one step: Matthew 17.2

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.”

There on the mount of transfiguration, the most terrifying experience of Peter, James, and John’s lives fell upon them unexpectedly. Jesus brought these disciples off to pray or talk on other occasions, but on this one, God the Father Himself showed up in a visible form.

Until this point in history, until Jesus the Messiah entered earth as a man, those who saw God died (see e.g., Exodus 33:20). The disciples fell on their faces and were terrified as they believed death to be imminent!

Jesus walks up, touches them, and instructs them not to fear the destruction of God.

When we fall on our faces in worship before God, we recognize His absolute holiness, purity, beauty, and goodness. It’s so overwhelmingly “other” that we cannot stand beside it. We must fall as Peter, James, and John did, but not out of fear of destruction. We must fall out of awe and humility. The work of Jesus allows us to look upon God and live!

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to look upon His face. Perhaps God wants you to bow low today as you recognize who He is and His qualities. Maybe God wants you to stand unafraid in His presence as the son or daughter that He has made you to be. Perhaps today is a good day to worship.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 439–441, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 17:4–8) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 17.1

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.

Have you ever been on a difficult journey by yourself? Maybe you are on that journey now, or maybe it’s a journey you are walking with your family. Sometimes we find ourselves in difficult places or on difficult paths, and we have ourselves to thank. We made decisions that got us to an uncomfortable path that now is teaching us something important.

Other times, however, Jesus takes us on a difficult path.

It’s easy to be on the journey, tired and worn out, and want to turn back. Our complaints like dripping water soak our attitudes. As we look to the left or the right, no one but our few companions understand our difficulty.

Why does Jesus call a few people up the high mountain by themselves? Is it punishment? Is it consequences? Why the difficult journey?

That day, Jesus wanted to bring a trusted few to see Him for His real nature as fully man and fully God. Jesus wanted them to see a picture of what was to come. Jesus wanted to show them what no other human had ever seen.

Today you may be on a difficult journey with family, coworkers, or even by yourself. You look around you, and loneliness attempts to creep in. Who understands the pain? Who understands the difficulty? Maybe this journey is one that Jesus lead you on, but take hope: there is something of who He is that He wants to show you, and you will never be the same again.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to trust Him in the climb. Perhaps you are in the middle of a climb up a high mountain and God wants you to persevere. Maybe God wants you to just take the next step in ascending to His glory. Perhaps He wants you to receive hope today: He will meet with you; you will see His glory.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 436–438, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 16:28–17:3) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 16.5

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Walking through life as a disciple of Christ requires a lifestyle of sacrifice. Jesus’ words in the original Greek does not refer to a one-time acceptance of a hypothetical cross that looks like inconvenience or struggle.* Jesus’ words require an ongoing acceptance of His position of Lordship in our life that looks like following His example of willingness to forsake all (even life) for the advancement of the Kingdom. For followers of Jesus, their life is not their own, but it is His.

Jesus explains that to attempt to save one’s own soul equate to the loss of it, but the one who gives it up for Christ gains it. The eternal rewards of a life lived for Him outweighs the costs here in this life.

What does this mean? All of the self-help books and all of the work to restore, renew, and change our own mind, will, and emotions will result in a fatal failure of loss. The one thing that brings life is accepting a death to this life, a denial of all, for a life in Him.

Many of us live pour out our lives for something. In our culture, we sacrifice our lives for various things and don’t think twice. We sacrifice our mind, will, and emotions for our jobs. We destroy our marriages for our lust. We trade our financial futures for new cars and sporting events. We trade our families for hobbies and pleasures. Often we sacrifice all of this and more in pursuit of comfort, peace, and joy. We lose these things and more in this pursuit.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to recognize Him as Lord. Perhaps God wants you to stop giving up your life for things of this world that cannot deliver what you need. Maybe God wants you to take up your cross now.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 431–435, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 16:24-27) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 16.4

“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Peter rocketed from hero to zero quite quickly. The distance from confessing the Lordship of Jesus as the Messiah and receiving the recognition of Jesus to aligning with satan may seem far, but Peter spans it quickly. Moving from hero to zero is something that I can relate to.

Many times I’ve done something for my wife that has been deeply meaningful only to turn around and seemingly erase my efforts with one bone-headed comment or failure. Whether or not my actions qualify as aligning to satan or not might be up for debate, but perhaps this happens more times than we realize.

In the statement quoted above, Jesus connects the things of man to satan.

How many times have we simply done what comes naturally or reflects our society because it’s just “normal” and unwittingly aligned to satan? The enemy has so deeply influenced this world that the values of this world reflect the values of satan more than we realize.*

Peter meant well, for he could not understand a messiah who would have to die. The Messiah that he knew was all powerful. Natural wisdom would say, “no way.”

Peter serves as an example to us to allow Jesus to be our source of truth and wisdom. The conventional wisdom of our day only has value when it aligns to His words. To align to anything else may just be aligning to satan.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to allow Him to examine your beliefs about Him and what you expect Him to do. Perhaps God wants to show you His purposes. Maybe God wants to reset your thinking and reestablish what is “normal.”

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 427–430, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 16:21-23) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).

one step: Matthew 16.3

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

There is some debate as to what Jesus meant exactly when He told this to Peter. Was Jesus going to build His church on the statement Peter made (“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”)? Was Jesus going to build His church on Peter himself? Or was Jesus going to build His church on Peter declaring that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God (both combined)?*

No matter which, this fact remains: Jesus builds the church. This church, that Jesus builds, moves forward and takes ground in a way that the gates of hell cannot prevent.

It begs these questions: are we trying to build the church? If Jesus builds the church, then what are we building? This thing that we are building, do we think that it will prevail against the gates of hell? What happens when it doesn’t?

These questions inspire me to say, “Lord, build Your church! Show me what You would have me do!”

Jesus is asking us all to do something each and every day. Each step that we take with Him is a step of obedience in a long journey of discipleship. This obedience is partnering with Him as HE builds HIS church.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to surrender to Him your effort to build whatever it is that you’re building. Perhaps God is asking you to partner with Him in building His church through some act or acts of obedience. Maybe God is asking you to remember who He is: the Christ, the Son of the living God. Remembering that helps bring a lot into perspective.

Whatever the step, ask God to direct it. Take a moment to take that step. Invite Him to speak. He will.

Life is a long road. Walk it with Jesus. Take a step today… just one is fine.

Feel free to comment at the bottom of this page! We would love to hear from you!

*Leon, Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew. Pillar New Testament Commentary (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1992), 418–427, and Keener, C. S., Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 16:13–18) (InterVarsity Press, 1997).