Luke 11:29 (Don't Miss the Sign)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Guest Authors schedule. LIFE Minute radio.

"While still more people gathered in the crowd, He said to them, 'This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.'" ~ Luke 11:29 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: The "sign of Jonah" that Jesus refers to in the Gospel today is the preaching of the need for repentance by a prophet who comes from afar. Jonah was a foreigner to the Ninevites, yet he became a sign to them. The wicked city of Nineveh listened to his message of doom and repented immediately, showing that even the worst sinners are capable of unimaginable repentance. With Jesus, "there is something greater than Jonah here" Luke 11:32. There is no need to demand any other signs or prophets. Jesus alone is our ultimate sign, because He is God. However, sin can blind us so that we do not see God. Without repentance, we can miss the sign and miss the opportunity to change our lives. Lord, give me the strength to repent of my sins so that I may have faith in You. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Don't miss the sign. Provide clarity in your life by repenting of your sins today.

Counter-Culture News: LSN, LifeNews, Priests for Life,Vatican, Project Rachel

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. Francis Borgia

Faith Quote: "Weave in faith and God will find the thread." ~ unknown author

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

* 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 (22% 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.

Luke 11:29 (Wanting More..)

Let's welcome God today with this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (archive, Facebook), based on Living Faith. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign is given, except the sign of Jonah. Luke 11:29 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "What can you give to to those who already have so much? The people had either seen or heard about the many signs that Jesus performed. And yet, some of them wanted more. Perhaps Jesus thought they should appreciate what they already had." by Fr. Kenneth Grabner, C.S.C.

Steve's Thoughts: Fr. Kenneth's thought, "...some of them wanted more," really got me thinking this morning. I think it's human nature to want to "see with our own eyes". But even those that witnessed great miracles like the multiplication of the loaves and fishes still turned from Jesus when he gave them the hard truth - "you must eat of my body and drink of my blood". They replied, "But how can this be true?" How often do we think like this ourselves? How often does my own heart harden when face to face with my own selfishness? How often do I wish I just had a little "more" so that my life would be more comfortable? Lent is a time to come to grips with our own desires and set them aside, so we can have more of Jesus. Less of the world always means more of Jesus.

Faith Challenges: Let's generously share the LIFE Group by forwarding a devotion or using our Facebook Group "invite people to join" link.
* NEW: What are you having "less" of this lent, so you can experience "more" of Jesus? Consider commenting on the Facebook Group page.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, 40 Days for Life, Vatican, American Family Association, Priests for Life
* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images), #1 cause of death in America (23% of pregnancies). Let's courageously share ProLife Truth to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace, rebuilding a Culture of Life for setting the unborn (and parents) free!
* 'Pornography Harms' Website Launched

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together, and close to God (footnotes). Peters family (JP). Prayer to end abortion.
* NEW: Liz Curry (for Linda's chemotherapy, for Kim's cancer surgery recovery), Lisa Riess (healing for Schallert family), Rose Beizer (faith perspective for Adam)

Feast Day: Blessed Luke Beludi

Faith Quote: "Faith grows in the valleys, not on the mountain tops." Fr. Leroy Schik, parochial vicar, Church of Our Lady of Victory (Fergus Falls, MN)

Just one Beggar showing another where the bread is,
Steve
Romans 12:12

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn't, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.
* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, pornography, bitterness, criticalness, impatience, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).
* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don't stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish' (Blessed Mother Teresa).
* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead a friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service (Matt 28:19).

Matthew 12:38-39 (appreciating His signs...)

Let's welcome God every morning by reflecting on this short Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which is based on Living Faith. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you." He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet." Matthew 12:38-39 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "His teachings and His miracles were certainly sufficient to point out who He was. Those asking for signs has only to appreciate what had already been given. When I think of all the signs of God's love in my life, I know that I have no need of more. He has shown His love by giving me the Eucharist and by guiding me, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He has surrounded me with caring friends and the beauty of His creation. I need no further signs, but I do need to appreciate more deeply the ones I already have. Lord, may I not forget the many signs of your love that surround me each day. by Fr. Kenneth E. Grabner

Faith Challenge: Let's challenge each other to joyfully live out the Good News.

* NEW: Let's watch this out-of-this-world, perspective-giving 45 second ProLife video: Imagine Spot 3. God has certainly given us enough signs (spiritually and scientifically) to know that His gift of Life begins at conception!

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, American Family Association, Priests for Life
* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images)...#1 cause of death in America. Let's courageously share ProLife Truth (John 14:6) to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace...rebuilding a Culture of Life (Matt 5:16) and setting the unborn free!

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together. Fasting ideas in footnote below.
* Prayer to end abortion, abused children, chastity, peace, our enemies, our troops, depression/ despair, prisoners, ProLife politicians, illnesses/injuries, jobs, natural disasters, addictions, Stephanie Spader (for a family with unexpected pregnancy), Rob Rysavy (for a coworker's wife who is battling an illness)

* NEW: Carol Nesbit (Please pray for my niece, Kelly, whose baby died in her womb. Pray for healing for Kelly and her husband, Kenny, and their new angel baby in heaven.)

Feast Day: St. Charbel

Faith Quote: "We love one another truly and absolutely only when we love forever in joy and in sorrow, in good times and in bad." John Paul II

Through Christ our Lord,

Pat
Phil 4:13

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.'
* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, bitterness, being so critical, impatience, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).
* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish' (Blessed Mother Teresa).
* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service.
Let's joyfully invite others to join our LIFE Group...Rich or Pat will gladly add them to the devotions distribution list (Mark 16:15)!