one step: water break

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…

Psalm 37:7a

The One Step Daily Devotional is intended to provide just one step each day for your journey with God. Every journey requires water breaks. Here is a water break for you.

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Today, set a five minute timer. With paper and a pen nearby, challenge yourself to be still for the entire five minutes. Attempt to quiet your mind before God.

As worries, concerns, or tasks come to mind, write them down on the paper. After writing the worry, concern, or task down, set aside the pen and paper and return to stillness. Do this as needed for the entire five minutes.

Once the five minute timer has gone off, pray and ask God to help you to wait patiently for Him to move in each of the areas that you wrote down.

Now repeat your attempt at stillness for another two minutes. Set a timer.

Do you find yourself relieved that the time is over? Do you long for more time? Ask God why.

Promise to return to the stillness with Him soon.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to not just read this devotional but to act on it. Perhaps God wants you to come meet with Him today.

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 water break… we all get thirsty.

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

one step: 1 Thessalonians 3.2

For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 3:8

“Now we really live,” says some translations of 1 Thessalonians 3:8. What is Paul saying here? Was he not living to his full potential before?

As made clear in prior verses, the Church in Thessalonica was enduring serious persecution. Paul and Silas, detained by Satan from coming to them (1 Thessalonians 2:18), also were enduring difficulty.* This difficulty included but was not limited to anxiety for their friends.*

Have you ever been anxious for the well-being of someone that you know? Have you ever worried about things that you cannot control?

Paul and Silas could have worried about death coming to the Church, more persecution, or too much difficulty in their life, amongst other things. The thing that caused them the most concern was that the Church would respond to the difficulties by drawing nearer to God. Hearing that the Church in Thessalonica had done just that, Paul and Silas could “really live.”

Scholars debate the original meaning of the phrase, “for now we live.” In the context of the culture of the day, it wasn’t uncommon for friends to use metaphor and hyperbole in expressing their feelings.* For example, one may write, “I will die if I do not see you.”* This is clearly not literal. Similarly, Paul and Silas did not come to a fuller life, but their life was freed of the anxiety that they had for the spiritual well-being of their loved ones.*

There is much that we cannot control in this life, and we will always have the opportunity to worry about something. We could worry about loss, death, persecution, and more. Perhaps, like with Paul and Silas, the thing that matters most is spiritual security. To what lengths would you go to be sure that your friends are spiritually safe? Do we check on one another to see if we are following Jesus even in the hardest times?

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to check on a friend’s relationship with God. Perhaps today God would have you release anxiety about things that you cannot control. Maybe today God would have you increase your care for the lost and tempted around you.

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.

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

*Holmes, M. (1998). 1 and 2 Thessalonians (pp. 99–101). Zondervan Publishing House.
Shogren, G. S. (2012). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (p. 141). Zondervan.
Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 170–171). W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.
Kim, S., & Bruce, F. F. (2023). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. B. Capes, Ed.; Second Edition, Vol. 45, pp. 289–290). Zondervan Academic.
Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, p. 73). InterVarsity Press.
Beale, G. K. (2003). 1–2 Thessalonians (pp. 104–106). InterVarsity Press.
Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.; pp. 223–225). Baker Academic.

one step: 1 Thessalonians 3.1

Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, and we sent Timothy, our brother and God's coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.

1 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Have you ever found yourself in a difficult season, shared with a friend about it, and received something that sounded like, “well, life is hard. Suck it up”? In the first couple chapters of 1 Thessalonians, Paul has made clear notation of the persecution that the Church in Thessalonica endures. In the verses above, Paul reminds them that he warned them that suffering would come just as it has always come to followers of Jesus.* Indeed, Jesus Himself endured great suffering even in the initiation of the rule of His Kingdom.*

In these reminders of the guarantee of suffering for believers, Paul gives his “life is hard” speech. Unlike many other leaders or friends that you may have experienced, Paul’s reaction is not to shut down their emotions, belittle or minimize their difficulty, or use it as an opportunity to shame them. No, he recognizes the risk of the attack of the enemy on them (even while Satan prevents Paul and Silas from going to them).*

Furthermore, Paul bursts with care, sending Timothy to their aid to encourage and assess their current situation.* The care of this move by Paul and Silas to send Timothy (their younger protégé) is understood when we understand that Paul and Silas sent Timothy alone on a trip while leaving themselves alone in a foreign land.* The danger of both situations could not be understated as traveling alone or staying in a foreign land was not without risk.*

Why does this matter to us today? Paul reflects the heart of God for you and me. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit as comforter (John 14:26). He did not send the Holy Spirit to remove all suffering from this life, but to help us to walk through it. Rescue will come one day upon the return of Jesus, but until that time, God could not just sit around while we suffer. He sent the Holy Spirit for you and me.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to allow God to comfort you by receiving the work of the Holy Spirit just as the Church in Thessalonica needed to receive the work of Timothy. Perhaps today God wants you to know that though this life includes suffering, you are not alone. Maybe God wants you to go and encourage someone else who is going through difficulty.

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.

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

*Holmes, M. (1998). 1 and 2 Thessalonians (pp. 97–99). Zondervan Publishing House.
Shogren, G. S. (2012). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (pp. 135–139). Zondervan.
Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 156–165). W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.
Kim, S., & Bruce, F. F. (2023). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. B. Capes, Ed.; Second Edition, Vol. 45, pp. 273–282). Zondervan Academic.
Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, pp. 68–72). InterVarsity Press.
Beale, G. K. (2003). 1–2 Thessalonians (pp. 95–102). InterVarsity Press.
Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.; pp. 206–218). Baker Academic.

one step: 1 Thessalonians 2.7

For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.

1 Thessalonians 2:19-20

Paul is looking forward to a crown of glory that is to come. This crown, according to the language used and the historical context in which Paul lived, would have been a crown similar to the award given to the victor of an athletic event.* Using branches from laurel, pine, celery, or (as in the area of Thessalonica) oak a wreath was formed to create these crowns.*

The visual that Paul provides communicates that he is excited to end the race with a crown.* Why would Paul want to boast of a crown if he claims that he only boasts in the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14)?*

Revelation 4:10-11 provides some look into why Paul would boast and find glory and joy in the Church in Thessalonica:

the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

Paul is excited to have a crown because it serves as the greatest opportunity of all time: to boast in the power of the cross of Jesus Christ to transform the Church of Thessalonica into His image and then lay the glory and the joy of that transformation at the feet of Jesus as an act of worship!*

It inspires this question: what crowns am I pursuing? Are they eternal? Can I lay them at the feet of Jesus, or are they crowns that will fade and be destroyed by time?

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to invest in the eternity of the people around you. Perhaps today God wants you to allow Him to examine your heart to see what crowns you are chasing and why. Maybe today God wants you to boast of His cross.

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.

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

*Holmes, M. (1998). 1 and 2 Thessalonians (pp. 95–97). Zondervan Publishing House.
Shogren, G. S. (2012). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (pp. 134–135). Zondervan.
Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 153–155). W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.
Kim, S., & Bruce, F. F. (2023). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (D. B. Capes, Ed.; Second Edition, Vol. 45, pp. 267–271). Zondervan Academic.
Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, pp. 67–68). InterVarsity Press.
Beale, G. K. (2003). 1–2 Thessalonians (pp. 91–94). InterVarsity Press.
Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.; pp. 201–205). Baker Academic.

one step: 1 Thessalonians 2.6

But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us.

1 Thessalonians 2:17-18

There are times that we must be away from the ones we love. This isn’t because we don’t want to be with them, but there are circumstances beyond our control that keep us apart. Perhaps work travel, military service, or mission work has kept you away from family. For Paul, Satan himself attempted to keep him and his team out of Thessalonica.* This time and distance apart was difficult for Paul because of his great love for them.*

Isn’t it interesting that Paul wasn’t satisfied with letters? Isn’t it interesting that Paul didn’t think to himself, “well, at least we can write. That’s good enough?” It was quite the opposite. Paul wanted to come meet with them in person with “great desire.”

The word in Greek was the same word that Jesus used in Luke 22 when He told the disciples that He “earnestly desired” to share the Passover meal with them.* It’s a word that can be translated in negative connotations as lust.*

Why do I share this? Pastor Jay Kim shares in his work Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age that digital meetings cannot replace in-person meeting.* He shares that the best that digital connection can do is to wet our appetite for in-person connection.* In fact, according to Nan Zhao et al in “Separable Processes for Live ‘In-Person’ and Live ‘Zoom-Like’ Faces”, different parts of the brain fire during in-person meetings than during Zoom meetings with Zoom meetings leaving certain parts of the brain inactive.*

Just as Paul longed for in-person connection with the Church, so too do we long for real, in-person connection. Certain things may keep us apart, but maybe today is a good day for you to ask someone you know to sit across a table from you to chat. Maybe the lack of satisfaction you have after chatting on a video call or after looking on social media is there for a reason. Maybe God designed you for something more tangible.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to connect with Him in person. Perhaps today God wants you to use digital technology as a bridge to invite someone to an in-person coffee meeting. Maybe today God wants you to keep trying to connect even when there’s opposition.

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.

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

*Holmes, M. (1998). 1 and 2 Thessalonians (pp. 94–95). Zondervan Publishing House.
Shogren, G. S. (2012). 1 & 2 Thessalonians (pp. 130–134). Zondervan.
Green, G. L. (2002). The letters to the Thessalonians (pp. 150–153). W.B. Eerdmans Pub.; Apollos.
Morris, L. (1984). 1 and 2 Thessalonians: An introduction and commentary (Vol. 13, pp. 65–67). InterVarsity Press.
Beale, G. K. (2003). 1–2 Thessalonians (pp. 89–91). InterVarsity Press.
Weima, J. A. D. (2014). Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: 1–2 Thessalonians (R. W. Yarbrough & R. H. Stein, Eds.; pp. 195–201). Baker Academic.
Büchsel, F. (1964–). θυμός, ἐπιθυμία, ἐπιθυμέω, ἐπιθυμητής, ἐνθυμέομαι, ἐνθύμησις. In G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich (Eds.), Theological dictionary of the New Testament (electronic ed., Vol. 3, pp. 168–169). Eerdmans.
Kim, Jay. Analog Church: Why We Need Real People, Places, and Things in the Digital Age. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press. 2020.
Zhao, Nan & Zhang, Xian & Noah, Adam & Tiede, Mark & Hirsch, Joy. (2023). Separable Processes for Live “In-Person” and Live “Zoom-like” Faces. Imaging Neuroscience. 1. 10.1162/imag_a_00027.