Worthy Brief - 9/14/2017
Friend, do you want to be honored?
Mark 10:44-45 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
A noncommissioned officer was directing the repairs of a military building during the American Revolution. He was barking orders to the soldiers under his command, trying to get them to raise a heavy wooden beam.
As the men struggled in vain to lift the beam into place, a man who was passing by stopped to ask the one in charge why he wasn't helping the men. With all the pomp of an emperor, the soldier responded, "Sir, I am a corporal!"
"You are, are you?" replied the passerby, "I was not aware of that." Then, taking off his hat and bowing, he said, "I ask your pardon, Corporal." Then the stranger walked over and strained with the soldiers to lift the heavy beam. After the job was finished, he turned and said, "Mr. Corporal, when you have another such job, and have not enough men, send for your Commander in Chief, and I will come and help you a second time." The corporal was thunderstruck. The man’s name was General George Washington.
We all want to be honored, respected and appreciated. So badly, sometimes, that we try to demand it. The fact is, that these things cannot be demanded or even requested. True honor, respect and appreciation only come one way. When we become servants.
Friend, let's ask the Lord to help us to become the servants he would desire. After all, He did set a great example by laying down his life for us.
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Arad, Israel
US set to extend Iran sanctions relief under nuclear deal
The Trump administration is poised to extend sanctions relief to Iran, avoiding imminent action that could implode the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.
North Korea vows to accelerate weapons program following new US sanctions
North Korea displayed trademark defiance on Wednesday over new United Nations sanctions imposed after its sixth and largest-ever nuclear test, vowing to redouble efforts to fight off what it said was the threat of a US invasion.
Fearing Russia, Sweden holds biggest war games in 20 years
Neutral Sweden has launched its biggest war games in two decades with support from NATO countries, drilling 19,000 troops after years of spending cuts that have left the country fearful of Russia’s growing military strength.
Japan: North Korea threat to sink Japan is 'outrageous'
Japan's top government spokesman has called a North Korean threat to sink Japan with a nuclear bomb extremely provocative and outrageous.
U.S.-Led Coalition Dropped Record Number of Bombs on ISIS in August
The U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State dropped 5,075 bombs during operations in August, the highest total of any month since the three-year campaign against the terrorist group began.
Ghost Jihadis: ISIS Fighters Have Thousands of Blank Syrian Passports That Could Be Used to Provide Fake Identities
The Islamic State militant group (ISIS) has some 11,000 blank Syrian passports that could be used to provide fake identities for jihadists, German authorities believe.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Russia urges Syria not to respond to Israel's attack
Russia has urged Syrian President Bashar Assad not to retaliate against Israel after an airstrike on the country's Scientific Studies and Research Center, which the Syrian regime attributes to Israel, a senior Russia official dealing with Middle East affairs told Yedioth Ahronoth in an conversation in Moscow over the weekend.
Two more advanced F-35s en route to Israel from US
Two additional F-35 stealth fighter jets lifted off from the US on Wednesday morning on their way to Israel, the sixth and seventh planes to be delivered out of the 50 Israel has purchased from the US to upgrade the capabilities of its air force.
Devastating UK survey finds half of Britons agree with anti-Israel statements
Nearly one in three Britons holds at least one anti-Semitic attitude and more than half endorse at least one hard-line anti-Israel statement, finds a major new study published today.
Inside the United States
Trump sends warning to gridlocked Republicans by meeting with Democrats
President Trump's decision to hold White House meetings with Democrats on key agenda items has sent a clear message to the GOP that it needs to get moving or he'll make deals with the minority party.
Schumer, Pelosi announce deal with Trump on Dreamers
Democratic leaders emerged from a dinner meeting Wednesday night with President Trump to say they had worked out a deal to grant permanent protections to young illegal immigrants — without having to accept funding for the president’s proposed border wall.
Satanists emerge as advocate as Planned Parenthood restores Missouri abortion services
Satanists. Abortion. Planned Parenthood. Where in the world would those three things have anything to do with one another?
Judge orders Maryland bar to investigate lawyers who helped Clinton delete emails
A Maryland judge ordered the state bar to open an investigation Monday into the three lawyers who helped former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delete her private emails.
Antifa violence splits left as another major protest looms at Berkeley
Conservative pundit Ben Shapiro is likely to escape unscathed from antifa protesters planning to wreak havoc during his speech Thursday at the University of California, Berkeley, but the left may not be so lucky.
Feds Collect Record Taxes Through August; Still Run $673.7B Deficit
The federal government collected record total tax revenues through the first eleven months of fiscal 2017 (Oct. 1, 2016 through the end of August), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement.
Illegal immigrants get OK to vote in Maryland city's elections
A city council in Maryland has voted in favor of allowing resident non-citizens such as illegal immigrants to participate in local elections.
Christian News
'Attacks on Religious Liberty' in US Increased 133 Percent in Last 5 Years: Report
A new report released by a prominent religious liberty advocacy organization claims that there has been a 133 percent increase in domestic "attacks on religious liberty" in the last five years and about a 15 percent increase in attacks on religious liberty in the last year.