27 Aug Growing Faith (2 Thes 1:3) by Dr. Rich Reich
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors. 
“We ought to thank God always for you, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith flourishes ever more, and the love of every one of you for one another grows ever greater.” ~ 2 Thes 1:3 (full readings)
Rich’s Reflections: Sometimes I hear people say that they do not go to church anymore, because they already received enough church from 12 years of parochial school. I do not think that these people understand that as Christians, we need to constantly aspire to grow in faith and holiness. In today’s Gospel, St. Paul thanked the Lord unceasingly for the Thessalonian Christians, because their faith and mutual love grew. How do you measure growth in faith? It is not as tangible as making a pencil mark on the wall above your child’s head. As a scientist, I understand that any measurement requires a standard to give reference to accuracy. For spiritual growth, Jesus Christ is our standard. This is a standard that we may never measure up to, but we can aspire towards. We can continue to go to church to hear God’s word, attend Bible studies to reflect on His word, and go out into our communities to put His word into action. At the end of the day, we can perform an examination of conscience to see where we can improve and grow in our faith. While we cannot quantify spiritual growth as precisely as other types of growth, growth in holiness can be determined to a point that we can thank the Lord for it. Lord, help me to identify the areas in my faith that need to grow. Amen.
* Dr. Rich Reich is the co-founder of the LIFE Group Devotions and the National LIFE Runners Team. He is married to Erica and lives in Satellite Beach, FL. Full bio.
Faith Challenge: Continue to aspire to growth in faith with Jesus Christ as your standard.
Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, Priests for Life, Vatican, Project Rachel.
Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
Feast Day: St. Monica
Faith Quote: “Faith is not something to grasp, it is a state to grow into.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
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 (images) is #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/spassage/?searchacrifice/mercy). Mt 28:19.