Worthy Brief - 9/8/2016
Friend, how about some humble pie?
James 4:6b Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble."
Corrie Ten Boom tells this story in her book, Each New Day. "When I saw Sadhu Sundar Singh in Europe, he had completed a tour around the world. People asked him, Doesn't it do harm, you're getting so much honor?" The Sadhu's answer was: "No. The donkey went into Jerusalem, and they put garments on the ground before him. He was not proud. He knew it was not done to honor him, but for Jesus, who was sitting on his back. When people honor me, I know it is not me, but the Lord, who does the job."
Another wise person once said, "I believe the first test of a truly great man is his humility. I do not mean by humility, doubt of his own power, or hesitation in speaking his opinion. But really great men have a ... feeling that the greatness is not in them but through them; that they could not do or be anything else than God made them."
Friend, we too, should strive to live knowing that the greatness is through us and give God all the glory He deserves! Lord, help us! We want to empty ourselves of our desires and our agendas, and be available for all the works you want to do through us! And Lord, we want to live a life of honoring You for every work! Thank you for loving us and helping us along the way -- in the Name of Yeshua (Jesus), Amen!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Negev Desert, Israel
Editor's Note: Watch George's message: Which voice will you listen to in the last days?
Around the World
Russian fighter jet flies within 10 feet of U.S. plane over Black Sea
A Russian fighter jet flew within 10 feet of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the Black Sea, the Pentagon said Wednesday.
River in Russia Mysteriously Turns Blood Red
Startled residents of a Russian city inside the Arctic Circle have been posting photos of a local river that has mysteriously turned blood red.
Superbug Explosion Triggers U.N. General Assembly Meeting
The threat of antibiotic resistance has become so dire that the United Nations General Assembly is holding a meeting to discuss it this month in New York City. Although WHO has been sounding the alarm on antibiotic resistance for years, this month's high-level U.N. meeting represents only the fourth time in the international body's history that its General Assembly--a global deliberative body that primarily grapples with issues like war and economics--has held a meeting to tackle a health topic.
100,000 Chileans Say Abortion Has No Place in Chile
More than 100,000 Chileans flooded downtown Santiago Saturday for a 'Celebrate Life' rally to protest the legalization of abortion.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Israeli Air Force responds to mortar spillover, hits Syrian positions
The Israeli Air Force attacked Syria in the early hours of Thursday morning following spillover from the fighting in Syria.
Israel girds for Golan war with Iran, Hezbollah
Amid the carnage of Syria's civil war, well into its sixth year, Israeli military chiefs say that Iran and its prized proxy, Hezbollah, are surreptitiously seeking to establish a new front in an older conflict, the Iran-backed group's 30-year war against the Jewish state that until recently was waged almost exclusively from neighboring Lebanon.
Report: Mahmoud Abbas was a KGB agent
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was an agent for the former Russian Secret Intelligence Service (KGB) in 1983 in Syria, according to a report by Channel 1, published Wednesday evening.
Inside the United States
Obama administration 'stunt' would force states to fund Planned Parenthood
The Obama administration is proposing a new rule that would require states to continue to fund Planned Parenthood, countering gains by the pro-life movement to defund the abortion provider at the local level in the wake of the undercover video investigation alleging the clinic traffics in fetal body parts from abortions.
Dangerous flooding may unfold in southwestern US as Newton threatens 2 months' worth of rain in hours
Significant flooding may develop across the southwestern United States through Wednesday as Newton fuels soaking rain across the region.
IRS refuses to abandon targeting criteria used against tea party, conservative groups
The IRS is refusing to recant the targeting criteria it used to single out tea party groups for intrusive scrutiny, according to court filings made public Wednesday that show the tax agency still struggling with the fallout from the scandal.
Obama Nominates Possible First Muslim-American Judge to Federal Court
Muslim-American groups are applauding President Barack Obama's nomination of a Washington lawyer to serve in U.S. District Court -- a move that could make him the first ever Muslim-American federal judge, according to advocates.
U.S. Spends Another $10 Mil to Register New Immigrant Voters
Months after the Obama administration spent $19 million to register new immigrant voters that will likely support Democrats in November, it's dedicating an additional $10 million in a final push as the presidential election approaches. The money is distributed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Homeland Security agency that oversees lawful immigration, to organizations that help enhance pathways to naturalization by offering immigrants free citizenship instruction, English, U.S. history and civics courses. Officially, they're known as 'citizenship integration grants.'
U.S. Politics
Clinton, Trump Talk National Security at 'Commander-in-Chief' Forum
Hillary Clinton defended anew her handling of classified information as secretary of state Wednesday night, insisting she did not jeopardize national security by discussing the Obama administration's drone program and other sensitive matters on a personal email account.
Clinton claims 'we did not lose a single American' in Libya
Glossing over the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi that claimed the lives of four U.S. diplomats, Hillary Clinton on Wednesday night claimed that 'we did not lose a single American' due to military intervention in Libya.
Trump: I don't give a specific ISIS plan because I don't want enemies to know it
Donald Trump brushed off his lack of a specific policy to defeat the Islamic State terror group on Wednesday night, claiming he had a plan but did not want to broadcast it to the United States' enemies.
Christian News
American Pastor Buys Weapons for Christian Militia Fighting ISIS in Iraq
A New York City pastor has spent about $4,000 of his own money to supply much-needed weapons to a Christian militia fighting against the Islamic State terrorist organization in Iraq.
Journal of Christian Teen Killed in Columbine Massacre to be Subject of Upcoming Film
A new Christian film is set to be released next month based on the true story of a young woman who lost her life in the 1999 Columbine High School massacre.
Atheists want Ten Commandments painting removed from Kentucky county clerk office
A group of atheists has asked a county clerk's office in Kentucky to remove a Ten Commandments painting, claiming it violated the Establishment Clause.