09 May Without Him (Jn 15:5) by Reggie Littlejohn
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” ~ Jn 15:5 (full readings)
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Reggie’s Reflections: Just as a baby depends on its mother for physical life, we depend on Jesus for our spiritual life. Just as a baby draws life from its mother through its umbilical cord, so we draw our spiritual life from Jesus by being connected to him as branches are to a vine. Just as a baby will die if its umbilical cord is cut in the womb, so we will die spiritually if we are cut off from Jesus. The United States has had 53 million abortions since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. In China, the Chinese Communist Party boasts that it has “prevented” 400 million lives since the One Child Policy was instituted in 1980. That’s greater than the entire population of the United States! China has reported 13 million abortions a year. That’s more than 35,000 per day or nearly 1500 per hour. Many of these abortions are forced. The Chinese Communist Population Control machine does not make any exceptions for Christians. Imagine the anguish of Christian mothers being forced to have abortions, up to the ninth month of pregnancy. All women suffer terribly from forced abortion. Perhaps this is the reason that China has the highest female suicide rate of any country in the world. Do you hear the cries of the women and babies of China? Will you respond with travailing prayer? Only God can end the brutal enforcement of the One Child Policy. Without Him we can do nothing.
* Reggie Littlejohn is the President of Women’s Rights Without Frontiers and submitted testimony to Congress on December 5, 2011 regarding forced abortion and involuntary sterilization under China’s One Child Policy.
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Faith Challenge: Watch this four-minute video on forced abortion in China. Proclaim, These babies shall not die but live, and declare the works of the Lord! Psalm 118:17. Pray for the women facing forced abortion and pass this link along to your friends so that they can do the same. Stop Forced Abortion – China’s War on Women! Video (4 mins) http://www.womensrightswithoutfrontiers.org/?nav=stop-forced-abortion.
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Counter-Culture News: LSN, LifeNews, Priests for Life, AFA,Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Spiritual Adoption,Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on ourwebsite. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, LIFE Runners, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day: St. Catherine of Bologna.
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Faith Quote: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” ~ Edmund Burke
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Through Christ our Lord,
Reggie
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* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will and 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 (and families): Abortion (images) is #1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 and 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 and re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.