Category: Trial - Jethro TOOLS

Suffering

11/2/2025

1 Peter 3:13-4:6
It has been said we are either in a trial, coming out of a trial or about to go into a trial. That is true of each of us. Trials are the events in our life that introduce pain into our life. Pain is the hurt that is felt, while suffering is the continued condition of feeling the pain. Some years back I was diagnosed with cancer. That was a trial that I had never experienced before. I had a serious condition that required immediate attention and surgery. Enter pain. The testing and surgery introduced pain into my life that I had never before experienced. For months I continued to suffer with the lingering side effects and pain as I recovered from surgery. Eventually the hardship of suffering decreased, the pain subsided and the trial ended. Was there any benefit to the suffering? Good health was the outcome, but is that the only outcome? In God’s eyes pain and suffering does have a purpose and a good outcome. 1 Peter 3:18 tells us that that the death of Christ was for the purpose of bringing us to God. Through the pain and suffering God brought good. 1 Peter 4 reminds us that we are to live in imitation of Christ having the same attitude (1). The message of the gospel is proclaimed through the pain of suffering. We can only know restoration to God through Jesus Christ who suffered and died for us. That is good news. In much the same way God redeems our suffering as we submit to Him using our pain for His purpose. On a human level that is hard. We want life to be pain free. However, I can personally say that God allowed me to tell others of His love and grace through the suffering caused by cancer. God wants to redeem your pain for His good. Will you let him?

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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

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

God's Sovereign Persistence

5/21/2023

Job 2:1-6
What do you do when you need fresh produce for a meal at home? Well, the answer is one of two things. The first option is that you may start a garden or plant some fruit trees. However, the results are not instantaneous. The second option is to go to the local grocery store. Upon entering the store you walk to the fresh produce case and examine the fruit and vegetables. You will look for bruises, bad spots, and unappealing bumps. Fruit that is shipped to our local grocery store will often arrive bruised from harvest and transportation. However, regardless of the lumps, bumps, and bruises a banana is still a banana. God made our fruits and vegetables to be consistent on the outside with what is on the inside. If you cut an apple open you do not expect to find a peach. The same consistency is true in the life of Job. As we move into chapter two we again see God’s rule over Satan (1-2). He is the defeated foe as God rules in the life of Job, His servant (3). However, Satan is not done, because he desires another chance to destroy Job (4-5). Yet, God in His sovereignty, allows Satan another chance to turn Job against Him (6). The sovereign persistence of God controlled Satan and kept Job. God, in His sovereignty, acts to preserve His servant. God is persistent in bringing about His plan in Job’s life and ours. We need to trust that only God can save us. Our effort to save ourselves is futile. Our enemy, Satan, is determined. However, God is all powerful, displaying His sovereign persistence. He knows the past, present, and future. His desire is that we submit to His rule and purpose in order to display His honor and glory through us. Like fruit that is squeezed and bruised, the servant of God under pressure displays God’s greatness to sustain and preserve.

For more see JOB

Spiritual Battle - Complacency and Self Confidence

5/7/2023

Ephesians 6:10-13
On April 15, 1912 the British passenger ship, the Titanic, sank after hitting an ice berg off the coast of Canada. The ship itself was a masterpiece of the current technology. The safety features of water tight compartments made it seem that it was supposedly unsinkable. The problem is that it was sinkable. As the boat hit the iceberg it dented the side of the ship in a way that caused the seams in the metal hull to open and allow the sea water to rush in. The end result is the tragic loss of life that is remembered still to this day. The most difficult thing about this event is that the captain had been informed of icebergs in the area but chose to ignore the warnings given. Complacency and self confidence sank the Titanic. Are we not much the same? We hear the warnings of temptation and sin from others and Scripture, yet we think that it can’t happen to us. We believe that we are spiritually strong, yet, like the Titanic, that can also be our weakness. We can become complacent and spiritually self-confident in our response to spiritual temptations, threats, and trials that are real battles in our spiritual life. Paul understood this as he wrote to the believers in Ephesus. In Ephesians 6, Paul closes out the book by describing one final way the believer is to respond to life. In reality this is probably the most important. Paul explains the spiritual battle (13) and the reality of the enemy, Satan (12). He reminds his readers, and us today, of the need for God’s protection (11) and God’s power (10) to withstand Satan and the spiritual battles. Just like an iceberg, the battles we face each day contain much more below the spiritual surface. We need to be aware of spiritual complacency and self-confidence. These issues can sink us just like the Titanic.

For more see EPHESIANS or TEMPTATION

Responding to God's Word

7/24/2022

James 1:19-27
Have you ever put dish soap in your dishwasher or washing machine? You may have run out of regular soap and thought that this other which is called soap will do the same job in cleaning. The difficulty is that regular dish soap is concentrated and needs only a small bit to make a sink full of suds that help clean dishes. Dish soap can become over activated and produce a bunch of useless foam. The correct soap will act appropriately and clean without all the mess. Like using the correct soap we also need to correctly use the word of God in the mess of life’s trials and temptations that we face daily. That is what James is trying to help his audience understand and then put into use. In the final portion of chapter 1 James describes how a stable faith will use the word of God. We must willingly receive the message of God’s word without debate (19-21). He challenges his readers to accept the truth of God’s word and allow it to grow. This leads to a personal response to the truth of the word and application of it (22-25). The measurement of true spiritual growth is found in not only accepting, but personally applying the word of God to life. James moves on by stating that the truth of God’s word in us must be seen through us (26-27). In other words, our claim about being saved by Jesus and being spiritually changed is not to be kept to ourselves. The problem that James is addressing here is still in existence today. We must receive the word, respond to the word, and then reveal the truth of God’s word to others. Our lives are like useless foam when we do not allow faith in God and His word to transform our life and action.

For more see JAMES

The Purpose of Trials

7/10/2022

James 1:1-12
Do you know what an anagram is? An anagram is when you take a word or phrase and rearrange the letters to make a different word or phrase by using all of the letters only once. For example, some simple ones would be heart that turns into earth, part becomes trap, or secure that becomes rescue. Try it with any word and see what you can come up with. In fact why don’t we try one together! Let’s take the word trial. An anagram of trial could be trail. As we begin a new study in the book of James, we see that the author wants his audience to develop a faith that is lived out in everyday life and displayed through their actions, and attitudes that motivate their actions. James begins the first chapter by noting that faith in Jesus Christ brings stability to life in the midst of trials. A trial is simply God allowing difficulty and or pain to deepen and encourage our confidence in Him. James notes that trials have the purpose of growing an enduring faith in God (2-4). The practice of faith in trials causes us to seek God’s wisdom (5-8) which requires personal humility (9-11). James says that God will reward this life of faith (12). To summarize, James is not interested in his audience simply stating that they have faith. His desire is that they have a faith that impacts their behavior. Perhaps put another way, James wants his audience to view trials as a way to walk the trail of faith that God has for each believer. As we walk by faith down the trail of trial we humbly depend on God for the wisdom and strength to endure. This week may your faith impact your perspective of your trial so you can see that this is God’s way to grow you as you walk His trail.

For more see JAMES

Hope - Encouragement to Live by Faith

1/30/2022

Revelation 1:1-8
Do you remember the Merry Go Round from a school playground in your child hood. I remember one where several of us boys would get on while the others remained off. The task was very simple. If you were on the Merry Go Round you tried with all your might to stay on. If you were off the Merry Go Round your job was to spin it as fast as possible to make those that were on the Merry Go Round fall off. I remember being on the Merry Go Round and spinning so fast and so long that I thought it would never stop while my brothers and friends were just laughing at me. Have you ever wanted something to end, but had no power to stop it? The spinning problem just seemed to go on and on without an end in sight. Perhaps you feel like that now. Perhaps you see this year is a repeat of the previous year, or you feel like this month will never end. Your thoughts are sort of like being on the Merry Go Round as you scream, “Stop the world and let me off!” The book of Revelation is a reminder to remain faithful even when the world and our life seems to be spinning out of control. Revelation reminds us that in the end Jesus wins and controls everything. That was an encouragement to the churches and individuals John was writing to who were struggling to hang on amid pressures and persecution of their faith. Today we may read the book of Revelation looking for answers about the future. However, the emphasis throughout this book is to remain faithful to Jesus by obeying what is written (Rev. 1:3) and hang on to our faith. Make Jesus your focus and not the problem that is spinning out of control.

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My Strength and My Song

5/6/2020

Exodus 15:1-7
I would like to introduce you to a friend of mine. His name is Horatio. He was a businessman in the Chicago area in the late 1800’s. However, there are three great tragedies that entered his life. The death of his young son, the Chicago fire of 1871 which destroyed his business and financial investments, and finally the death of his four young daughters. Several years after the fire he decided to go to Europe with his family but at the last minute he changed his mind and sent the family on ahead by boat while he dealt with some business affairs. During the ocean crossing there was a collision with another ship and for Horatio only his wife survived. In full disclosure, I have not actually met him but I appreciate the depth of his life that he has communicated. You see several weeks later as he traveled on the same ocean route and neared the spot where his four daughters died he wrote the words to a song that you should know. His name is Horatio Spafford and the title of the song is “It is Well With My Soul.” I would encourage you to find the song and review the words in light of Horatio’s story. He was a man of faith who had lost much in this life yet he confidently stated that all was well with his soul. He could agree with Moses and the people in Exodus 15:2 that the LORD is my strength and song and the LORD has become my salvation. Try finding a verse of scripture or good song like this one and let it continually roll through your mind today. Allow God to use the words to draw your thoughts to Him as the source of our salvation, hope and joy.

Hot Water

4/2/2020

Colossians 1:13-18
Have you noticed the differences between a potato, an egg and coffee? On a simple observation the potato is firm all the way through, the egg has a tough exterior to protect a fragile interior and the coffee grounds are just small and lacking much substance. However, try placing each in a pan of boiling water for an hour. The firm potato turns to mush, the hard shelled egg becomes hard all the way through, but the coffee releases a wonderful aroma and flavor. When we face the trials of life an opportunity is placed before us to display what we are made of. Strength and strategy are used to describe a victor. This is true in a High School basketball game, politics, health or war. The strong one can be defeated if the opponent has a better strategy. The hot water of life’s strategic trials can turn our seeming firmness to mush that lacks any strength. The heat of trials can also turn those of us with a tough exterior shell into permanently hardened people with a hard heart. Or we can choose to be like coffee and allow the heat of trials to release the aroma and taste of Christ from our lives. Satan will attempt to use the trials to defeat us, but the believer displays that their strength is in the Lord.

In the book of Colossians we see that Paul, the author, is emphasizing the strength and strategy of Christ is all things. He is doing this to help a group of people that he has not met come to a correct understanding of God that leads to a correct practice of their faith. The church of Colossae has been infiltrated with false teachers and teachings stating that belief in Jesus is not enough. Paul begins his correction after giving a warm introduction (1:1-8) and a summary of the letter (1:9-10). Now in verses 13-18 Paul points out that Christ is superior in all areas of life. There should not be a separation of the sacred and the secular for the believer. Christ is to be supreme in the life of the believer in the good times and the hard times. Nothing is to be added and nothing more is needed. Is Christ your source of strength when you are in hot water? You see, when you are in hot water Christ has the best strategy to allow His strength to be seen through you.