Worthy Brief - 9/2/2020
Friend, it's time to cut down the trees!
Colossians 3:13-14 Bear with each other, and forgiving each other, if any man has a complaint against anyone: even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love (agape), which is the bond of perfection.
After the Civil War, Robert E. Lee visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a once beautiful old tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her loss. After a brief silence, Lee said, "Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it."
The enemy is constantly attacking the body of Messiah. Some of his most effective tactics are anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness, which are often based on real, sometimes deep, wounds we have received from others in the faith. Paul wrote that we should not be ignorant of the enemy's schemes (2 Cor. 2:11), that bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness give him an opportunity to quench the Holy Spirit and destroy our fellowship with God and one another. So the apostle urged forbearance, forgiveness, and above all else, the kind of love which Yeshua (Jesus) showed to us; a love which covered our sins against Him, forgiving and restoring relationship. This is not a love which is natural to us. Our nature is to hold on to offenses, to desire justice, recompense, or even revenge. Do we realize that the love we need to truly forgive is from another Source?
The beautiful old tree in the woman's front yard might symbolize something very dear, beloved and precious in your life....something which was terribly damaged by an enemy you feel justified to hate.
Whatever is left of that "tree" in your life or in your memory is a constant temptation to nurture hate and unforgiveness. Is this how you want to live? Will this "tree" become a memorial unto hatred and revenge, or hardness of heart and a never-ending cry for "justice"? If so, you will find yourself bound to that tree, as if you were chained to it. General Lee's words apply here: "Cut it down, my dear Madam, and forget it." "Vengeance is Mine, says the Lord, I will repay." So, not only can you afford to forgive and leave justice in His hands, but the freedom and joy of loving the way God loves, will also be yours.
Friend, Yeshua (Jesus) has forgiven us. We should forgive others as we've been forgiven. Let's cut down the battered trees in our lives, choose forgiveness, in the Spirit of Jesus, and put on (agape) love.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Baltimore, Maryland
Editor's Note: YouTube Special: Civil War and the Demise of the Democratic Party? We are now at a Nivevah moment ... how will the nation respond -- is it as in the days of Jonah or Nahum?
Editor's Note: We will be in the PA, MD, VA and DC area for the entire month of September. Please contact george [a] worthyministries.com for more information.
Exiled Belarus Opposition Leader To Address United Nations
The team of exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya says she will address the United Nations Security Council. Her address later this week comes amid mounting pressure in longtime Belarussian leader Alexander Lukashenko to step down.
Montenegro Facing Political Turmoil After Uncertain Government Victory
Official results from Sunday's parliamentary vote in the Balkan nation of Montenegro suggest that the pro-Western party of the long-serving president Milo Djukanovic may struggle to form a government. Despite its narrow victory, pro-Russian and pro-Russian parties seem in a better position to get enough mandates to form a ruling coalition.
Coronavirus: India's economy shrinks by a quarter, in worst slump for at least 24 years
India's economy has suffered its worst slump in 24 years as the country continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic.
US Vetoes UN Resolution That Does Not Require Countries to Take Back Their Foreign Fighters
President Trump has long expressed exasperation at European governments’ reluctance to repatriate captured ISIS fighters who are their citizens, and on Monday that frustration led to the U.S. veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution that failed to address the issue.
Elon Musk's Neuralink puts computer chips in pigs' brains in bid to cure diseases
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's neuroscience startup Neuralink unveiled a pig named Gertrude that has had a coin-sized computer chip in its brain for two months late Friday, showing off an early step toward the goal of curing human diseases with the same type of implant.
UCLA researcher arrested for destroying hard drive possibly used in transferring data to China
A researcher from UCLA has been arrested on suspicion of destroying a hard drive that may be pertinent to an FBI investigation into Chinese theft of sensitive software and technical data, the College Fix reported Monday. Researcher Guan Lei is suspected of having destroying and throwing away the hard drive on July 25, a few days after being interviewed by investigators.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Front page of UAE newspaper carries headline: “Salam, Shalom”
Following the recent peace agreement between Israel and the UAE, a major UAE English-language daily newspaper carried the words “Salam, Shalom” (“Peace” in Arabic and Hebrew) on its front page Tuesday, Israel National News reports.
Senior UAE official: We got US assurances annexation won’t happen
As an Israeli delegation prepared to depart the United Arab Emirates Tuesday after completing a first official visit, a senior Emirati official said that his government had received “assurances” that Israel will not advance its plan to annex large parts of the West Bank.
The Netanyahu Doctrine Is Bringing Middle East Peace
The historic formal full peace and normalization between Israel and the United Arab Emirates represents the realization of the Netanyahu Doctrine, which is heralding a new era of peace in the Middle East.
Inside the United States
Federal agencies launch investigation into “left-wing” unrest in Democrat-run cities
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice are starting a joint investigation into what the president called “left-wing civil unrest” in “Democrat-run cities,” VOA News reports. Trump added that over 200 people have now been arrested by federal agencies, including 100 in Portland, Oregon alone.
Biden Now Endorses Law and Order for Riot-Plagued Cities, Questions Mount Over Who's Funding It All
With his numbers starting to sag in the polls, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden looks to be trying to reinvent himself as the kinder, gentler, law and order candidate.
Trump Wins Delay in Handover of Tax Returns to Manhattan Prosecutor
A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday granted President Donald Trump's request to delay Manhattan's district attorney from accessing his tax returns in connection with a criminal probe of his business practices.
Apple, Google build coronavirus-tracing technology directly into phones
Apple and Google are trying to get more U.S. states to adopt their phone-based approach for tracing and curbing the spread of the coronavirus by building more of the necessary technology directly into phone software.
'No Tolerance for Anarchy': Trump Visits Kenosha, Blames Media for Spike in Violence Nationwide
President Donald Trump traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin Tuesday in the wake of the violent protests following the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Sheriffs reject Gov. Kate Brown's plan to curb Portland violence
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown’s plan to calm violence in Portland is falling apart after two neighboring sheriffs said they won’t supply personnel to help out, saying the answer isn’t more police but rather a get-tough policy of charging and prosecuting rioters.
Kenosha mayor lauds 'extremely helpful' National Guard in quelling violence
The Democratic mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, lauded the National Guard for helping quell violence seen in the city since the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Trump: 'The Only Path to Unity' Begins With 'Patriotic Education'
"The left's war on police, faith, history, and American values is tearing our country apart, which is what they want," President Donald Trump warned on Monday.
FBI-Chicago warns that gang cabal may be targeting police officers
A federal intelligence alert obtained by the ABC7 I-Team has gone out to Chicago-area law enforcement with an ominous warning: nearly three dozen cold-blooded street gangs "have formed a pact to 'shoot on-sight any cop that has a weapon drawn on any subject in public'."
DHS to Portland Mayor: 'Your Inaction' Has 'Fueled Senseless Violence and Destruction Night After Night'
In a letter to Portland's Democrat Mayor Ted Wheeler -- who has blamed President Trump for the riots and violence in his city -- Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf states that Wheeler's failure to take action against the radical activists "has fostered an environment that has fueled senseless violence and destruction."