Category: Growth - Jethro TOOLS

Cure for the Culture

1/25/2026

Philippians 1:9-11
When we think of a broken heart we often think of a love that is lost and the individual flounders searching for a personal emotional cure to a failed relationship. However, there is actually a health issue called broken heart syndrome. This heart problem is caused by some sudden stress that is placed upon the individual. This stress may come from a physical event like a car accident, an emotional event like grief or fear and even perhaps from consuming certain strong or spicy foods. The symptoms of broken heart syndrome are very much like a heart attack with chest pain and shortness of breath. However, broken heart syndrome is reversible within a few days or weeks because its cause is tied to the body and its production of a large amount of adrenaline. As we look at our world we see people with a spiritual heart issue. We see people living with a broken heart and not knowing the cure, and yet searching for one. As Paul says in Philippians chapter one there is a cure, and we as believers in Jesus Christ carry the cure. Paul is praying for the Philippian church that their love will thrive and multiply (19). This is an admission that they are a loving church, but also a petition asking God to step in and work in the life of this church even more. This love that the church has is a love that imitates God’s love in its sacrifice and service. This is not a romantic love or even a love between friends. God’s love is to be lived out by His followers because He has loved them first and therefore the church has the ability, capacity and example of how to love (1 John 4:19). We carry the cure of Christ and His forgiveness and love to a world full of people with a broken heart. God displays His cure for our culture through us as we love like Him.

For More See PHILIPPIANS

Member with Christ

7/27/2025

Acts 2:37-47
What is the best group to join? As people, we are not created to be alone. To solve that we spend time searching for places that we like and people that like us. We move to neighborhoods and communities we like. We become members of a country, communities, groups, associations, and even members of a family. The Bible refers to those that believe in Jesus as members of His body, a spiritual family called the church. The difficulty is that we view the church as a building. You may be asked, “What church do you belong to?” Our normal response is some form of directions to some building. The person who believes by faith in Jesus as their savior is made a member of God’s family (Romans 6:3, 1 Corinthians 12:27). The church is not a building, but the believers that gather together in a building are the church. In Acts 2 we see the beginning of the church, and the initial steps of church growth. It begins with Peter’s message encouraging people to believe in Jesus (14-39), and concludes with many people responding (41). These new believers, or new members, of the early church devoted themselves to the teaching of God’s word, fellowship, breaking bread and prayer (42). This chapter highlights what God does as He changes people, their beliefs about Jesus, and association with Jesus. You see, the early church was made up of people who had originally been opposed to Jesus. In coming to Christ they were changed by Christ. They now desired to learn of Christ through His word and live out those truths in a spiritual community with others. They were a changed people, who are now members with Christ. They had changed hearts and expressed the transformation through changed lives (46-47). Are you relationally connected to Jesus Christ and His church? Are you growing in Christ with others?

For More See ACTS

The Disciple's Purpose

2/16/2025

1 Peter 2:1-10
It was January of 2020 and we watched in shock as the coronavirus in China exploded out of control. The problem grew so much that the government immediately began building a thousand room hospital to try and deal with the epidemic and needed beds. Soon people were in desperate need of doctors, specialized care, and medicine all over the world. Medical teams and essential workers functioned in a ballet-like dance, as each one did a specific task for the purpose of eliminating the virus from their country. Throughout the pandemic we saw medical staff repeatedly praised for their sacrificial service. As we open the book of 1 Peter, we read along with an audience of believers who was living in hard times. In chapter 2 Peter reminds these believers under pressure that they have been given a new spiritual life for the purpose of growing in Christ, building others for Christ and continuing on with their belief in Christ. The end result is praise for what Christ has done in each life, regardless of the trials that have been faced in the process. Peter is challenging his readers, and us as well, to remember what God has done and what He is doing. This spiritual birth (1-3), formation and connection (4-5) are not things we can accomplish on our own. This is accomplished through God’s initial work of grace on the cross that is built on the foundation of Jesus our Savior (6-8). God’s purpose is to change us, and grow us, so we can praise Him (9-10). Just as a doctor is praised for his work on desperately sick patients, likewise, we are called to believe and carry the message of salvation and healing through a great Savior. If we can tell others how great our doctor is, can we not also tell others how great our God is?

For More See 1 PETER or DISCIPLESHIP

Ministry Commitment

11/3/2024

1 Timothy 6:11-16
Every garden involves work, water and weeding, and over the years I have had plenty of experience in all three areas. However, the process repeats itself year after year. That process has made me consider what the garden strategically needs to be successful in the coming year. A garden reminds me of what is recorded in 1 Timothy 6 as Paul challenges Timothy to a life of godliness and a ministry that is marked by commitment to Jesus Christ. Paul refers to Timothy as a “man of God” (11) which is the key idea for the following verses. So what does it take to be known as one who is godly? The phrase “man of God” defines Timothy as being set apart from others who hold worldly values; it describes Timothy and his dedication to God; and it directs Timothy on the course he is to continue. If Godliness is something we all should strive for, then how do we become godly? What steps do we take? Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your works to the LORD, and your plans will be established.” Often we turn that around by seeking to do what we think is right and then asking God’s approval. Proverbs challenges us to display our faith in the LORD through an absolute reliance on Him alone. The first step is a commitment that places and releases our plans into God’s hands. Secondly, through prayer we listen and obediently respond to His answers and watch Him work to make the plans work. Just like a garden will not grow without the sun that God provides, so our lives will not flourish without following God’s direction. We can be committed to growing a garden, but we need God’s work to bring the produce. We need to be personally committed to godly growth, but we also need God’s work to bring His produce in our life.

For More See 1 TIMOTHY

Tools for a Purpose

4/21/2024

Ephesians 4:7-16
We all like a nice gift, don’t we? We like to receive gifts that suit our desires and benefit us personally. On the other hand, we may refuse a gift that is unattractive or that we find unsuitable and therefore unusable. But what about the thoughtful gift? What about the gift that is beneficial for today and many years to come? At one time, my father gave me a gift like that. In fact, I still have it today. The gift was a small tool set that included a hammer, a square, a tape measure, wrenches and a pair of blue pliers. Over the years I used those tools for various projects. In the process of using those simple tools I learned how to use them. For example I learned that its best to pound a nail with a hammer, but a pliers may be a useful tool to remove a bent nail. My father gave me these tools to learn how to use them, with the goal in mind to use them to help him. The same is true with the church. God our Father has given various tools to the church to be used to build the church. In Ephesians 4 we see that God gives gifts as He determines for the ultimate benefit of the body (7-11). The problem for us today is that we want a gift that we think will benefit us. However, God’s purpose of giving each one in the body a gift is that they function in a way that will bring maturity, stability, growth and connection to each other (12-16). The only way that these gifts bring these results is when they are used in serving others. As each gift is used in serving we are to keep in mind that Christ served us. He sacrificially served us for our benefit and we are to serve sacrificially for the benefit of others. Our Heavenly Father has given us a set of tools, let’s put them to use!

Fore more see EPHESIANS

Reproducing Growth

1/10/2024

2 Timothy 2:1-2
Have you ever replanted trees? A number of years ago I dug up several trees from the woods and planted them along the road in front of the house for shade and privacy. Even though the trees were no taller than myself, the dirt on the roots made them almost too heavy to lift. With a bit of fertilizer and a lot of water the trees took root in their new location and started to thrive. There was noticeable growth each year, and now it is hard to imagine that I moved those trees. They are twenty to thirty feet tall and they look fantastic. Everywhere we look in life there is change because of growth. When there is no growth that shows that there is a problem. If you examine a tree that does not grow you will discover an infestation of disease, rot or predators. The same is true in our spiritual lives. If we are not growing we are plateaued or worse stagnate and in decline. Paul challenges Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:1-2 to take what he has learned and pass it on to others. Basically, he is saying, duplicate yourself in the lives of others and help others grow. This is the result of a personal and powerful relationship that Paul had with Timothy as a mentor. Timothy gleaned much from Paul. Now as a result of the changes and growth in his own life he was responsible to intentionally go and reproduce what he has learned and seen in the lives of others who would be able to do the same. This is not something that Timothy does in his own strength. It is a natural process of being connected to Jesus, growing spiritually and producing fruit (John 15:5). We can have a very bad habit of believing that our faith is only our own. However, just like a tree we are planted to grow and reproduce. If we do not grow into maturity and reproduce we have become stagnant and stunted or dead spiritually. Christ’s purpose in saving us is to grow us, mature us, and use us to grow others.

For more see 2 TIMOTHY or DISCIPLESHIP

Patient Faith in Pain

5/28/2023

by Job 2:7-13
Pain tolerance is the maximum level of pain that we can put up with. Each person has a different level of pain tolerance. Our body will feel the pain and our brain will register how bad the pain is on our personal pain meter. For example, getting a shot from a doctor would be on the lower end of the pain meter, but having a large rock fall on our foot and break bones is a completely different level of pain. We as people deal with all kinds of pain, through out our lives, that can’t be measured by our personal pain tolerance. We all face physical pain from the bumps, bruises, and cuts in life. Yet beyond that we face emotional or psychological pain over personal loss and grief. How do we deal with pain? If we expect God to protect us from a life of pain we will miss seeing His power to save and our faith grow as He works through our pain. In Job 2 we now see the godly man Job face personal pain after the loss of all his possessions. Job is personally impacted by pain from the sores that cover his body (7). He also faces social pain as he is now an outcast from society sitting in a garbage dump (8). To top it off, Satan uses Job’s wife against him, to carry out his plan of seeking to turn Job from God (9). Job corrects his wife (10), because he understands that God uses problems to test us, train us, and grow us. Job understands that faith involves more than his personal comfort. Yet many people today base their faith on their comfort rather than on God. When the pain of this life can no longer be tolerated they question, doubt, and turn from God. Job did not tolerate his pain, instead he saw God as the only solution to his pain. When our pain comes, may we be like Job and follow God by faith.

For more see JOB

Why Serve?

2/26/2023

1 Corinthians 12:1-7
Have you looked at your garage or kitchen recently? You can have a garage full of tools, but not be a mechanic. You can also have a kitchen full of spoons and special pans, but not be a cook. Yet what do we see today? People will often go and purchase things for the house or the garage so they will look like a cook or a mechanic. However, in reality, they only look at the various pieces, and rarely or never put them to use. The more we use what we have, the more proficient we will be. The more that physical skills are practiced the better we become at that skill. The same is true spiritually. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to serve and use the gifts and abilities that God has given us. These gifts enable us to serve God in specific ways. In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12, Paul describes each believer as part of a larger body. Like a physical body, the spiritual body is made up of many parts, and each part has a different function. In order for the body to perform, each part must serve the greater body by doing what God designed it to do. The problem is that, when it comes to church, we want to do what we want, and when it comes to service, we want others to serve us. 1 Corinthians 12:18 tells us that God has arranged the parts in the body just as He wants them. That means that God enables each of us to serve with what He has given us for the benefit and growth of the larger body. We can’t say that we are servants of God, unless we actually pick up the tools that He has given us, and serve by helping others become more like Jesus. We serve because Christ first served us.

For more see 1 CORINTHIANS or DISCIPLESHIP

Reproduction of Disciples

1/1/2023

2 Timothy 2:1-2
Spring is just around the corner… well not really. However, now is the time to begin making plans for the garden. We may think of new or better locations to place certain plants based on how much shade or sunlight they need. We may gather the tools and plan a new garden design. But, all of this is useless unless we have seeds to plant in the warm spring soil. Seeds will naturally want to grow with the proper sunlight, soil, and water. Under these conditions the plant will sprout into a seedling, continue to grow as an immature plant, and finally develop as a mature plant that produces a crop. At maturity the plant is able to produce seeds that can be used to reproduce a crop for the following year. There is a life cycle in nature and people that starts with birth and leads to maturity. God has designed all that He has created to grow into maturity. However, do we think the same way about our spiritual life? Often when we think about our spiritual life we only think about the start. We think of the good news of Jesus coming at Christmas to bring us salvation. When we believe in Christ as Savior we gain His gift of salvation. That is only the beginning. That new life and the transformation is to be on going and maturing just as we see in nature. Our spiritual life does not stop at salvation, it is to continue, grow, develop, and mature in us. God has intentionally created all that is around us, including us, for growth and maturity. Stagnation and remaining in one spiritual life stage is not normal. It is unhealthy. God’s purpose in sending Jesus to be our Savior is to save us and mature us so we can spiritually reproduce and be used by God to plant new spiritual seed in the soil of others lives.

For more see 2 TIMOTHY or DISCIPLESHIP

Sacrifice, Service & Grace

6/6/2021

Philemon 23-25
David Brainerd was born in 1718 and died of tuberculosis in 1747 at the age of 29. He was very prone to bouts of depression especially after the death of his father when he was 5 and his mother when he was 14. It might not seem like he had much time to make a difference for the cause of Christ, much less deal with his own struggles, yet David Brainerd is known as a servant who sacrificed much for the cause of Christ. He had personal struggles and shortcomings, but God in His grace was at work through all them to bring glory to Himself and growth to the church. For four short years, Brainerd was a missionary to the Native American people of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware where he communicated the love and grace of salvation offered through Jesus Christ. His sacrificial life and spiritual example are held up as a model to this day. As Paul concludes his letter to Philemon he too lists several men who sacrificed and served so as to make a spiritual difference in the lives of others (23-24). Epaphras was a pastor, Luke was a doctor, Mark had been useless but was now useful, while Aristarchus and Demas served Paul while he was in prison. Each of these men served with the abilities that God had given them to see others grow in their faith in Christ. Paul reminds Philemon that God has shown grace to him through Jesus Christ (25). Knowing and accepting the grace of Jesus changed everything for David Brainerd and Philemon. Paul desired that the grace Philemon had received from Christ flow from his life in sacrificial spiritual service that will benefit Onesimus. May the grace of Christ flow through our lives, benefit others spiritually and bring God glory.

For more see PHILEMON

United Through Christ

3/28/2021

Ephesians 2:11-22
Have you ever walked into a room and realized that you did not know anyone? That happened to me the other day. I walked into a room and realized that everyone was looking at me and I knew no one. Did I feel uncomfortable? Yes, I sure did on a personal and cultural level. Did I turn around and leave? No, because I realized that those present were present at a church gathering where they wanted relationships with those present and a deeper relationship with God that would continue to transform their life. As we look at Ephesians 2:11-22 we note Paul highlighting the past relationships that the church had apart from Christ (11-12). They were distant from God, unconnected from others and hopeless. However, Paul states that this past reality is not true in the present because of Jesus (13-22). They have been brought near (13) to live a transformed life through peace with others (14-16), have a relationship with God the Father (17-18), and are unified for spiritual growth with others for God’s purpose (19-22). Like the Ephesian church, we may find others uncomfortable to be around, but God has them in our lives for a purpose. His desire is to interconnect us through Christ and unite us to grow us together. His relationship with us transforms our relationship with others.

For more see EPHESIANS

Signs of Spiritual Maturity

2/7/2021

1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
With the snow piling up I have noticed driveways that are not cleared and vehicles still covered in snow or stuck trying to drive through the uncleared snow. A car stuck in the driveway is of no use. The problem is that the owner chooses not to use the resources available to clear the driveway for the car. This may mean picking up a shovel or starting a snowblower. There are no shortcuts available. Clearing a driveway of snow requires attention and effort. In much the same way, becoming spiritually mature requires growth in spiritual knowledge, the effort of love and the continued practice of hope. In the first letter to the Thessalonians we see that Paul was able to present the gospel message to them, but then had to leave because of persecution. Paul begins writing this letter after hearing a good report about their spiritual growth. He notes their work of faith, their labor of love and their steadfast hope (1 Thessalonians 1:3). God started the work of faith as they understood the gospel message. The believers then put to use the spiritual resources that they now had and tied their spiritual service to a steadfast hope in Christ. Out of a love for others they spread the message of their faith and held fast to the hope that eternity with Christ is better than the present. There were no shortcuts to their maturity. Likewise our spiritual maturity is measured by our faith, love and hope.

See also 1 Thessalonians

Essential Directions for Disciples

1/3/2021

Matthew 28:19-20
The drive to see relatives seems long. In preparation for that drive the question is often asked, “How do we get there?” That may be asked by someone else in the car or it may run through our own mind. In a way need to ask the same question about our own spiritual life. As we start a new year, this is a good time to remind ourselves of what we are to be as believers in Jesus Christ. The Biblical word that describes a follower is a disciple. Thus, a committed follower of Jesus Christ is a disciple of Jesus Christ. What does it take to be a disciple of Christ? If a disciple is a committed follower of Jesus, then a disciple is committed to the message and method of Jesus by copying the model of Jesus. The message is the good news of salvation from sin (Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-10, Ephesians 2:8-9). The method involves obedience to the commands of Christ (Matthew 28:19-20, 22:37-40). The model for the disciple is Christ himself as the sacrificial servant (Matthew 20:28). We are called to sacrificially serve as disciple makers because people need to hear the message to change their method of living and beliefs to follow the model of Christ in living a new life. With God’s transforming power at work in our life we will see spiritual growth in our life and the lives of others as we serve Him and help others follow Him.

For more see Discipleship or Ephesians