Our Worthy Brief is a daily Christian newsletter designed to encourage, inform, and edify believers in their daily walk with God. Our online Christian magazine incorporates our daily devotional (Worthy Devotions) along news from around the world provided by our Christian News service, Worthy News.

Worthy Brief - Christian Newsletter » Newsletters » 2024 » August » Worthy Brief - 8/2/2024

Worthy Brief - 8/2/2024

Friend, enjoy your date night!

Mark 2:27-28  And He said to them, The sabbath came into being for man's sake, and not man for the sabbath's sake.  Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the sabbath.

People often ask me why I so enjoy Shabbat and the rest it affords and why I preach on it so often. Some people think it's a “legalistic” attitude, but actually, I’m simply being relational. They need to remember that our relationship with the Lord Yeshua is bridal; it's a marital relationship. [Ephesians 5:22-33; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Revelation 19:7-8]

Marriage counselors invariably recommend a “date night” for married couples to maintain a healthy, passionate, and strong relationship. The date night immediately invokes a new atmosphere for the couple to experience and cultivate the specialness of their relationship. Of course, I've been married to my wife all week, but tonight, date night, is special, unique, and intimate.

Setting apart the Sabbath for God serves the same purpose as "date night." I'm saying, "You have given me rest, I've grown to deeply trust you, I know you've been with me all week, and now, on one special day, my 'date night,' I'm expressing my love for you, and I want to know you better."

Friend, my approach to the Sabbath is not because it's a commandment. In fact, the New Testament contains no command to observe a particular Sabbath day. It's even more significant and profound than anything that I "have to" do precisely because it's voluntary. I desire to be with my Bridegroom to know and love Him better, and Shabbat is my day, my weekly habit, for that joy. I’m choosing to have a “date night” so that I can thoroughly enjoy the intimacies of the Lord and be refreshed and renewed! So, really do enjoy your “date night” and until next week — Shabbat Shalom!

Your family in the Lord with much agape love,

George, Baht Rivka, Obadiah and Elianna (Missouri)
(Jacksonsville, Florida)

Editor's Note: During this war, we have been live blogging throughout the day -- sometimes minute by minute on our Telegram channel. Be sure to check it out!

Editor's Note: We are planning our summer Tour so if you would like us to minister at your congregation, home fellowship, or Israel focused event, be sure to let us know ASAP. You can send an email to george [ @ ] worthyministries.com for more information.

Around the World
US, UK, and France Veto Russian UNSC Resolution to Condemn Hamas’ Haniyeh’s Assassination
Russia proposed that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopt a statement to condemn the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, but the proposal was blocked by the US, UK, and France.
Hungary Orbán Accuses US Of Terrorism (Worthy News Focus)
Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused the United States of terrorism by damaging the Nord Stream pipelines built to carry natural gas from Russia to Germany.

Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Iran Plots Response to Terrorist Leaders Assassinations As Khemeni Orders Direct Strike on Israel
In retaliation for the assassinations of two high-profile terrorists in the Middle East, attributed to Israel by Iranian officials, Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a direct strike on Israel and convened a meeting with its proxy groups to coordinate a response.
Hamas’ Haniyeh Killed in Tehran by Sophiscated Bomb Planted Months Ago
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed this week by a sophisticated, remote-controlled bomb smuggled into the Tehran guesthouse where he was staying, rather than a missile as previously reported, according to the NY Times.

Inside the United States
Arizona Fentanyl Bust Biggest Ever for CBP
United States Customs and Border Protection agents just announced their largest fentanyl seizure ever.
Biden Administration Gives Up on Texas Border Suit, Ordered to Finish Wall
Texas has won another lawsuit against the Biden administration, this time one that requires it to finish building the border wall.
Illegal Jordanian Migrants Released on Bail Despite Attempting to Access Marine Base
Two illegal Jordanian migrants who were charged with illegally entering the Marine Corps Base in Quantico in May were released from federal custody after posting bail, according to the NY Post.

Christian News
Chinese Christian Leader Arrives in US for Medical Care after 16 Years in Jail, “I Pray Constantly”
Chinese Christian leader and veteran political dissident Zhu Yufu, 71, has arrived in the US for urgent cancer treatment after spending 16 years in prison in China, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Somalia: Christian Convert violently assaulted by Islamic relatives, “Pray for our protection in this hostile anti-Christian community”
A Christian convert in Somalia has been repeatedly brutally attacked by Muslim relatives demanding he return to Islam, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Teenage Olympic Skateboarder Shares the Gospel in American Sign Language
A teenage athlete from Brazil used American Sign Language (ASL) to honor God and share the Gospel with the world after winning a medal for skateboarding at the 2024 Paris Olympics at the weekend, CHVN Radio reports.

Worthy Insights
‘Sobbing’ Boxer Angela Carini Quits Match After 46 Seconds as Gender Debate Rages: Video
Angela Carini, a female boxer from Italy, withdrew from a boxing match at the Paris Olympics in just 46 seconds after taking a punch to the face from a competitor, Imane Khelif, who was disqualified from a previous competition over gender identity controversies, according to NBC News.
‘Something Has Shifted’: Pastors Report Revival Fires Spreading in the UK
Revival fires are reportedly spreading across the United Kingdom. From England to Ireland, Christians are witnessing a "shift" and a new hunger for God in the once spiritually dry region.
A huge quarry from late Second Temple period uncovered in Jerusalem
A huge quarry – one of the largest ever found in Jerusalem, dating from the end of the Second Temple period, in recent weeks is being uncovered by an Israel Antiquities Authority excavation in the Har Hotzvim industrial area in Jerusalem, funded by the Vitania real estate development company on its grounds. The excavated area extends about 3,500 square meters and is just one section of a massive quarry. A stone tool was found here which, according to the Jewish Halacha/Law, does not become impure, and was widely used by the Jewish population in Temple times.
Democrats May Have a Real Chance to Reform the Supreme Court
The summer of reversals for President Joe Biden continued in dramatic form on Monday as he announced that he now supports sweeping Supreme Court reform. In an op-ed for the Washington Post, Biden pushed 18-year term limits and a binding ethics code on Supreme Court justices — after a long career spent opposing such measures — as well as a constitutional amendment overturning the court’s recent decision granting presidents immunity from criminal prosecution.