Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Obama To Netanyahu "TIME IS RUNNING OUT"
By Staff writer | Al Arabiya News
Monday, 3 March 2014
Monday, 3 March 2014
Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visit to Washington on Monday, U.S. President Barack Obama directed a message to him that time was running out for Israeli-Palestinian peace.
In an interview on Thursday in the Oval Office with Bloomberg View’s Jeffrey Goldberg, Obama said that he would warn Netanyahu that his country could face a bleak future if he refuses to support a U.S.-drafted framework agreement for peace with the Palestinians.
He said his message to Netanyahu will be this: “If not now, when? And if not you, Mr. Prime Minister, then who?”
He then said that if Netanyahu “does not believe that a peace deal with the Palestinians is the right thing to do for Israel, then he needs to articulate an alternative approach." He added, "It’s hard to come up with one that’s plausible.”
Obama said: “There comes a point where you can’t manage this anymore, and then you start having to make very difficult choices, do you resign yourself to what amounts to a permanent occupation of the West Bank? Is that the character of Israel as a state for a long period of time? Do you perpetuate, over the course of a decade or two decades, more and more restrictive policies in terms of Palestinian movement? Do you place restrictions on Arab-Israelis in ways that run counter to Israel’s traditions?”
On the subject of Middle East peace, Obama told Goldberg that the U.S.'s friendship with Israel is undying, but he also issued what the interviewer took to be a “veiled threat.”
The president said: “If you see no peace deal and continued aggressive settlement construction -- and we have seen more aggressive settlement construction over the last couple years than we’ve seen in a very long time,” Obama said. “If Palestinians come to believe that the possibility of a contiguous sovereign Palestinian state is no longer within reach, then our ability to manage the international fallout is going to be limited.”
Boarding his flight to the U.S. capital, Netanyahu, who has had a strained relationship with Obama, said that Israel knew how to resist pressure and that he intended to stand firm on what he termed his country's "vital interests."
Secretary of State John Kerry has been trying to persuade Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to a framework deal that would enable troubled land-for-peace negotiations to continue beyond an April target date for a final accord. Abbas is due at the White House on March 17.
Secretary of State John Kerry has been trying to persuade Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to agree to a framework deal that would enable troubled land-for-peace negotiations to continue beyond an April target date for a final accord. Abbas is due at the White House on March 17.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Do You Have The Holy Spirit?
Jesus and the Holy Spirit
That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit…and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him…Then Jesus wasled up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.(Matthew 1:20; 3:16; and4:1 )
We gain great insight into the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives by considering the work of the Spirit in the life of Jesus. From the very beginning of Jesus' history upon earth as Emmanuel, God with us, the Holy Spirit was involved. When Joseph was troubled over Mary's pregnancy, an angel comforted him by announcing: "That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." Jesus' conception was not of man, but of the Spirit.
When Jesus was identifying Himself with sinful humanity through His baptism by John, theHoly Spirit was again at work. "And He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him." Here, as Jesus was presenting Himself for the commencing of His public ministry as Messiah, the Spirit of God came upon Him for authentication and empowering. The Son of God came to earth as a servant, laying aside the independent exercise of His inherent deity. Jesus "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7). He would serve in dependence upon the Spirit. Jesus' ministry would not be of man (even the perfect Man), but of God.
When Jesus went forth from His baptism to fulfill His calling, the Spirit was still fully engaged in His life. "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Although Jesus never ceased to be God, the Son, He would not lead Himself about through reliance upon His divine omniscience (His perfect and complete knowledge). His guidance would not be of man, but of God.
These three glimpses into the work of the Spirit in Jesus' life have implications for us. First, the Holy Spirit had to be working for Jesus to be birthed here on earth. The same Spirit of God had to work for us to be born into the family of God. "Unless one is born of…the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Second, the Holy Spirit was active in the ministry of Jesus as Messiah. The Spirit must be the one who brings us spiritual validation and power in our service of God: "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit" (Zechariah 4:6). Third, Jesus looked to the Spirit to lead and guide Him through life. We also need that same work of the Spirit. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
O Shepherd of my soul, please lead me in this Christlike path. Thank You for bringing me new birth by Your Spirit. O, Lord, would You now empower my life for service unto You. And would You lead me by Your Spirit day by day. I admit my total need for such works of the Holy Spirit in my life. Please work in fullness, in Your name, I pray, Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)