Author: Jillian McGriff

Todays Reading: Luke 4

Today, we review the life of Jesus as described by Luke the physician. I have enjoyed reading these scriptures this week with the new perspective of the analytical side of Luke. In the introduction of the gospel we are reminded that Luke is one of the main writers that really looks at description as from a holistic approach.   In Chapter 4, Jesus is coming from the wilderness journey and starting his ministry.

There are some very interesting topics that unfold in this Chapter: temptation, fulfilling the scriptures, and rejection.

In the previous Chapter, Luke presents a beautiful depiction of Christ being prepared for his ministry. He has just visited John the Baptist, where he is baptized by water and the Holy Spirit. In this interaction Christ is confirmed through visual and auditory proclamation from heaven: a dove descends and rest on him and then Good vocally affirms him “ You are my Son, whom I love; with you I’m well pleased”. Then Luke gives us a beautiful genealogy, where it goes from Mary and Joseph to Adam, who was the son of God. So at the beginning of this Chapter we can see the two parts of Christ: fully human and fully divine.

The part that I am drawn to is the temptations and wilderness of Christ. Luke and Matthew are the only writers that tell the full interaction and description. After Christ is prepared for his ministry( through baptism), he does something that is true to his nature, he goes to be in commune with the Father. Throughout reading the scriptures one thing has been a constant with Christ, he searches for solitude with God. In many time he ministers to the people and crowds, he always takes time afterwards to have alone and solitude time with God. This is interesting and inspiring, the one that has the most connected relationship with the Father always makes time to be with Him.  Can we do this in our daily life with God, with others, with ourselves?

Many times we think of the wilderness as a place of desolation, separation, fear of the unknown, and isolation, but it is in this isolation that we can be most vulnerable and available to listen and understand God’s voice. The wilderness is a place of reflection and growth and peace. In the wilderness, you are the only one around. In the wilderness, there isn’t anyone else there. It is only God, you, and the animals. This is a true sanctuary.

Throughout the bible the wilderness is mentioned over 266 times. In the wilderness God prepares us for his work:

• In Genesis, Joseph was cast into the wilderness by his brothers: preparing him for his time with Pharaoh
• In Exodus, the Israelites are commanded to search the wilderness for forty years until the right people will take possession of the Promised Land
• David is sent to the wilderness for protection against Saul before he can reign as king.

The question today is: Are we in need of a wilderness experience? Are we in need of a period of isolation to reconnect with the Father? If we made it a point to separate ourselves monthly, weekly, or daily to be in commune with God, how more ready will we be to face the temptations and trials of our life?

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your inspiration and example of your love and devotion through Christ. We pray that as we grow in our journey with you, that we are able to recognize the times of our wilderness experience and be able to grow and listen to you, as you prepare us for the next leg of the journey. Amen

Today’s Reading: Mark 7

“Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.” Mark 7:14-15

Hello! It’s Jillian again this week.  Lynden went on a little daddy son vacation this weekend and all the fun got the best of him! I promise to make our Monday morning short and sweet. Mark Chapter 7 teaches us about inner purity. The overall theme is about keeping the law and traditions in order to look holy instead of honoring God. Jesus wasn’t against all tradition but he was against the idea of making tradition more important than the words of God. I chose verses fourteen and fifteen for us to focus on today. When I re-read this chapter in preparation to write this evening, this verse or set of verses were speaking to me!   The Pharisees believed that rituals like cleansing hands or dishes prior to eating would make them acceptable to God simply because they were clean on the outside.

We as Christians (and by we I mean ME) can become like the Pharisees when we worry that contact with unbelievers or spending time with those that aren’t necessarily the “same” as us. Jesus didn’t limit himself to ministering only to Christians. He didn’t reject people or groups that had ideas inconsistent with His own. Jesus wants us to follow his example by going out into the world an connecting with others.  He doesn’t want us to surround ourselves with just other Christian’s in an effort to stay pure. Jesus didn’t intend for us to withdraw. We are  charged with taking up the responsibility of exemplifying the love and acceptance of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Jesus goes on to say that it’s not what influences us on the outside that defiles us, but what comes from our heart. So then we must search our heart.  We must practice traditions that honor our Heavenly Father, not out of obligation or appearance of devotion. I pray this week that we can be genuine in our love for Christ. That we can truly connect with him this week as we continue to study his words though Mark. I pray for all of us that we can purify our heart!

Today’s Reading: Matthew 22

Hello again, this is Lynden and I am excited again to be here. Today’s reading of Matthew has several interesting points that are very intriguing: The parable of the wedding, paying taxes to Caesar, the lady with seven husbands (who all were brothers), the great commandment, one that states “Who’s your daddy?” I have been reading over these and there is one that really has been calling me: “Who wore the warm-up suit to the wedding?”

Matthew 22: 1-14

The Parable of the Wedding Feast

22 And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, 2 “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son, 3 and sent his servants [a] to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. 4 Again he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’ 5 But they paid no attention and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, 6 while the rest seized his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them. 7 The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. 8 Then he said to his servants, ‘the wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy. 9 Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’ 10 And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. 12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 14 For many are called, but few are chosen.” 

This week, Jillian and I have been doing some deep cleaning of material items in the house and we have uncovered many pictures and special items from our wedding and the newlywed days. I have taken a couple of moments to sit down and reflect on those precious days. It seems as if the wedding day was yesterday, but it has been over 8 years. I can still remember the morning routine that I did that day. I still remember the cool morning of July 12, and the anticipation of the day. I still remember the first time that I saw her under the tree in the churchyard. It is one of most, if not my most memorable days of my life. Jillian and I had an engagement of about a year, but had dated for 5 years. I still remember when we sent out the “Save the Dates” several months in advance of the wedding and waited in anticipation of RSVP. There was a lot of preparation that had went into the special day and I would have been distraught if NO ONE SHOWED UP.

As I have been reflecting on the story this week I was somewhat sadden to see that the king had prepared such an awesome feast for the wedding and the invited guest didn’t show, then the close friends who didn’t get an invite declined, but then he has everyone in the city and highways be summoned and brought in and had the feast. At this point, I feel warm and fuzzy, then the kings is welcoming everyone and finds someone that is not properly dressed and then throws him out. This is so strange to me, “ Hey come into a bountiful feast, oops you have on sweats, I’m sorry you must go”. So I had to do some research and understand what is the rationale.

In biblical Jewish times the marriage of couple was several months or years at length. There are three stages: Contract, Consummation, and Celebration. The contract would be the “ketubbah” which the wife would chose her husband and then the father of the bride would sign the legal document stating the daughter is technically and religiously married. This is how Mary and Joseph, Jesus’ parents were married.   The second is the “chuppah” which is the consummation. The period between the Ketubbah and the Chuppah can be as long as 7 years; there is not a prescribed amount of time. During this time the bridegroom is preparing for his bride. This could be building a house, making enough money to provide for the bride, or something similar. Once the preparations are met then the consummation happens, and then there is feast or celebration that last for days or even for weeks.

So this is the big celebration that everyone has been preparing to witness for several months up to several years. There has been a lot of sacrifice and waiting and the time has finally come that we can part-take of the goodness of the family and the couple. So, as I research I can see that this is not just one day of merriment, but can be several weeks. This is not the first time that the people of the kingdom have heard about this upcoming celebration; this has been the rumor for quite some time.

I have to think about this as one of fairytales where everyone in the kingdom hears that there is a ball, like in Cinderella, everyone prepares for the ball, just in case they are called and invited. This is the “ONE” that everyone is waiting for and expecting. Just when you think it is all over, the king’s men come and say “Come you have been chosen to come to the celebration”. You have to go right then. So you grab your finest clothes that you have prepared for just this occasion. You have to be ready at the moment’s notice.

I can now understand the king’s actions at the end of the parable. Everyone knew the day of the feast would come, not everyone thought they would be called or invited, but everyone came anyway. You have to be ready when the king calls you; His Son is preparing a special place for His bride, and when He is ready, will you have your best suit ready or in sweats?

Prayer: Lord, allow us to be ready and properly dressed to come to your feast. We are excited and wait in anticipation. We pray you use us to help others prepare for the celebration. Amen

Today’s Reading: Matthew 15

“He took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. ³⁷ And they all ate and were satisfied.” Matthew 15:36-37

I know what you’re thinking! Jesus fed five thousand yesterday! You’re right, in Matthew 14 our chapter for Sunday we revel in the many miracles performed by Jesus and witnessed by Matthew and the disciples. So today, we have a second loaves and fishes story. It’ slipped in just at the end of chapter 15 and is sort of “under reported” in my opinion. It’s as if all the news outlets heard about the 5,000 people fed the week before and decided that Jesus’ meal multiplication was old news. For me though, this repeat miracle is speaking truth and hope into my life right now. I like to study a few different bible commentaries on the weeks that I write. My NIV study bible said this today: “Jesus had already fed more than 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish. Here, in a similar situation, the disciples were again perplexed. How easily we throw up our hands in despair when faced with difficult situations. Like the disciples, we often forget that if God has cared for us in the past, he will do the same now. When facing a difficult situation, remember how God cared for you and trust Him to work faithfully again.

Isn’t that just life changing? Do you ever feel like God has already graced you in one area of your life and so surely he can’t bless you in another? Do you ever feel that you may have reached the limit of his grace and mercy? Instead, we are given the hope that we can trust in His faithfulness and count on Him to care for us again and again. Over the last year, I’ve learned that the most powerful words I can write to you are those of my own testimony. On Tuesday of this week, I was laid off. I’ve worked in the same place for nearly nine years serving children with disabilities. Due to significant financial losses, the company simply cannot continue to pay all of us. I was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear for my young patients, my own children and our family. So many people depend upon me to care for their children and be with them in times of uncertainty. But, as always, God cared for me and every single one of His children. I have been blessed with a new job that affords me the opportunity to continue to serve the children and families I love. I have been rocked out of my comfort zone and am facing some of the challenges of starting an independent business. I know I would not have had the courage to do this without being laid off. There are lots of unanswered questions about how I will bridge some gaps but I know that He will feed me and my family. Today, Matthew shows us that Jesus is not only miraculous but that he is also consistent. God wants what is good for us, he is ever generous, ever sacrificing for us. Today, I’m doing my best to praise him in this dark time. I’m looking forward to a post in the not too distant future when this testimony continues with evidence of His love for me. Until then, I thank you for your prayer and your faithfulness that He will bring miracles to all of our lives!

The photo above is me 38 weeks pregnant doing what I do with little people! 

 

 

 

 

Today’s Reading: Matthew 8

It is truly a privilege and honor to become part of a tremendous community. I have read and prayed through this bible journal for the last 52 weeks and I have truly been blessed by the words and commitment of the authors. 2016 was a year of growth, change and reflection for my family and myself and this group was a truly influential and integral part of our journey.   My name is Lynden McGriff and my wife is Jillian, we have three children, which are the main part of the essence of my life. The passage that I have been give to reflect on this week is one that is summed up in one word: Miracles.

Matthew Chapter 8 in several of my resources has the heading “Jesus performs many Miracles”.   The direct participants and recipients of these miracles are: a leper, a centurion, a mother-in-law, a host of people, and two demon-possessed men.

The leper is a person that has been casted out of not only the city and his church, but has become a cast away from all of humanity. This is a person who has actually disappeared in the presence of their love ones.

The Centurion is a person of high prestige and stature. The title and name of centurion states he is in charge of at least 100 men. These men will do and follow all of the commands of this solider. The Roman government and the Jewish people were at odds because of the oppression that had been imposed by the Roman government. This man has resources, physicians, and other people at his command but his faith lead him to Jesus.

This passage also raised an important thought; Peter was married and still was in contact with this extended family. Jesus came to Peter’s Mother-in-law’s house and healed her and many others. This is awesome, can you imagine your best friend coming over to your in-laws and then having a mall group prayer session there? And to top it off your Mother-in-law is sick with the flu.   I have a great mother-in-law and I know that she would be up for the challenge, but this just an interesting situation all together.

Then the final scene is where Jesus is walking through a specific region and then these men come up to Jesus and they are demon-possessed. The demons immediately acknowledge who Jesus is

 “ What do you want with us Son of God”? Matthew 8:29

This is the most incredible phrase in this passage to me. No matter what we are going through, Jesus has and always has the authority and power over everything, even the demons have to obey his command. In all of the other healings that he performed in this passage this was the first time that it showed the awesome power that is witnessed by others.

So with these examples, I am reminded of the sermon series of “Miracles in the margins”, it does not matter who you are, what has happened to you, what you are going through Jesus is able to work miracles in our daily life, we have to be the one ready and have the faith to allow the miracles to happen. I leave you with one of my favorite mantras, saying or prayers “ God can not protect you from what he will perfect you through”. Have a blessed week.

 

Today’s Reading: Matthew 1

Good morning and welcome to day 2 of Bible Journal 2017! As you likely read yesterday, we are beginning this year with the gospels. I’m so excited to dive in deep with you and learn more about Jesus through Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Today, as it is Monday and we are all robustly dedicated to new starts, we’ll begin with the gospel of Matthew. A little research taught me that the gospel of Matthew wasn’t actually the first of the four written, but appears first in all Bibles. A former tax collector, Matthew left everything behind when he became a disciple of Jesus. Some believe that Matthew was the unofficial recorder of Jesus’ teachings. Among the disciples he had the best literary skill given his previous occupation and therefore put his skill to use as a “secretary.” Matthew begins his account with the genealogy of Jesus. Was anybody else sort of disappointed? It’s ok, no one else is reading with you, go ahead and admit it! Sort of anticlimactic right? We’re all ready to do this Bible Journal 2017 thing…we’re super committed and excited about uncovering new life changing truths about Jesus…and then we get 14 generations of meaningless names.

Ok, before you give up on your diet too, stick with me! There are actually some really exciting messages hidden in today’s scripture. A little more research revealed that the Jews were actually excellent genealogists. Mathew shows us the thread that binds Jesus’ claim to the throne of David through his adoptive father, Joseph. Not a blood lineage but a legal path to the throne. By the end of the first paragraph, Matthew presents Jesus as the kingly Messiah promised from David’s royal line. Later, we’ll learn about Jesus’ blood lineage through Mary in the gospel of Luke. Although on the surface this long description seems rather cursory, there’s some real significance to be considered. For me, the realization that Jesus is truly the promised Messiah is so important. He’s not just some guy born to a young couple that happens to be the Son of God. This careful tracing back gives my scientist brain the evidence it craves that Jesus is the promised Messiah. It’s the solid foundation upon which His legacy is built.

So, now that we’ve covered the “who’s your Daddy” section we can move on to the second exciting segment of today’s scripture. We’ve all heard these familiar words about the conception and birth of Jesus. It’s easy to breeze past them. It’s like an old song, we know the words. Mathew tells us the story through the eyes of Joseph. What a great trial it must have been for Joseph to endure this most humiliating circumstance. Mary and Joseph only had the awareness of their own integrity and of course God to lean on. How many of us are living that reality day to day? Do we have the courage to lean on our own integrity and the love of God in ethically challenging situations? Are we brave enough to bear witness as Mary did with her pregnant belly? Or perhaps most importantly, are we brave enough to stand by our Mary as Joseph did? To be fair, Joseph did get some real guidance when he was visited by an angel in a dream.

The angel of the Lord says to him:

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

Bam! Did you notice that the angel said “his people” rather than “God’s people”? Jesus came to save His people, all of us, not just God’s people which at the time would have indicated just the Jews. One of the commentaries I read for today says this about the angelic message: “Jesus meets us in our sin but His purpose is to save us from our sins. He saves us first from the penalty of sin, then from the power of sin and finally from the presence of sin.” (Blue Letter Bible). The penalty, the power and the presence. Isn’t that so freeing? I’m starting the New Year with that idea, I’ve written it down in my journal like this:

• Jesus saves us first from the penalty of sin
• Jesus saves us next from the power of sin
• Jesus saves us finally from the presence of sin

As we continue to journey with Matthew over the next few weeks, we can build upon this foundation. Jesus was the promised Messiah. His legacy begins with Abraham and continues today through us, his followers. His parents, biologic and adoptive acted on blind faith in God to bring us salvation. The angel of the Lord promises that Jesus will save His people, not just the Jews but all of His people from the penalty, the power and the presence of sin. Matthew the former tax collector turned disciple scribe has so much in store for us. Praying he’ll reveal so much more in the coming weeks and welcome us into His presence with joy!

Today’s Readings: 2 Chronicles 31, Revelation 17, Zechariah 13:2-9, John 16

 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.” John 19:16-20

Well, it’s the final frontier friends. Not really…you’ll be either happy or dismayed to learn that I’ve signed on for another year of writing on Bible Journal! I was really hoping to ring it in today with a big Revelation bang, but sadly I’m not sure what to say about the Great Prostitute and the Beast. Instead, I found myself taken by these parting words from Jesus, written in John 16. By the time you’re reading, the wrapping and bows will be crushed into the trash. Pieces of toys, instruction manuals and electronic cords strewn about. Our bellies are full, the left overs congealing in the fridge and we, His people are left with a sort of emptiness. Our King has come and perhaps already gone. What can we do with this “holiday hangover?” How can we keep him in the present with us? As we close this year, Christmas decorations are replaced by stark winter white and cold ground there is a subtle feeling of loss. When will we see our Jesus again?

I love that we have this to hold on to, “You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy!” As I make plans for 2017, I’m making sure to include Jesus. Just as the year ends and we have the chance to reflect, we also have the opportunity to be intentional about this new chapter with Him. I’m looking forward to our new Bible Journal plan that begins by focusing on the gospels. I’m also looking forward to discovering the true joy that God has planned for us. I’m watching and waiting for signs that our Savior is present. I hope you’ll hold on to these next few months and savor the quiet nature of these chilly shortened days. The Christmas rush has come and gone. Now we have the gift of stillness to reflect and be in Him. I pray that we can commit to wrapping ourselves in His word in these next few weeks.

I want to thank all of our readers, especially those that have been kind enough to read my simple posts on Monday’s. I’ve grown in my faith because of you. I pray that this year brings joy to each of you and that you’ll continue to spend time in the word with us in 2017.

Peace and Blessings

Jillian                                       

 

Today’s Readings: 2 Chronicles 21, Revelation 9, Zechariah 5, John 9

As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” John 9:1-5

Would you believe that today is the first time I’ve actually read this story? Of course I knew the story of the blind man as a child but for some reason, I’ve never looked up John 9 and read it for myself. It’s just awesome isn’t it? Well, happy Monday folks. It’s Christmas week, you’ve officially made it. While the rest of the world is winding down, I feel as if God has saved this particular Christmas for some “new birth” in my life (no, no I’m not having a baby). What I thought would be a slow deceleration into a time of pj’s and movies has actually turned into a frenetic frenzied mountain to climb. What’s clear is that God has plan for me that I cannot see. Believing in what cannot be seen or heard; very foundation of faith. Do you ever struggle with this? I’m not too proud to admit that I really do. Believing that God has a plan requires a certain amount of surrender and implicit trust.

Today, I want to write to you about verses 2 and 3 of John 9. Maybe this message is too simple for some but I’ll take the risk for those that really need it this Christmas. The first time our son became really truly ill, he was 6 weeks old. The trauma to our family was deep and still comes to the surface now and again. I spent lots of time ruminating on what I could have done wrong, where was the misstep that led to this terrible punishment? I was reeling with sadness, guilt and pain. Now I know that those days were my “blind woman” time. With great counsel, tenderness and love from other Christian’s I grew to understand that God was showing his grace through us. Faith in God doesn’t result in a life without hardship. It does however give us the opportunity to experience His grace and majesty in the moments we least expect Him.

At the end of this passage Jesus says, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” At first this saddened me a bit. We are, after all, in a world without the actual Jesus. But with careful thought, I realize that He is in our world today. He is embodied in my friends, my family, my patients that bravely shine his light. He is with us each and every day. When we are willing to allow God to work in us in those times that we are most broken, we experience Christ’s light. As this year of Bible Journal comes to a close I pray that each of you have been illuminated by His word. I pray that one or two posts touched your heart and brought you closer to your Lord and Savior. When you feel that the night is coming, remember that God is working in you, so that you may be strengthened and shine his light.

Merry Christmas from the McGriff Party of 5.

Thank you for reading and praying with me this year!