakers to reject initiatives to restore the Iran nuclear deal during a recent bipartisan congressional trip taken to the Middle East.
Inside the United States
Oregon wildfire is ‘out of control,’ reportedly the size of Los Angeles
The monstrous fire burning in Oregon has continued to grow since starting in early July and is still only 25% contained, according to reports.
New poll shows nearly 9/10 voters worried about rising cost of living, inflation
Eighty-eight percent of voters are either "somewhat" or "extremely" worried about the rising costs of living in the U.S., according to a new poll by the conservative advocacy group American Action Network.
Christian News
UK Survey shows significant increase in church attendances after services moved online for pandemic
A new UK survey has shown that 43% of pastors reported an increase in attendance after their church services went online during the pandemic, Christian Today reports. Carried out by the Bible Society on behalf of the UK’s Ecclesiastical Insurance company, the poll surveyed 1,000 church leaders in May this year.
Cuba protests: Christian leaders beaten, imprisoned in government crackdown; Call for Christians worldwide to pray; “Help us!”
Christian pastors are among at least 100 people who have been beaten and imprisoned by the Cuban government amid nationwide protests against systemic rights violations, the severe economic crisis, and the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Christian Post reports. Pleading for help from the international community, the wife of an imprisoned pastor has called on Christians worldwide to pray for Cubans suffering government violence.
Worthy Watch
On Freedom Day, Protesters Gather Chanting “Arrest Boris Johnson”
On Freedom Day, PM Johnson Says “Negative Tests Will Not Be Enough”
George Soros And Bill Gates’-Backed Consortium To Buy U.K. Maker Of Covid Tests For $41 Million
Ben & Jerry Issues Statement on Israel
Israeli spy tech, specifically NSO’s Pegasus, used across the world to hunt journalists, activists and even leading politicians
WH proposes coordination across all Social Media platforms