Acts 17:22-23 (God sighting!) by Valerie Johnson

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB).

"You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, ‘To an Unknown God.’ What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you." Acts 17:22-23 (full readings)

Valerie's Reflections: Today, we might be able to see a bit of ourselves in the Athenians. The people of Athens are looking for God but can’t seem to see what’s right under their noses. Just as we might not recognize how wonderful life is until it’s almost gone – until we get a “wake up call”, the Athenians were good people but didn’t know, until St. Paul told them, about God’s abiding presence within every human being. After Rick and I had our first child, Samuel, I became deathly ill with an infection on my heart. Then, after my wonderfully persistent doctors found the cause of my organ failure, I nearly died again from a pulmonary embolism. A painful wake-up call! I grew up in the Right to Life movement. I had always been a right to life activist, with the goal to restore the God given right to life in our society. But since college, I had backed down from much public involvement, though His call followed me. I didn’t see how God was speaking to me and was always with me, until I came so near death. While I laid on what could have been my death bed, I knew that if I lived I would get more involved and follow the path He had chosen for me. If it weren’t for God, none of us would be here. It’s good to remember that, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Pray that we all don’t need that sort of wake-up call to recognize Christ and to follow in His path. Pray that we all follow the path of Truth and keep running the race for the praise and the glory of God!
* Valerie Johnson is a Region 8 Director for South Dakota Right to Life and the South Dakota delegate to National Right to Life. Valerie lives in Mitchell with her husband Rick and their 6 wonderful children.

Faith Challenge: Ask one other person in your life to become more involved in the Pro-Life movement, for the voiceless and the glory of God.

Counter-Culture News: LifeNews, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action &gt

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Spiritual Adoption, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on our website. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, LIFE Runners, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now. >

Feast Day: St. Justin (martyr/philosopher). "As for thyself, above all things, pray that the gates of life may be opened unto thee."

Faith Quote: "Heaven and Earth are full of Your Glory. Hosanna in the highest!" ~ Eucharistic Prayer

Through Christ Our Lord,
Valerie
Rev 22: 21

* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (23% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa.
* Evangelize:Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.

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