Worthy News
The United States will drastically scale back its military presence in Syria, consolidating forces into a single base, part of a sweeping policy overhaul declared by newly appointed U.S. Special Envoy Thomas Barrack.
A three-judge panel from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments Tuesday in a case testing the limits of religious freedom and anti-discrimination laws, as the state of Washington seeks to overturn an injunction shielding a church-run nonprofit from enforcement of hiring restrictions under state law.
Two Chinese nationals have been charged in what federal officials are calling a “grave national security threat” after allegedly smuggling a dangerous biological pathogen into the United States with the intent to conduct research at the University of Michigan. Authorities say the scheme involved a toxin-laced fungus capable of decimating America’s agricultural system and causing severe illness in humans and livestock.
More than a month after coordinated attacks on Easter Sunday by Hindu nationalist groups, several Christian churches in Gujarat remain closed, exposing a rising tide of religious persecution even as India experiences significant Christian revival over the past two decades.
Iran is rebuilding its air defense systems around key nuclear sites amid fears of potential Israeli or U.S. strikes, according to the Financial Times. Satellite imagery and intelligence reports show Tehran has moved missile launchers, including Russian-made S-300s, to protect uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow.
Israel’s military said it struck Syria early Wednesday after a “barrage of rockets” launched by forces in southern Syria and Houthis in Yemen entered Israel, forcing millions to seek shelter.
The biggest evacuation in the German city of Cologne since the Second World War is underway after the discovery of three unexploded bombs dropped by Allied forces 80 years ago.
More than 100 Christians, including children, pastors, farmers, and “even people attending a funeral,” have been killed and around 5,000 displaced in attacks by Islamist militants in Nigeria, a Christian advocacy group confirmed Tuesday.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) firmly rejected accusations Tuesday night that its troops were responsible for the killing of civilians at humanitarian aid distribution points in Gaza, calling the claims “total lies” and accusing Hamas of manipulating the narrative.
In a striking reversal of recent years’ economic sluggishness, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has sharply revised its GDP growth forecast for the second quarter of 2025, now predicting a robust 4.6% surge–up from its earlier estimate of 3.8%.
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Worthy Devotions
Over two decades ago, when I moved to Israel, I had the opportunity to spend considerable time with a pastor and his wife. This pastor imparted significant wisdom to me during that period, counseling me to “be like the children of Issachar,” he directed me to this specific passage in 1 Chronicles 12.
Over the past few days, I’ve been discussing the will of God and how to walk out His will daily in our lives. The Lord’s general will involves the development of our character and the ways in which we relate to Him and to our fellow man. Much of this is the same for every believer. But each of us is unique, and each has a potential life vision unlike any other. God has an individual will for every soul that belongs to Him, an individually shaped destiny which varies according to our gifting and calling and purpose in His Body.
As God worked on creation for six days and rested on the seventh day, so our seven day week is established on that pattern. If, as the scripture declares, with the Lord one day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years as a day, then the seven-day cycle also finds expression in a great historical “week”. As we approach the 1,000-year reign of the Messiah, this “millennium” as it is called, (described in some detail in Revelation chapter 20), is clearly understood as a time of global rest, peace, and righteousness throughout the Earth.
The word for “restitution” in this passage is the Greek word – “apokatastasis”. This is the one and only place it is found in the New Testament. The word literally means to “restore again” or “to repair”. The plan of God in sending His Son Yeshua (Jesus) was to restore that which had been broken and ruined. The Lord’s saving work is a global repair job. Each one of us has come to Him already ruined by sin. But God’s will and His promise is to restore and renew us through His Son.
These past few days, writing about the will of God, has reminded me of the prophet Jeremiah, and how the Lord knew him – even before he was in his mother’s womb, and he was sanctified by God as a prophet to the nations. A similar foreknowledge and ordination of God belongs to us who are under the New Covenant. God’s foreknowledge of His people is clearly stated in scripture. We were chosen in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless, and created in Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus) unto good works which He foreordained that we walk in them.
Writing daily devotions throughout the years I’ve often been asked the question, “How do I find the will of God?” There are probably many good scriptural approaches to answering this question; but I want to offer something very basic as you think about understanding the will of God. That is, simply, that you’ll know His will when you come to know the heart of God.
For the past few days we’ve been delving into the multiple meanings of “Amen”. While “Amen” is most commonly found at the end of prayers, the Lord Yeshua (Jesus) often used it at the beginning of a statement: “Truly, truly, I say unto you …” more accurately translated, “Amen, Amen, I say unto you…”
Murmuring or complaining is one of those sins that are overlooked. Sometimes we get so focused on the “big sins” such as murder and adultery that we overlook this sin — but the Lord doesn’t give this sin a free pass — quite the opposite. It’s a hidden killer! This sin unleashed a plague that killed thousands of Israelites! [Numbers 16]
The city of Laodicea was founded nearly three centuries before the birth of Christ. Built on a trade route, Laodicea was quite prosperous. The wealth of the city was legendary, as Jews who lived there sent 9 kilograms (20 lbs) of gold to the Temple in Jerusalem on a yearly basis according to historical records.
Laodicea was an idyllic city except for its lack of a water supply. It depended on water from an external source, the city of Hierapolis was located six miles to the north, the site of mineral hot springs which were used for medicinal purposes. These steaming hot waters were piped to Laodicea, arriving there… lukewarm, hence the metaphor in Yeshua’s warning to the Laodicean church.
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