Remembrance Weekend Copy
Ladders That Don't Matter
As we step into a new year, there’s a natural pull to evaluate our lives. We think about where we’ve been, what we’ve accomplished, and where we hope to go next. New years invite reflection, and often, ambition.
But here’s an uncomfortable truth: not every ladder is worth climbing.
Some ladders look impressive. They come with applause, promotions, recognition, and validation. Yet when Paul writes the book of Philippians — while imprisoned — he strips life down to what actually matters. And in doing so, he reveals something freeing and challenging all at once:
Some ladders don’t matter at all.
Philippians is a short letter tucked between Ephesians and Colossians, written by the Apostle Paul around AD 60 while he was under house arrest in Rome. Instead of despair, frustration, or bitterness, the letter overflows with joy, gratitude, and clarity.
Paul wasn’t writing to fix a broken church or rebuke division. He was writing a thank-you letter to the church in Philippi - a church that consistently supported him and partnered with him in spreading the gospel.
The Philippian church was special. It was the first Christian church in Europe, planted in modern-day Greece along a major Roman road, strategically positioned for the expansion of the gospel. It began with unlikely people and miraculous moments - women praying by a river, a businesswoman named Lydia opening her home, prisoners worshiping in the dark, chains falling off, and entire households coming to faith.
This church didn’t just start strong. It stayed strong. So when Paul writes to them, he doesn’t give them a checklist. He gives them a way of life, a centered, settled, joyful life... regardless of what’s happening around them.
But here’s an uncomfortable truth: not every ladder is worth climbing.
Some ladders look impressive. They come with applause, promotions, recognition, and validation. Yet when Paul writes the book of Philippians — while imprisoned — he strips life down to what actually matters. And in doing so, he reveals something freeing and challenging all at once:
Some ladders don’t matter at all.
Philippians is a short letter tucked between Ephesians and Colossians, written by the Apostle Paul around AD 60 while he was under house arrest in Rome. Instead of despair, frustration, or bitterness, the letter overflows with joy, gratitude, and clarity.
Paul wasn’t writing to fix a broken church or rebuke division. He was writing a thank-you letter to the church in Philippi - a church that consistently supported him and partnered with him in spreading the gospel.
The Philippian church was special. It was the first Christian church in Europe, planted in modern-day Greece along a major Roman road, strategically positioned for the expansion of the gospel. It began with unlikely people and miraculous moments - women praying by a river, a businesswoman named Lydia opening her home, prisoners worshiping in the dark, chains falling off, and entire households coming to faith.
This church didn’t just start strong. It stayed strong. So when Paul writes to them, he doesn’t give them a checklist. He gives them a way of life, a centered, settled, joyful life... regardless of what’s happening around them.
The First Ladder: Status
Paul opens his letter with words we might normally skim past:
“This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1:1)
Paul doesn’t lead with his credentials, authority, or accomplishments (and he had plenty.) He doesn’t flex. He doesn’t introduce himself as “Apostle Paul.” Instead, he chooses one word: servant.
Why? Because status doesn’t matter.
Real leadership doesn’t start with how you’re introduced, it starts with who you serve. Titles can bring clarity, but when identity rests on a name tag instead of a servant’s heart, something is out of alignment.
Jesus modeled this upside-down kingdom clearly:
“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.”
(Matthew 20:26)
In the Kingdom of God, there isn’t a race to the top... there’s a race to the bottom. If the ladder you’re climbing requires you to stop serving, or keeps you too busy to serve, it may be leaning against the wrong wall.
The Second Ladder: Performance
Later, Paul writes:
“I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.”
(Philippians 1:6)
Paul’s confidence isn’t rooted in their performance, it’s rooted in God’s faithfulness.
We’re often tempted to measure our spiritual progress by output, talent, comparison, or visible success. But Paul reminds us that we are works in progress, and the work isn’t dependent on how impressive we are.
You may not be where you want to be, but you’re not where you were. You’ve survived things that should have broken you, and that wasn’t luck. That was God at work.
If you’re breathing, God isn’t done with you.
Pain isn’t wasted. Struggle isn’t proof of failure. And unfinished doesn’t mean abandoned. God has not quit on you, so don’t quit on yourself.
The Third Ladder: Image
Paul prays something powerful over the Philippian church:
“I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives.”
(Philippians 1:10)
The word pure here means “tested by sunlight.”
In ancient times, dishonest pottery makers would hide cracks with wax. The pot looked perfect - until it was held up to the light. The word sincere literally meant without wax.
Paul is calling believers to lives that can be held up to the light.
There’s nothing wrong with caring about appearance. But when image becomes more important than integrity, when our outward presentation doesn’t match our inward reality, cracks begin to form.
Image asks: “How do I look?”
Purity asks: “Can this stand the light?”
What’s hidden eventually leaks. But what’s exposed gets healed.
Paul isn’t calling us to perfection, he’s calling us to integrity. A life that doesn’t need filters. A faith that doesn’t require wax.
Paul opens his letter with words we might normally skim past:
“This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 1:1)
Paul doesn’t lead with his credentials, authority, or accomplishments (and he had plenty.) He doesn’t flex. He doesn’t introduce himself as “Apostle Paul.” Instead, he chooses one word: servant.
Why? Because status doesn’t matter.
Real leadership doesn’t start with how you’re introduced, it starts with who you serve. Titles can bring clarity, but when identity rests on a name tag instead of a servant’s heart, something is out of alignment.
Jesus modeled this upside-down kingdom clearly:
“Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant.”
(Matthew 20:26)
In the Kingdom of God, there isn’t a race to the top... there’s a race to the bottom. If the ladder you’re climbing requires you to stop serving, or keeps you too busy to serve, it may be leaning against the wrong wall.
The Second Ladder: Performance
Later, Paul writes:
“I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.”
(Philippians 1:6)
Paul’s confidence isn’t rooted in their performance, it’s rooted in God’s faithfulness.
We’re often tempted to measure our spiritual progress by output, talent, comparison, or visible success. But Paul reminds us that we are works in progress, and the work isn’t dependent on how impressive we are.
You may not be where you want to be, but you’re not where you were. You’ve survived things that should have broken you, and that wasn’t luck. That was God at work.
If you’re breathing, God isn’t done with you.
Pain isn’t wasted. Struggle isn’t proof of failure. And unfinished doesn’t mean abandoned. God has not quit on you, so don’t quit on yourself.
The Third Ladder: Image
Paul prays something powerful over the Philippian church:
“I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives.”
(Philippians 1:10)
The word pure here means “tested by sunlight.”
In ancient times, dishonest pottery makers would hide cracks with wax. The pot looked perfect - until it was held up to the light. The word sincere literally meant without wax.
Paul is calling believers to lives that can be held up to the light.
There’s nothing wrong with caring about appearance. But when image becomes more important than integrity, when our outward presentation doesn’t match our inward reality, cracks begin to form.
Image asks: “How do I look?”
Purity asks: “Can this stand the light?”
What’s hidden eventually leaks. But what’s exposed gets healed.
Paul isn’t calling us to perfection, he’s calling us to integrity. A life that doesn’t need filters. A faith that doesn’t require wax.
Step Off the Ladders
As we begin this year, the invitation isn’t to climb higher, it’s to step off the ladders that don’t matter.
Step off the ladder of status
Step off the ladder of performance
Step off the ladder of image
Lean into the Lord. Live a life that can stand in the light. Because ladders don’t last, but integrity does.
And that kind of life?
That’s what truly matters.
As we begin this year, the invitation isn’t to climb higher, it’s to step off the ladders that don’t matter.
Step off the ladder of status
Step off the ladder of performance
Step off the ladder of image
Lean into the Lord. Live a life that can stand in the light. Because ladders don’t last, but integrity does.
And that kind of life?
That’s what truly matters.
Posted in Pastor Jeremy
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