January 1

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Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it, you may grow into salvation.

1 Peter 2:2

Reflection: The idea of a new birth for each of us is a theme that runs through the Bible. Christianity owes many of its practices to Judaism; after all, the early followers of Jesus, including eleven of His Apostles, had Jewish backgrounds. But Christian rebirth, signified by baptism, goes beyond the Jewish practice of washing or immersing in water before prayers. Christian baptism occurs once in a lifetime. A new birth occurs after we repent and accept the grace of God. This is spiritual rebirth. The verse above draws attention to the fact that our Christian journey can be compared to the birth of a new child. How a newborn turns out later in life depends partly on parenting and on the environment. The first few years of life teach a child about the consequences of behavior. Afterwards, the child becomes an adult and can then decide on which path to take. An adult who wishes to become a new creation, and to renounce the wickedness that became a part of her life as she grew older, is then baptized into the body of Christ (as practiced by those Protestant churches that teach adult baptism only). Infants that are baptized in the Catholic, Anglican, and a number of other Churches, are confirmed later on in life.

Prayer: Father God, feed me Your spiritual milk so that I may have Your attributes as I mature spiritually. May I always honor my baptism.

January 2

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Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear .....

Matthew 6:25

Reflection: Jesus in this passage is not asking us to be lazy. On the contrary Jesus was a tireless worker and we are called to follow in His footsteps. While the Lord desires that we move from juvenile attitudes to a mature attitude, at each stage in life, we are never alone. If things are tight for us, or if we find ourselves barely getting by, there is a good reason for this. And so we need to double our efforts to understand what the Holy Spirit is trying to teach us. If we have questions about life or anything else, Jesus invites us to ask God. But when we bring questions to the Father we should be prepared to listen to His response. The only worry that we should have in life is about the choices we make.

Prayer: Spirit of God, help me always to understand what stands in the way of the things I desire and help me to use whatever gifts You give me with love and humility.

January 3

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Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.

Jeremiah 33:6

Reflection: This is the type of verse that brings tears to one's eyes. It highlights the depth of God's love for us. There are reasons why we fall ill. But whatever may be the source of our illness, our Father cares to discuss it with us. What type of prayer do we utter to the Lord when we are ill or in trouble? Is it God's anger that brought us illness? Is the illness a part of God's plan for us and for those around us? Is it something we ate? Are we deficient in vitamins and minerals? The first thing we should do in illness is pray and seek help from professional people. Prayer will help us understand whether there is a spiritual connection to our illness and even if this is not the case, we pray knowing that God is able to cure us or to direct us to those who could cure us. The same God that gave us His Spirit also made our body and as Jesus demonstrated several times, God can heal the physical body as well as the spirit.

Prayer: Father, please teach me about all the hidden things in my heart so that I will know myself and know the things which bring me pain. Help me to always understand any lessons that pain has to teach me about how I live my life and when I am ill, direct me to those who have the knowledge to help me.

January 4

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Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God.

Matthew 5:9

Reflection: Practical Christianity is about applying Christian principles in our daily lives. And God certainly wants us to live in peace. Some people broker peace while others take sides and fuel conflicts. Jesus does not call us to appease evil doers but He calls us to be honest brokers so that both sides in a dispute can feel the love of God and can then relent in their disagreement. History shows that in many cases, taking sides prolongs conflicts and increases casualties. Peacemakers who come as ambassadors for Christ are priceless. Jesus was a man of peace and He has called us to follow in His footsteps.

Prayer: Spirit of God, let me bring peace where there is discord, and may I not be partial in mediating other people's disputes.

January 5

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Wickedness is folly and foolishness is madness.

Ecclesiastes 7:25

Reflection: Wickedness is being harsh with people and treating them with disrespect and less than how we would want to be treated. Wickedness creates enemies and takes away our peace of mind. No one likes a wicked inconsiderate person and people cheer whenever that person runs into difficulties. Wickedness attracts violence and so it is ultimately destructive. Wicked people never last, and wicked cultures never last. This is why it is foolish to persist in wickedness. Deep down, everyone wants to be liked and to be well thought of. Love warms people to us and so it is madness to persist in a behavior that we know brings us into disrepute. The Christianity that Jesus exemplifies is a respectful religion.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, teach me how to regain control of myself so that I will not be a foolish person and I will not persist in doing shameful acts which only damage my relationship with other people and with Jesus.

January 6 - Feast of Epiphany and the Wise Men (Magi)

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Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.

Philippians 2:3

Reflection: Christian churches are open to everyone, even to those who do not accept the teachings of Jesus. There are no secret places in a Christian church and there are no secret rites. Christians are not allowed to have hidden agendas, or ulterior motives, and we are not to attempt to undermine people because of envy. If we regard others as better than we are, then we do not take them for granted and we are always prepared to respect their talents. As any student knows, it is better to imagine a very difficult test and be too prepared, than to be surprised by a difficult exam. When we study hard and prepare ourselves for an examination, then the actual test appears easy. From a moral point of view, if we regard other people as decent, then we are more likely to keep trying to be decent as well.

Prayer: Father, may I always approach life with humility and care, and may my actions always be motivated by goodwill towards other people.

January 7 - Christmas (Julian Calendar)

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Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

2 Corinthians 4:4

Reflection: It is quite understandable, that one might question the origin of life, or question books which claim to have the truth. But it is not satisfactory to assume that we know all there is to know about human origin. People who deny the existence of God become their own god and do as they please. Once we have decided on a sinful course of action, we begin to justify what we are about to do and we soon become blinded by the perceived rewards of sin. But the fact that we have to justify a behavior, is a good sign that we are about to do something sketchy. Like alcohol, wicked thoughts and wicked acts distort our perception of what is important and what is good. The purer the heart, the more clearly we perceive God. But that does not mean that atheists are any more wicked than non-atheists – many atheists have admirable attributes. However, it is difficult for anyone who is not willing to submit to the Spirit to understand God just as it is impossible for anyone who strives for a pure heart to be hostile to God.

Prayer: Lord, cleanse me of my faults so that I may perceive more clearly and so that my mind may clearly see You in all that You have created.

January 8

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Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to You, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

Reflection: The mouth can be a source of goodness or of evil. And what we allow our heart to dwell on can also be positive or negative. The danger is not so much the words that we speak to God but the words that we speak to one another. Our words should help to build others and encourage them towards God and our meditations should be so pure that we should be willing to share them with other people. When we come to God, we must be prepared to acknowledge our faults. Sin is not just the visible wrongs we do to others; sin includes negative thoughts, envy, negative attitudes, and many of the things we do in secret. We are asked to put all these things on the table so that we might be cleansed, forgiven, and rebuilt afresh.

Prayer: Spirit of God, help me to feel secure, and may I not delight in the misfortune of other people or use words to hurt or abuse them.

January 9

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Folly Calls for a Hearing. The woman named Folly is brash. She is ignorant and doesn't know it. She sits in her doorway on the heights overlooking the city. She calls out to men going by who are minding their own business. "Come in with me," she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, "Stolen water is refreshing; food eaten in secret tastes the best!" But little do they know that the dead are there. Her guests are in the depths of the grave.

Proverbs 9:18

Reflection: The image conjured up by the verse above is that of a woman luring men to an illicit relationship with her. Men do the same thing. Sin is about the false promise of pleasure and the lack of good judgment. Disobedience separates us from God and, since it is God that sustains us, separation from God can mean suffering or even death. Sometimes we are beaten down spiritually by an accumulation of wickedness. Guilt which arises from wrongdoings weighs us down, sinks our conscience and weakens our body making us susceptible to diseases. The last thing we want as we pray to God in our hour of need is to have our conscience condemn us because of things we have not dealt with. We want God to make our life joyful and so we must strive to make life joyful for others. Selfish desires which make others weep will only eventually bring us sorrow and bodily pain. Wickedness is unsustainable.

Prayer: Thank You for giving me life, God. I pray that my life will be pleasing to You and that I might continue to be sustained by Your grace.

January 10

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Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or a sister, or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.

James 4:11

Reflection: No one likes to be the butt of other people's jokes, or to be the subject of discussions behind one's back, regardless of whether the joke or what is being talked about is true or false. Making up stories at the expense of other people or spreading negative things about others is slander and is harmful. Envy or jealousy is often the root of slander and its main objective is to undermine another person. This is why gossip or slander is wickedness and as this verse reminds us, to use the colloquial phrase, what goes around, does indeed come around.

Prayer: Father, may I never delight in listening to gossip and may my tongue and hands build up other people, rather than destroy their characters.

January 11

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Then He adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."

Hebrews 10:17

Reflection: Forgiveness is difficult for us because we conveniently forget our own faults. But God is all about forgiveness. We easily forget that this is God's world and that before we were born He had set the rules for human existence. And so the entire purpose of our life on earth is to bring us closer to God. His laws, as they relate to human behavior, awaken in us a sense of morality, and make us understand that it is only through learning to love each other that we are most content. And so when we repent and turn away from disobedience God extends forgiveness to us. We mature physically just by staying alive, but more is required from us if we wish to mature in spirit.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for forgetting my sins. Help me to forget them as well and help me to pass on the forgiveness I have received from You to others.

January 12

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But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Colossians 3:8

Reflection: Lingering anger is a sign that there are people out there that we don't wish well. But anger causes more harm to the person feeling anger. People who are easily angered tend to have more health issues and are less popular with their family and friends. God hears prayers that come from the heart and it is impossible to pray for healing in good faith when our heart is seeking revenge on people who offend us. Healing our own wounds requires that we close open wounds with other people. A wise person then is one who is always ready to extend an olive branch to his adversaries.

Prayer: Spirit of God, please make me wise so that I do not respond with anger whenever I disagree with people. Help me to realize that I am happier when I refuse to let anger be a part of my day.

January 13

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Jesus was still teaching when four people came up, carrying a crippled man on a mat. But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they made a hole in the roof above him and let the man down in front of everyone. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, "My friend, your sins are forgiven."

Mark 2:5

Reflection: This is an interesting passage which gives us insight on the relationship between sin and suffering. In the remainder of the verse we learn that the man was healed after his sins were forgiven. If we believe in a loving all-powerful God, then it is understandable that we would consider physical pain as a sign that all is not well with us spiritually. After all God can make us well if God wishes. People in the Bible believed that sin was the cause of pain and suffering. At one point, when Christ was healing a blind man, His disciples even asked Jesus: "Who sinned, this man or his parents that he should be born blind?" However, Jesus told them that neither had sinned to cause the blindness. While it is true that sin provides a means for the devil to attack us physically, it does not follow that having physical disabilities or physical imperfections are a sign of unforgiven sin.

Prayer: Father God I pray for faith as strong as that of the crippled man. Help me to understand the source of suffering in my life.

January 14

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So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Reflection: We fear because we imagine that bad things we have seen happen to others will happen to us and we fear when we ignore God's promise that we will never have to bear more than we can handle. God did not create us to endure torture or to watch us in anguish. Even when we make terrible mistakes which brings us trouble, God is still there with us. And so rather than allow fear to paralyze us or to rob us of hope, we should trust in God as we strive to grow in spiritual gifts and obedience. Those who have trusted God tell us that fear can bring us more pain than physical ailments do.

Prayer: Spirit of God, help me to not be so concerned with myself. Help me to relax and to trust in You, so that I will not let fear rob me of joy.