Worthy Brief - 9/21/2016
Friend, you're priceless!
1 Cor. 6:19-20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit in you, whom you have of God? And you are not your own, for you are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
Yesterday, there was a fascinating article about how the prices of some paintings are falling rapidly. As I read the article I wondered just how much paintings actually go for.
The most expensive painting according to Wikipedia was sold for over $300 million dollars. It's called "Interchange" by Willem de Kooning. I thought – "wow that's a lot of money." Then there was another painting called "Number 17A" by Jackson Pollock that was sold for over $200 million dollars!
As I perused Pollock's collection, (I'm no art connoisseur) the paintings looked like a bunch of house painters' drop cloths that were hung on the wall. Honestly, to me they just looked like a mess -- yet people have paid millions of dollars for these works!
That got me to thinking -- what is a human life worth? To some uninformed or cynical eyes, human beings are just a mess of "useless eaters" (a phrase used by Henry Kissinger to describe the elderly) ... but we know that every human life is extremely valuable because God was willing to pay the highest price for it. He gave His Son for your life -- declaring its value in His own precious blood!
So while you may feel, or even look like a house painter's drop cloth, in God's economy -- the only one that matters -- you are priceless, of inestimable value!
Friend, live your life in the Father's estimation of its value. You are a precious piece in His "collection" His valuation of you is filled with loving purpose -- let it sink in -- you are precious, "worth more than many sparrows"; bought and paid for by the King of Kings whose taste is impeccable!
Your family in the Lord with much agape love,
George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah
Negev Desert, Israel
Editor's Note: We are hoping to come to the United States this upcoming January-March for a cross country speaking/music tour. If you want to hear timely word from Worthy News Founder and Director, George Whitten and powerful Israeli Worship Music from Baht Rivka Whitten, Lazman Hazeh Music, as well as testimony of life and ministry in the Land, make sure to book soon for your Congregation, Conference, Church, Home Fellowship or Israel focused Event. We hope to hug you! Please send an email to george [ @ ] worthyemail.com for more information.
Editor's Note: Watch George's message: Which voice will you listen to in the last days?
Around the World
U.S, Russia suspend talks on joint operations in Syria as cease-fire deal fails
Negotiations between Washington and Moscow on potential cooperation in the air war against the Islamic State terror group in Syria have come to a screeching halt with little hope of resuming, according to the U.S. command in charge of American operations in the country.
George Soros to invest $500 million in help for refugees
Billionaire investor George Soros pledged on Tuesday to invest up to $500 million in programs and companies benefiting migrants and refugees fleeing life-threatening situations.
U.S. Believes Russian Aircraft Attacked Aid Convoy in Syria
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Russian aircraft conducted the attack on a humanitarian aid convoy in Syria on Monday, refuting Secretary of State John Kerry's initial statement that it was likely the Syrian government.
Tough talk: Obama slams Putin, Trump in final U.N. speech
In his final address to the United Nations, President Obama took swipes at Russian President Vladimir Putin and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for embracing authoritarianism and seeking to reverse international cooperation.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Senators want to change massive new Israel aid package
Republican U.S. lawmakers launched an effort on Tuesday to modify a $38 billion military aid agreement with Israel by providing more money and easing controls on how it is spent, setting up a showdown with President Barack Obama over the package days after it was signed.
The myth of 'Private Arab Lands' in Judea and Samaria
Yoav Elitzur resides in Ofrah, the first Jewish community in the Binyamin area of Judea and Samaria in the modern age (founded in 1975). He has produced a short video, in Hebrew, in which he explains succinctly how the myth of, 'privately-owned Arab lands in Judea and Samaria,' came to be.
Israeli jet intercepts Hamas drone off Gaza coast
A Hamas drone that took off from the Gaza Strip Tuesday was intercepted by an Israeli Air Force aircraft just off the coast of the Palestinian enclave, the Israeli military said.
'70% of European Jews won't go to shul on High Holy Days despite heightened security'
A poll released on Tuesday claiming that 70% of European Jews won't go to synagogue on Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur due to security concerns, has been met with skepticism by prominent Jewish leaders.
Obama at UN: Israel can't permanently occupy Palestinian land
Addressing the UN for the last time as president, US President Barack Obama warned on Tuesday of a world at a crossroads between an integrated, liberalized future and one dangerously divided along 'age-old lines' of race and tribe.
Inside the United States
Obama 'Midnight' Regulations Coming
Republican lawmakers are bracing for a slew of last-minute rules and regulations, as well as more executive actions to place swaths of land under federal protection, during President Barack Obama's final months in office.
Federal Appeals Court Hears Challenge to DC Gun Carry Law
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit heard two cases challenging the District of Columbia's restrictive gun carry law on Tuesday.
Number of People Wrongfully Given American Citizenship Much Higher Than Originally Reported
CNN's Jake Tapper reported on Tuesday that the number of people who were wrongly granted American citizenship when they were supposed to be deported is much higher than originally reported.
Obama defends refugee policy, calls crisis 'a test of our common humanity'
Hitting back at critics of his plan to accept more refugees in the U.S., President Obama said Tuesday that foreigners fleeing war zones are victims, not threats to national security.
After father talked to authorities, FBI found no terrorist ties to Rahami in 2014
Federal authorities late Tuesday charged Ahmad Khan Rahami with planting bombs in New Jersey and New York City, including one that wounded 29 people in Manhattan on Saturday and another in a seaside Jersey town that detonated but injured no one.
Satanic Temple to open international headquarters in Salem
Salem residents are feeling unsettled after receiving word that the Satanic Temple is moving its international headquarters to an old Victorian mansion in the Massachusetts town.
Changing who controls ICANN jeopardizes our presidential election
Changing who controls the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) so close to our presidential election will jeopardize the results of how you vote on Nov. 8 unless Congress stops this changeover. When the calendar hits Sept. 30, a mere 6 weeks before our election, the United States cannot be assured that if any web site is hacked, the responsible party will be held accountable.
U.S. Politics
Obama to Go on Campaign Blitz for Clinton
President Obama is getting ready to embark on a massive campaign blitz where he will be spending one to two days each week in October on the road campaigning for fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton.
'Smoking Gun' Found in Hillary's Email?
There may have been found a 'smoking gun' in Hillary Clinton's email scandal, as new reports on Tuesday document that an aide apparently had asked the online community about the best process for stripping out IDs from archived emails.
Christian News
Muslim Boat Captain Throws Six Christians Overboard
A Muslim boat captain is on trial in Spain for pushing six Christians overboard for praying.
Hungary Becomes the First Country to Officially Defend Christians Persecuted by ISIS
This week, Hungary, which has during the past year come under pressure for its handling of Europe's mass migration crisis, has become the first government to open an office specifically to address the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Europe.