Daily Reflection - January
 

January 1

A Time to Think: We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. –Edith Lovejoy Pierce, poet

To Act: Make it a point to start each day of this New Year with a prayer.

To Pray: Bestower of blessing, throughout the new year, show me Yourself in ways I least expect.

January 2

A Time to Think: This bright new year is given me, to live each day with zest, to daily grow and try to be my highest and my best! –William Arthur Ward, author

To Act: Always be ready to learn and grow.

To Pray: This year, Lord, help me to know what my treasure truly is.

January 3

A Time to Think: Eight thousand, seven hundred and sixty marvelous hours are waiting for you this year. My prayer is that each one will bring you closer to God. –Norman Vincent Peale, pastor and author

To Act: Give everything to God and He will give you everything, too!

To Pray: Lord, help me to understand that I can be joyful at all times and in all situations because I am Your child and You are my God.

January 4

A Time to Think: Be willing to give yourself, and there will be new life for you in this New Year and in every year. –Norman Vincent Peale, author and pastor

To Act: Give your joy to others and it will come back to you.

To Pray: Spirit of Love, I ask to wake each day of this year with fresh eyes, that I may see Your light shining through all my loved ones.

January 5

A Time to Think: Enjoy the blessings of a new year, in Christ, one day at a time! –Debbie Carroccio, writer

To Act: Pray and release your worries.

To Pray: Father, each day in this new year, please help me remember that You are in control of everything.

January 6

A Time to Think: The New Year is a time to learn to rely more heavily on the grace of God. –Author Unknown

To Act: Open yourself to the blessings that come when we let God surprise us.

To Pray: Lord, I don’t know what this new year will bring, but You do. Awaken me to Your possibilities, one day at a time.

January 7

A Time to Think: You can tell the size of your God by looking at the size of your worry list. The longer your list, the smaller your God. –Author Unknown

To Act: When you pray, release your worry and rest in God.

To Pray: Remind me, Lord, to give my worries to You and to trust You when I do.

January 8

A Time to Think: Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God. –Corrie ten Boom, author

To Act: Trust that things will be fine.

To Pray: Lord, Your love and protection is the one true thing that I can always count on.

January 9

A Time to Think: The impulse of love that leads us to the doorway of a friend is the voice of God within and we need not be afraid to follow it. –Agnes Sanford, author

To Act: Heal a wounded heart. What friendship do you need to mend?

To Pray: Lord, thank You for guiding me to happiness and friendship.

January 10

A Time to Think: Faith expects from God what is beyond all expectation. –Andrew Murray, writer and pastor

To Act: Face every situation with faith in your heart.

To Pray: Lord, all things are possible if we believe. Thank you for loving us enough to send what we need.

January 11

A Time to Think: Positive thinking is how you think about a problem. Enthusiasm is how you feel about a problem. The two together determine what you do about a problem. –Norman Vincent Peale, author and pastor

A Time to Act: Change your thoughts and change your life.

A Time to Pray: Father, a positive attitude is one of the greatest spiritual gifts. Help me to remember: Praise! Praise! Praise!

January 12

A Time to Think: Darkness cannot put out the Light. It can only make God brighter. –Author Unknown

To Act: View your problems with a spiritual perspective.

To Pray: Thank you, Lord, for the tremendous difference You make in our lives.

January 13

A Time to Think: God enters by a private door into each individual. –Ralph Waldo Emerson, philosopher and poet

To Act: Cultivate the conviction that you are not alone, that God is with you.

To Pray: Lord, You have redeemed me and claimed me and given me a strength that is not my own.

January 14

A Time to Think: Weave in faith and God will find the thread. –Proverb

To Act: Believe in the sun even when it's not shining.

To Pray: Lord, teach me to trust You to lead a path through the darkness.

January 15

A Time to Think: A chief cause of worry and unhappiness in life is trading what we want most for what we want at the moment. –Maralee McKee, author

To Act: Pray and release your worries.

To Pray: Dear Lord, help me to remember Your peace is in my reach, no matter what circumstances I face.

January 16

A Time to Think: The safest place to be is within the will of God –Author Unknown

To Act: Face your challenges with determination and resiliency.

To Pray: Lord, help us to trust You as we walk through our lives.

January 17

A Time to Think: We fail in the work of grace and love when there is too much of us and not enough of God. –Suzanne Woods Fisher, author

To Act: Be patient, have faith and work towards what you desire.

To Pray: Lord, thank You for the grace that strengthens me for tasks large and small.

January 18

A Time to Think: Our prayers run along one road and God's answers by another, and by and by they meet. –Adoniram Judson, missionary

To Act: Practice believing that as you pray you are receiving God's boundless blessings.

To Pray: Dear God, let me be as quick to forget my troubles as I tend to be at forgetting my blessings. And help me to remember Your goodness always.

January 19

A Time to Think: At least at times of loss, we are reminded of our priorities, of our many blessings. In times of gain, we can so often lose our way. –Mindy Starns Clark, author

To Act: Take comfort knowing God is with you.

To Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank You for the comfort you give us, when we come to You.

January 20

A Time to Think: Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. –Martin Luther King, Jr.

To Act: Believe in God's power to transform you and situations around you.

To Pray: Dear Lord, guide me towards Your plan. Help me to take the first step.

January 21

A Time to Think: As long as you do things for God, you are a Hall of Famer in heaven's list. –Rick Warren, pastor and author

To Act: Believe you can do anything you want to do if you work hard enough to achieve it.

To Pray: Dear Lord, help me to persevere in prayer when things seem impossible, knowing that You are the God of possibilities.

January 22

A Time to Think: Faith is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right. –Max Lucado, author and preacher

To Act: Believe that Jesus Christ is with you, helping you now, and that through Him your life can be changed.

To Pray: Lord, all things are possible if we believe. Thank you for loving us enough to send what we need.

January 23

A Time to Think: Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe. –Mitch Albom, author

To Act: Be willing to take lovingly each small gift of life.

To Pray: Lord, day by day, help me to do what You have designed me to do.

January 24

A Time to Think: Sometimes God makes better choices for us than we could have ever made for ourselves. –Jennifer Hudson Taylor, author

To Act: Become more aware of the blessings that surround you.

To Pray: Father, of all the gifts and blessings You bestow on us, the greatest is the miracle of life. Let me find joy and satisfaction in every amazing, improbable moment.

January 25

A Time to Think: Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good. –Maya Angelou, author and poet

To Act: Approach today with a grateful heart.

To Pray: Heavenly Father, grant me the courage to serve You faithfully in every person I meet.

January 26

A Time to Think: Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth. –John Piper, preacher and author

To Act: Remember that remarkable achievements begin as thoughts.

To Pray: Lord the greatest success I can achieve is to know You and to love You, and help others know and love You too.

January 27

A Time to Think: Your prayer for someone may or may not change them, but it always changes you. –Craig Groeschel, pastor

To Act: Concentrate on helping others and grasp every opportunity to offer encouragement.

To Pray: Father, may my prayers for others be as constant and natural as breathing.

January 28

A Time to Think: Faith means being sure of what we hope for now. It means knowing something is real, this moment, all around you, even when you don’t see it. –Joni Eareckson Tada, author

To Act: Start another day just right, with a new hope.

To Pray: Lord, help me hear Your call and serve You joyfully.

January 29

A Time to Think: Faith activates God. Fear activates the Enemy. –Joel Osteen, preacher, televangelist and author

To Act: Recognize that your faith will lead you to great things.

To Pray: Thank You, Jesus, for the precious moments when You bless my worship with Your Holy Spirit.

January 30

A Time to Think: God never made a promise that was too good to be true. –Dwight L. Moody, evangelist and publisher

To Act: Lean on the One who cares.

To Pray: Lord, help me to believe and act on Your promise.

January 31

A Time to Think: Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. –Norman Vincent Peale, best-selling author and minister

To Act: Ask God to stay with you in difficult situations and affirm that He is helping you now.

To Pray: Dear Lord, help me face life’s problems with the sure knowledge that You’ll always be there.