Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13

Let the Headlines Speak
Dec 21st, 2014
Daily NewsFrom the internet
Categories: Today's Headlines;Commentary

Official: Russia plotting to start war on Israel
Russia is preparing a contingency plan to prompt Hezbollah and possibly the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad into a direct military conflict with Israel, according to a French official who has been apprised of the situation.  

Five earthquakes off B.C. coast since Saturday afternoon
Five earthquakes have been detected off the B.C. coast, between Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii, since Saturday afternoon. All five quakes have measured at least 4.0 magnitude. Four of the five have been at a depth of 10 km or so, the exception being at 22 kilometres below the Earth's surface.  

Moderate earthquake in Guwahati
A moderate earthquake of magnitude 5 on the Richter Scale shook Guwahati and its neighbouring areas this morning, a Met office report said here.  

Strong earthquake hits Indonesia; no tsunami expected
The magnitude-6.6 quake was centred 157 kilometres (98 miles) west of the town of Tobelo, which is on the island of Halmahera, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The quake had a depth of 55 kilometres (34 miles).  

Hawkish Russian Emissary to Visit Cuba’s Leaders
Just days after President Obama announced a historic thaw in relations ...one of Russia’s most hawkish emissaries was set to arrive in Havana on Friday to meet with Cuba’s leadership. The emissary, Dmitri O. Rogozin, the outspoken deputy prime minister...had already panned the United States’ supposed change of heart toward Cuba as just a calculated change in tactics.  

Iran has know-how to build nukes, senior cleric claims
A leading Iranian cleric claimed that Iran has the technical knowledge to develop a nuclear weapon, but that it chooses not to because it is religiously forbidden. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami told Iranian military personnel that the Islamic republic had the means to enrich uranium to levels needed for nuclear weapons, the Guardian reported, citing an official Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp website.  

Elevating US-Israel alliance, Obama hails his role
Israel is now officially a strategic partner of the United States, a classification held by no other nation, according to a bill signed into law by US President Barack Obama on Friday. The United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 took more than a year to draft in Congress, and became an omnibus bill for the US-Israel relationship, reinforcing cooperation across industries with a focus on defense.  

Netanyahu: We will not ignore even one rocket from Gaza
Israel's safety is the number one priority, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday, regarding a rocket from Gaza that landed in Israel on Friday and an IAF attack on a Hamas cement factory on Saturday in response.  

Russian Nuclear Bombers Again Buzz Guam
Russian strategic bombers conducted a third circumnavigation of the U.S. Pacific island of Guam last week as other bombers flew close to Alaska and Europe, defense officials said.  

Castro Thanks the U.S. in a Speech but Reaffirms Communist Rule in Cuba
President Raúl Castro declared victory for the Cuban Revolution on Saturday in a wide-ranging speech, thanking President Obama for “a new chapter” while also reaffirming that restored relations with the United States did not mean the end of Communist rule in Cuba.  

Ebola death toll in three African countries hits 7,373: WHO
The death toll from Ebola in the three worst-affected countries in West Africa has risen to 7,373 among 19,031 cases known to date there, the World Health Organization said on Saturday.  

French police kill 'Allahu Akbar' attacker
French police shot dead a knife-wielding man who attacked three officers in a police station while shouting "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great").  

Four Guantanamo inmates sent home to Afghanistan
Four Afghan prisoners in Guantanamo Bay have been sent back to their home country, the Pentagon says. Shawali Khan, Khi Ali Gul, Abdul Ghani and Mohammed Zahir were repatriated after a review of their cases. Eight Afghans are believed to be among the 132 detainees remaining at the US prison in Cuba.  

2 NYPD officers shot, killed in ambush on cop car
Two NYPD officers were killed Saturday in Brooklyn as they sat in their squad car by a gunman who reportedly threatened to shoot police hours earlier on Instagram. The gunman, a 28-year-old with a criminal record who police believe may have been acting in revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, killed himself moments later in a subway station. The incident left the nation's largest police department stunned, and is sure to further inflame tensions between police and Mayor Bill de Blasio, who police had already said was unwelcome at police funerals because of his perceived support for anti-police protesters  

Putin says Russia won't be intimidated over Crimea
Russia will not be intimidated over its actions in Ukraine and Crimea, President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday as his foreign ministry warned that it was preparing to retaliate against fresh Western sanctions.  

Jesus Christ: our chief joy and delight
Dec 21st, 2014
Thought For The WeekA.W.Tozer
Categories: Commentary;Inspirational

I must agree with the psalmist, even in our modern day, that the joy of the Lord is still the strength of His people. I do believe that the sad world around us is attracted to spiritual sunshine - the genuine thing, that is!

Some churches train their greeters and ushers to smile, showing as many teeth as possible. but I can sense that kind of display - and when I am greeted by a man who is smiling because he has been trained to smile, I know I am shaking the flipper of a trained seal!

But when the warmth and delight and joy of the Holy Spirit are in a congregation and the folks are just spontaneously joyful and unable to hide the happy grin, the result is a wonderful influence upon others. Conversely, the reason we have to search for so many things to cheer us up is the fact that we are not really joyful and contentedly happy within.

I admit that we live in a gloomy world and that international affairs, nuclear rumors and threats, earthquakes and riots cause people to shake their heads in despair and say, "What's the use?"

But we are Christians and Christians have every right to be the happiest people in the world! We do not have to look to other sources - for we look to the Word of God and discover how we can know the faithful God above and draw from His resources.

Why should the children of the King hang their heads and tote their own burdens, missing the mark about Christian victory? All this time the Holy Spirit has been wanting to make Jesus Christ our chief joy and delight!

(Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous; and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart. Psalm 32:11)