Worthy Brief - 7/25/2017
Friend, you're chosen for a task!
Hebrews 1:8,9 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
As we continue our study of Mashiach ben Yosef, we observe that both Joseph and Yeshua (Jesus) were chosen or "anointed" for a special task. When Jacob gifted his son Joseph with a coat of many colors, lifting him up above his brothers, he reflected Joseph's calling by the Lord for a life work as a leader.
The preparation for this role was grueling. Joseph endured the fires of testing, sold into slavery, thrown into prison, and seemingly abandoned by God he must have wondered to himself, "Why is this happening?" It seems clear from hindsight that Joseph was learning the deep humility required for God's kind of leadership. We also see the humility of the Son of God in His Incarnation and crucifixion. ("My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?") So as Joseph saved the whole world from physical death by starvation, Yeshua saved the whole world from spiritual death, the judgment of sin
Friend, if you have seen signs of your own anointing for a specific task, and find yourself in the midst of painful "unexplainable" trials and tribulations, you're in good company. God gives responsibility to people of character. Both Joseph and Yeshua are beautiful examples of the kind of leader God loves--a humble one.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
Around the World
China reportedly preps for crisis along border with North Korea
The Chinese military has reportedly been building up defenses along its border with North Korea that coincide with warnings by President Trump that he is considering military action over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons push.
Syrian rebels fear Bashar Assad benefits from Trump-Putin truce
Daraa is the fourth and most recent area of Syria covered by “de-escalation agreements” — a series of cease-fire arrangements brokered since May by the U.S., Syria’s Sunni Muslim neighbors Jordan and Turkey, Iran’s Shiite Islamic Republic, Syrian President Bashar Assad and his Russian backers. Mr. Trump has repeatedly pointed to the cease-fire accord he and Mr. Putin reached in their lengthy G-20 meeting, in part to bolster his argument that engaging with Moscow can deliver real-world results despite the deep doubts of the Washington foreign policy establishment.
2 Chinese fighter jets buzz US Navy spy plane in East China Sea
A pair of armed Chinese fighter jets flew dangerously close to a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane flying in the East China Sea on Sunday afternoon, with the hazardous Chinese behavior nearly causing a "collision," two U.S. officials told Fox News.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israel to Replace Metal Detectors with High Resolution Cameras on Temple Mount
Israel's security cabinet has decided to remove metal detectors set up at the entrance to a Jerusalem holy site which had angered Muslims.
U.N. warns of escalation if no Jerusalem mosque solution by Friday
United Nations Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov warned on Monday that a solution was needed by Friday to the Jerusalem mosque crisis, which he said threatens to have 'potential catastrophic costs well beyond the walls of the Old City.'
Israel arrests senior Hamas officials in overnight West Bank raids
The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security agency arrested 29 Hamas members, including senior officials of the terror group, in overnight raids in the West Bank.
Inside the United States
Trump: ‘Obamacare Is Death’ (Video)
President Donald Trump made use of the bully pulpit on Monday to push for repeal of the Affordable Care Act, proclaiming that "Obamacare is death."
U.S. judge halts deportation of more than 1,400 Iraqi nationals
A federal judge in Michigan halted on Monday the deportation of more than 1,400 Iraqi nationals from the United States, the latest legal victory for the Iraqi nationals facing deportation in a closely watched case.
Sex Change Surgeries Could Cost Military Billion$, as Much as a New Navy Destroyer
This Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on the Make America Secure Appropriations Act. There are billions of dollars in that act for the Defense Department. But it comes at the same time the military has been told it needs to do sex change surgeries and provide hormone therapies for transgenders.
Jared Kushner: Blaming the election on Russia 'ridicules' Trump voters
Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and a senior White House aide, argued Monday that efforts by Democrats to blame the 2016 election on Russian interference 'ridicules' millions of people who voted for Trump.
Christian News
Radical Muslim embraces Jesus after Christians show him kindness in ISIS-torn Syria
A persecution watchdog group has shared the story of a Muslim extremist who upon witnessing a church service led by Christians in war-torn Syria decided to abandon his radical lifestyle and turn to Jesus Christ.
Al-Shabaab Militants Kill Seven Christian Men in Eastern Kenya
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that in early July, al-Shabaab militants led a series of attacks in Kenya’s Lamu County. Between July 5 and July 8 2017, militants raided three villages, and killed three police officers and seven Christian men.