Category: Philippians - 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

Christmas Time: Spoken

12/21/2025

Hebrews 1:1-4
A number of years ago my daughter gave me a short note on a small piece of paper. On it there were nine neatly written items that made up her birthday and Christmas wish list. At the bottom there was a star followed by an explanatory note, “Most Wanted.” Glancing back to the list a star highlighted item number seven which read, “Night Table - made by Dad.” Thus began a journey of cold weather construction in a cramped unheated shed. An individualized night table complete with a drawer was made for each of the kids and quietly placed by each of their beds very late on Christmas Eve. I have saved the note and use it as a book marker in my daily devotional book. It reminds me of the way that I need to come to my heavenly Father and ask for what is needed and that which I desire the most. A gift created by my father’s hands made just for me. Hebrews chapter 1 opens by telling us that God has consistently and repeatedly delivered messages revealing Himself and His plans for salvation (1). His best and most perfect form of communication was personally made through the sending Jesus to be our savior (2). Being God He is the perfect gift that has been communicated, but also provided (3). Jesus, fully God yet in human form (Philippians 2:5-9), is just what humanity needs most. He is far superior to any thing else that could grab our attention (4). Christmas time is often a time of secrets and trying to guess what a gift is. God understood our deepest need. He spoke, promised and delivered the very best gift, Jesus in the form of a baby. The great God who spoke the world into existence now displays the same power to save and transform our life. Jesus, is a gift given directly from the Father. What joy! What hope! God has communicated His love to us.

For More See HEBREWS

Revealed

2/23/2025

Philippians 2:1-11
One of my favorite types of online videos involves people rescuing lost or abandoned dogs. The story typically plays out in one of two ways. First, someone sees an abandoned dog in a certain location for a number of days and then returns with group of friends and a bag of hamburgers as a mouth watering incentive for the dog. The video ends with the dog being loaded into a car and heading off for a new life. The second, involves an abandoned dog in a shelter that has literally shut down emotionally and cowers in a far corner. Someone decides to make the effort, stepping into the cage and befriends the scared dog. Both scenarios end with the dog going to a new home with a new owner and with a happy look on their face. This all took place because someone was willing to step into the world of a dog that was lost and without hope. The same is true for the human race. We are stuck, and without hope of ever finding spiritual freedom and a new life of victory over sin. Philippians 2 tells us that hopeless situation changed when Jesus, as God, humbled Himself and served humanity by giving Himself to pay for our sin (8). He did this by stepping into our world, and became human like us (7). He stepped away from His position as God (6) to meet our greatest need. In love, Jesus graciously served helpless humanity by not only revealing Himself to us but also rescuing us. Just as the animal lovers seek to restore the lost dog and give it a new life, we need to remember that apart from God we are helpless and hopelessly lost in sin. However, when we experience God’s gracious gift of salvation given through Jesus we can then step into the world of others who are lost, and joyfully point them to Jesus and the new life He gives.

For More See PHILIPPIANS or SHEBA

The Disciple's Service

2/2/2025

Mark 10:42-45
Service with a smile. That phrase describes a business that is interested in making sure their customers are happy. They do the work to provide the customer with what they want and they do it with a pleasant attitude. Service is a great motto for company employees. If done well, it will draw in many more customers. The attitude along with the action makes all the difference. In Hebrews 12:1-2 the author uses the illustration of running a race to describe our life. There is a course of faith that we are called to run without distraction. That is done as we focus on the finish line and Jesus. He sacrificed and served all humanity through His death on the cross. His death brought us life, and He did it with joy. Christ served us, giving us what we needed most with joy. In Mark 10:45 Jesus states that he did not come to have others serve Him but to serve even to the point of giving his life to buy the release of many from the power of sin. His action of service was intentional, without wavering, and we are challenged to have the same humble attitude and serve (Philippians 2:5-8). Service is the action of doing, but also the proper attitude in doing. Yet we as people struggle with serving. We are very willing to rate a restaurant on the quality of their service, but don’t like it when we are asked to serve. We want others to serve us while we scream about our rights and need for respect. If anyone deserved to be served it was Jesus. Service for the disciple of Jesus takes on the hard task that brings the greatest benefit to others. We willingly humble ourselves in order for God’s message of salvation and the joy of knowing Him to flow through us. That is service with a smile. How is God calling you to serve and build His kingdom?

For More See MARK or DISCIPLESHIP

Invitation to Stability

6/25/2023

Philippians 1:12-30
In 2020 Bruno the bear made the news. His popularity was growing, yet not everyone knew about him. However, there was a small, but rapidly growing group that wanted to tell as many people as possible about Bruno. So who was Bruno? Well, he was a male black bear that was first spotted in Wisconsin. He travelled through Illinois and into Missouri. As Bruno travelled his fan base grew. There were over 27,000 people who wanted to tell others about a traveling bear named Bruno. Are we that intense about our faith? In Philippians 1:12-30 Paul notes that we are to live for God’s glory, regardless of our life circumstances. He knew that well, because he was writing this letter from prison. What got him there? Paul was arrested and placed in chains because of his beliefs and proclamation of Jesus Christ (13). Paul knew from firsthand experience that the spread of the message of good news about Jesus is not limited by our life conditions or circumstances. Perhaps we need to reevaluate our lives. Paul understood that participation in the good news about Jesus is more than just an assent of belief. Participation in the message of the gospel is actively living life for God’s glory and communicating the transforming message of Jesus Christ, regardless of our life circumstances. So what motivates us spiritually? The distractions and pain in life can often move us away from the most important message: the message of Christ as Savior. We need to realize that God will redeem even the difficult circumstances of our life by giving us opportunities to tell others of Him, just like Paul and Bruno.

For more see PHILIPPIANS or INVITATION SERIES

Christmas & Incarnation

12/4/2022

Philippians 2:5-8
I recall late one fall that we added two kittens to our household number. They were young and of course very mischievous. My Dad threatened to call them Fun and Games, but in reality they were more like Trouble and Terrible. Those two would chase each other all over the house. However, their favorite arena to display all their antics was the living room rug. I still remember all of us sitting in the living room and laughing as two kittens raced and jumped all over. Who needs an entertainment center or a TV when you have energetic kittens displaying their skill! The kittens were great, but then came Christmas and the insertion of a tree into their venue of toys. I recall several occasions where the tree ended up horizontal on the floor because of climbing kittens. My Dad, being the wise man that he was, tied a stout string to the top of the tree and the other end to a hook in the ceiling. Problem solved. Likewise, Christmas also reminds us of the problem called sin and God’s solution to send Jesus into our world to be our savior. This is called the incarnation and it highlights the truth that God stepped out of time and space and stepped into our world to be born as a baby. Philippians 2 speaks of the example and incarnation of Christ. The purpose of the incarnation is to make God known to humanity (5-6). The result is that Jesus now gives us a practical example for a new way to live (7). However, the incarnation is also personal in that Jesus is the sacrifice for our sin (8). Our problem of sin finds its solution in Jesus. Problem solved. The kittens still climbed the tree, but Dad’s solution worked. Our sin caused the Christ of Christmas to die on a tree and His solution still works.

For more see PHILIPPIANS or SYMBOLS OF CHRISTMAS

Also Blog article on Salvation

I Can Do All Things

11/6/2022

Philippians 4:10-13
This week a friend of mine sent me some pictures of my favorite car, a Ford Mustang. I don’t know why, but I have always liked that car. I can clearly remember the first time I saw one when I was about 6 years old. The car in the pictures was a much newer model, yet it still had some of the classic body lines and contours that reminded me of the much earlier version. We discussed, in jest, how I could convince my wife and possibly trade my current vehicle for this one. However, in the end I decided to be content with the car that I have because it is a gift from God, but that is for another story. You see things may make us content for a little bit, but if my contentment is wrapped up in things have I not lost my commitment to God? We can have all the material possessions of this world and lack peace in our circumstances. If we lack a contentment in what God has provided, and a commitment to Christ, we are spiritually lost. Christ provides all that we need for today and eternity. His powerful work of grace on the cross provides new life, new power and new perspective for all of life’s circumstances. If we do not have Christ we have nothing. We do not have His power for living and His joy that sustains. We need a commitment to Christ and a contentment with His provision to have peace in our circumstances. That is the message of Philippians 4:13 which states, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” We need joy in the Lord not our circumstance. We need joy for how God is working in others through our circumstance. We need contentment with what God has provided in the circumstance, and a commitment to God in all of our circumstances.

For more see PHILIPPIANS or MISAPPLIED SCRIPTURE VERSES

Peace Filled and Content

8/30/2020

Philippians 4:10-23
The other day we had some friends over for a cook out. We cooked some hamburgers on the fire and had an enjoyable evening visiting with them. As I was cleaning up after they left I realized how noisy it was. You see when I think of a relaxing time I think of getting away from the noise of sirens and the squeal of tires and cars racing on the highway. It would be ideal to escape all of that but that did not happen and we still had a peaceful evening. I was able to find the peace by being content with what God had provided in the midst of the noise. Paul states in Philippians 4:12 that he has learned to be content. True contentment is a spiritual matter because it shows satisfaction with what God has provided. When we are satisfied with God we will find peace with God as opposed to not being satisfied and complaining to God that we need something more. God provides what is sufficient even when the circumstances may not be ideal, like noise from the highway.

Anxious Thoughts

8/30/2020

Philippians 4:1-9
Over the course of your lifetime you have seen people react to their life situations out of stress. They may scream and yell or they may just hold it in. They were worried, concerned or on edge about something or see event. This is very simply our human way of trying to solve dilemmas in our lives as our mind works overtime to try and figure out a solution.There are two problems with this. The first is that we often let our problems negatively impact others because they are in the way of our solution to our problem. The second problem is that in reacting this way we do not give our anxious thoughts to God, but instead keep them to ourselves. God calls us to live differently by faith. Philippians 4:6 says, “Be anxious for nothing.” Paul leaves no room for any anxious thought. The opposite of anxiousness is peace which can only be found as we take out concerns to God and leave them with Him. We are called to act on our faith and give the anxious concerns to God. This instruction is directed at two women who were having an ongoing dispute and to the church in general. Just as in Paul’s day, we must trust God to work for His glory and our good in each and every situation in our life. What are your anxious thoughts? Give them to God in prayer and leave them there.

Walking Imitation

8/9/2020

Philippians 3:17-21
Imitation is not necessarily a good thing. The word very simply means a cheap copy of the real thing. We have imitation leather in shoes and chairs that has a way of peeling and falling apart. Then we have the cooking items like imitation vanilla which seems to have a watered down flavor of the real thing. An imitation is a poor copy of the real thing. However, God desires to shape our lives into a perfect copy of His. In Philippians 3:17 Paul exhorts his audience to imitate him as he copies Christ. As we have seen from Philippians 3:12-13 Paul realized that he had not gained the perfection of his spiritual walk and the practice of his faith. He knew that he was an imperfect imitation of Christ. That is good news for us today. We are not walking this life alone as we follow Christ. Others are with us, as together, we seek to imitate Christ and live the reality of our relationship with Him. Come, let’s go for a walk, as we follow the perfect example of Jesus Christ.

Confidence in Christ

8/9/2020

Philippians 3:1-16
The political season is upon us and we see people trying hard to get our vote this fall. Just this week I have seen several instances in the news where certain political figures made reference to their church attendance or their beliefs that were supposedly guided by the Bible. For some reason the Bible was not agreeing with the way they lived. Their desire was for another vote and their confidence was in their supposed religious practice. As believers in Jesus Christ we are to live differently. Our confidence is to be in Christ alone and His work to make us righteous. In Philippians 3:7-8 Paul emphatically states that all his past supposed righteous acts were nothing more than garbage compared to knowing Christ. Today, we still face the struggle of trying to gain our own righteousness. Paul says it can’t be done apart from Christ. When our righteousness becomes a ritual we have settled for religion and not a relationship with Jesus. Personal confidence kills true spiritual life. Religion can never transform your life, only a relationship with Jesus can transform your life.

I Am Concerned

8/9/2020

Philippians 2:19-30
How many tires are needed to keep your car operational and on the road? This is not a trick question. You need all four tires. Your car will not function without four good tires that will serve to carry the car, and you, to the next destination. Paul reminds the church of Philippi and us, that there are also four things that are needed in our lives to help us live as servants of Christ. In the closing verses of Philippians two Paul holds up two men, Timothy and Epaphroditus, as examples of christian service. They were noted as men who were concerned for others and the cause of Christ. They understood that they were saved by Christ and this influenced their service for Christ. Their beliefs, thinking, communication and service were the key characteristics that defined their life. Today, we, like Timothy and Epaphroditus, need these elements in our lives to show Godly concern for others to see spiritual transformation in others.

Example of Complaining

7/19/2020

Philippians 2:12-18
A while ago we had to buy a used car. Now if you have recently bought a car you know this can be a tedious and sometimes painful process. So where do you start the car buying process? How do you discern what is a good vehicle and what is not? I started by thinking about the size and type of car that we needed and then we looked at fuel economy and features. Once that was decided I had to get more help. I had to ask others, look at reviews and safety ratings and crash results. Like with many things in life, there is a percentage of people that are always negative and complain about everything. Then there are those who give an honest and helpful review of the car as they analyze the reliability and performance. I had to focus on this group who did not complain and grumble because otherwise I never would have bought a car. Just as we depend on the views of others in buying a car others also depend on our perspective as they consider following Jesus. In Philippians 2:12-18 Paul highlights to his audience that grumbling and arguing are not the correct response to God’s work in our lives. Paul encourages the readers to continue being positive servants of Jesus Christ that pour their life into serving others. Just as the perspective and reviews of others influenced which car I purchased so our attitudes and actions as followers of Jesus will influence others to follow Jesus or push them away from Jesus.

Empty

7/12/2020

Philippians 2:1-11
Being empty is not a good thing. Empty cupboards means there is not enough food. An empty stomach makes us cranky. An empty gas tank makes our car stop. An empty life means we are lacking purpose and direction. Empty in our view is not a a good thing, however as Paul wrote Philippians he notes that being emptied is a good thing. Paul notes in Philippians 2:7 that Jesus emptied Himself and made Himself nothing as a servant. Jesus laid aside His privileges as God and poured out, or emptied Himself through serving. His complete selfless service was in the form of a sacrifice on the cross (2:8) for all people. Being emptied is a very good thing for us, because without Christ pouring out His life for us we could never know salvation. We are called to have the same attitude as Christ Jesus (5). He stepped out of heaven and entered our world to meet our greatest need. Paul levels the challenge to his audience and to us to step out of our world and into the lives of others in such a way that we can help them see that Jesus offers to meet their greatest need for salvation. As we live for Christ we should be selfless servants who pour ourselves out to bring others to Christ. Being emptied is a good thing because that means heaven will be that much more full.

Thanks for Everything

6/29/2020

Philippians 1:1-11
Thanksgiving is a once a year event. We have a big meal and sit around the table eating way to much food and being thankful for those that are with us. But have you ever noticed how a thankful attitude changes the perspective of your day? Try going about your day and express thanks to each person that you interact with. For example, when you go into the grocery store thank the checkout person. When you go to the bank let the teller know that you appreciate their helpfulness. At the end of the day you will have an extensive list of people that you have given encouragement to through your thankfulness for them. Now, reflect on how that thankfulness has made an impact on your life and those with whom you interacted. In the book of Philippians Paul writes a very encouraging letter that starts with his thankfulness for the readers. He is ultimately thankful for God’s work in them and through them. Paul used his words of thanks to set the tone for this letter that would guide his readers in living a life for Christ that is filled with joy. Thanks is the natural outcome of a life filled with joy. Like Paul the thanks flowing from our lives should not be limited to a once a year holiday celebration. Our thanks should be a daily expression of our joy that is based in Christ.

Honk if You Want Peace

3/27/2020

Philippians 4:1-7
Spring is a great time to be out doors and see the grass begin to green, trees begin to bud and geese begin to raise a ruckus. Well, they do not make much noise as long as their nesting area is avoided. But watch out, if anything gets too close to the nest the nice peaceful looking bird instantly turns into a screaming villain. Head down with wings spread the protective goose will charge the intruder while making a loudest racket possible. All they want is peace. In Philippians 4:1-7 we are reminded how to practice a life of peace in the midst of problems. In order to persevere through a problem we must learn how to stand in the problem. That begins by finding our joy in the Lord. Conflicts have a habit of distracting us from the joy that God gives. The challenge is to simply be thrilled with God so much that the focus is taken off the problem and placed on God. Once the attitude is right we can then take all of the problems to God in prayer. The admonition is not to be anxious but pray knowing that God is greater than the problems. With the attitude and action properly aligned God’s peace will rule the heart and mind. You see we have a choice to anxiously charge and honk or rest in the peace that God gives through Jesus Christ.