one step: Luke 1.10

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
Luke 1:31

Prior to this moment in time, there was nothing spectacular about the name “Jesus.” A common name used throughout the Old Testament and throughout the first century AD, “Jesus” was most often interpreted “Joshua” (pronounced Yeshua).* Meaning “saves,” the people of Israel were quite familiar with the saving exploits of Joshua in the history of their people (see the book of Joshua in the Bible).* Despite the rich history and strong meaning of the name Joshua, the life of Jesus Christ would completely redefine it. The life of Jesus Christ would take the name “Jesus” and make it anything but common.

Interestingly, when Mary received the name of Jesus from the angel, the Jewish people were not expecting a “divine” Messiah.* In fact, some of Mary’s later reactions to Jesus show that despite the miraculous conception and the subsequent promises about Jesus in Luke 2:32-33, Mary, like all of humanity, was on a journey of discovering His divine nature (see e.g., Luke 2:41–52 and Mark 3:31–33).*

In our world today, as we look for “saving,” are we expecting the divine? Often we expect the Divine One to address our worldly issues. We want saving from all sorts of things in this life that are hard or painful. God cares about the issues of this life, and His heart for us includes a saving from earthly difficulty (the future Paradise we are promised is testament to that - Revelation 21:4). There is something, however, that God wants to do to redefine our understanding of “saving” that makes our understanding more eternal. There is something that He wants to do in your life that will echo in eternity.

Are we willing to open our hearts to it? Are we willing to open our hearts to Him? Where are you in the journey of discovering His divinity?

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to allow Him to redefine “saving” for you. Perhaps today God wants to birth something miraculous in your life. Maybe today God wants to take something common in your life and make it very uncommon. Perhaps today God wants to start you on a journey of seeing just how divine Jesus is.

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!

*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 1:29–38). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 79–80). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 46–47). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 60). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 57–58). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 111–112). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, p. 51). Word, Incorporated.

one step: water break

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him"… And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”

Matthew 2:1-2, 11

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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As we enter into the new year, it’s customary in our culture to make new-year resolutions. We decide to stop doing some things and/or to start doing other things in the coming year. Often this is done just before or on January 1st.

Less customary in our culture is the celebration of Three Kings Day. Also known as The Epiphany or Little Christmas and celebrated on January 6th, participants recognize the arrival of the three kings who came to worship Jesus at His birth. But who were these three kings, and why is their arrival worth recognizing?

The idea of “three kings” is purely tradition. The western tradition of three individuals comes from the fact that there were three gifts.* Contrastly, according to eastern tradition, there were twelve kings.* Regardless of the number of “kings,” their questioning of the location of baby Jesus in verse two was impactful enough to reach the ears and concerns of King Herod (v. 3).* According to scholars, the involvement of King Herod himself might indicate that they arrived with a large party, large enough to gain the attention of many.* This theory of a large group aligns with the travel customs of their day. Believed to have come from Persia, they would have traveled approximately 900 miles to get to Jerusalem.* This distance would have taken several months to travel and would have included a large group.*

Additionally, the individuals who came to worship Jesus were not kings.* No, they were magi.* Magi were most often advisors to kings, learned in astrology, science, magic, and wisdom, meant to help kings to look good to their people and to rival countries.* It would not have been completely abnormal for them to go as ambassadors to another kingdom to pay homage to the birth of a king, nor would it have shaken the confidence of their Persian king who viewed himself as the King of Kings (a title we know belongs to Jesus).*

These magi brought three gifts to Jesus: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. According to tradition, gold signified the royalty of Jesus, frankincense signified the divinity of Jesus (traditionally burned in the temple), and myrrh signified the death and burial of Jesus (used as a burial spice). These special gifts were of great value and important foreshadowing to the purposes of Christ come.

Now that we know some of who the magi were, why does it matter to recognize them and their visitation to little Jesus?

First, the magi were not Jewish. This fact holds significance because it sets the tone for the message of the Good News: it’s for all people.* The magi weren’t Jewish, though Jesus was Jewish and came to the Jewish people as a fulfilled promise of many Jewish prophecies.* No, the magi were pagan.* They were Gentiles. It amazes me that God wastes so little time in extending the good news of the birth of His son to outsiders. I’m an outsider, and if you aren’t Jewish, so are you. Jesus came for all, and I’m overwhelmed and grateful.

Second, when we celebrate Christmas, all of our traditions point toward the gift of Jesus given from God to us. When we celebrate Little Christmas, we have the opportunity to look to Jesus and, in an act of worship, give something of value to Him.

Today, on The Epiphany, we have the opportunity to follow the example of the magi by offering something of great value to our King as a gift and as an act of worship. What does it look like to give something to Jesus? It looks like dedicating what you do to Jesus. It looks like dedicating your dreams to Him. It looks like giving Him your morning, your evening, your waking, and your sleeping. It looks like doing everything as an act of worship to HIm.

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men…

Colossians 3:23

Today, take a step. Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to ask Him what He would like you to give Him this year as an act of worship. Perhaps God would ask you to give Him your work. Maybe He would have you give Him your rest. Perhaps today God would have you give Him your life.

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!

*Osborne, G. R. (2010). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 86). Zondervan.
Osborne, G. R. (2010). Matthew (Vol. 1, pp. 86–87). Zondervan.
Wilkins, M. J. (2004). Matthew (pp. 92–93). Zondervan Publishing House.
Wilkins, M. J. (2004). Matthew (pp. 92–96). Zondervan Publishing House.
Morris, L. (1992). The Gospel according to Matthew (pp. 35–37). W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
Carson, D. A. (2010). Matthew. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew–Mark (Revised Edition) (Vol. 9, pp. 107–112). Zondervan.
Turner, D. L. (2008). Matthew (pp. 78–81). Baker Academic.
Keener, C. S. (1997). Matthew (Vol. 1, Mt 2:1–12). InterVarsity Press.
Hagner, D. A. (1993). Matthew 1–13 (Vol. 33A, pp. 26–28). Word, Incorporated.

one step: Luke 1.9

And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
Luke 1:28-29

Have you ever heard God say something that troubled you? When God whispered to me, “I want you to plant a church,” that troubled me! Maybe God has told you to move to a place that costs more, or give to help someone when you didn’t have much. Maybe God told you to walk up to someone and say something encouraging to them. Perhaps God told you what He is calling you to, and it troubled you.

I must confess, in all of the times that God has spoken to me, it did not come through a message from a glowing, angelic being. If you recall, Zechariah was troubled because of the appearance of the angel that appeared to him with the message of the miracle of John:*

 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

Luke 1:12

Can you imagine seeing an angel?! I know that I would be troubled!

When that same angel (Gabriel) appeared to Mary, there is no mention of his appearance in the interaction with Mary.* Mary’s emotion described as “greatly troubled” was based solely upon what the angel said.*

The Greek words used for the “greatly troubled” Mary vs. the “troubled” Zechariah confirm that Mary experienced a greater degree of feeling of “troubled” (perplexed).* What words from God could cause greater feelings of “troubled” than seeing the angel Gabriel?!

Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!

What was Mary’s view of herself or God that being called, “favored” and that “the Lord is with you” would cause great trouble in her soul? How could that be so perplexing?

How many of us have trouble receiving the truth that God has favor toward us? How many of us forget or don’t feel like God is with us?

During Christmas, it’s easy to feel alone, though surrounded by people. It’s easy to feel undeserving of God’s graceful glance because of our own humanity. During Christmas, we often are reminded of what we do not have like loved ones, budget for gifts, or feelings of great joy. Though we see glowing baby Jesus decorations in front yards, it isn’t always easy to connect His birth with favor, grace, and His closeness.

Just before the first Christmas, Gabriel appeared to Mary to tell her of the hope of the world being formed inside of her. The first thing he wanted to make clear to her: she was favored and God was with her.

Just before this Christmas, allow God to remind you: you are favored and He is with you. By the way… the hope of the world is inside of you too.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to remember His boundless favor toward you. Perhaps today God wants you to know that He is with you. Maybe today God wants you to release your feeling of great trouble.

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!

*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 1:26–38). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 78–79). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 41–44). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 59). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 56–58). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 106–108). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, pp. 48–49). Word, Incorporated.

one step: water break

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14

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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As we consider the coming of Jesus to this earth, we must not miss the implications of “God with us.” Why did Jesus come to Earth to be with us?

John 3:16-17 tells us,

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

God gave Jesus because of His great love for us. His intention was that all would be saved.

When Jesus came as Immanuel, the implications span all of eternity, and we could discuss them at great length. But, in today’s water break, let’s consider this: God’s heart is to be with us.

This is how it was at the beginning:

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:8

In the beginning, God walked in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden. He was right there with them! That’s how He inaugurated His relationship with humanity: walking with us. Can you imagine? Imagine that you walk down your favorite path through the woods and turn to see something out the of the corner of your eye. It isn’t a butterfly drifting through the air or a deer bounding through the flowers. It’s God. When was the last time you looked over and saw God? This was humanity’s reality prior to their fall into sin.

You’ll notice that in the same verse that we learn that God walked among us, we see that we (humanity) hid from Him. This is tragic; this is heartbreaking. Adam and Eve’s sin caused them to hide. Their sin and subsequent hiding formed a rift in our relationship with Him. The walk was over.

God, in His love and goodness, did not give up on us. He continued to relate to and reach out to humanity over the generations. Then, God made a big move: He re-established “God-with-us.”

Jesus came as a baby to this earth, not just to give us a holiday to celebrate, but to reestablish an intimate proximity to the people He created and loves.

He came to once again be God with us. He came as a baby born in Bethlehem so that He could walk with us.

Today, take a step. Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to walk through your day knowing that He’s walking with you. Perhaps today God wants you to remember that Christmas is about His love for you and His desire to be close. Perhaps today God wants you to slow down your life to a walk. Maybe today God wants you to look over and see Him.

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: Luke 1.8

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!
Luke 1:26-28

I’m constantly amazed at how much Jesus lowered Himself to come to us (Philippians 2:1-11), and how hard He worked to communicate His desire to connect with the most common of us of humanity.

While the angel Gabriel brought the amazing news of the miraculous birth of John to a holy man in a holy place during a holy time (Zechariah in the context of the holy Temple of God during the sacrifice of incence - see One Step: Luke 1.3), the news of the supernatural coming of Jesus came to a much more ordinary place.*

Nazareth was unremarkable. Though flourishing as a producer of wheat, wine, oil, fruit, honey, and millet, only around 500 people called Nazareth home.* Scholars believe that Luke’s use of the qualifier a city of Galilee when mentioning Nazareth indicates that even the regional readers of Luke’s Gospel would not know the location of Nazareth.* Jesus, the coming King, came to a town that no one had heard about! Jesus, one who came for “the least of these,” like you and me, chose a family from a “least of these” towns. Why not send Jesus into this world to a town of renown where the news would spread quickly of His coming? God had another plan.

Furthermore, Galilee (where Nazareth was located) was known for their aggressive behavior.* Think about that: God chose a family from an aggressive, combative area to bring the Prince of Peace into the world! How unlikely! Jerusalem means city of peace. It would make sense to me if God chose this city, but an unknown town in a violent area? It’s unpredictable! In the words of the disciple Nathaniel in John 1:46, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Mary’s story is also one more common than we realize. At the time of Gabriel’s visit to Mary, she was engaged. Though somewhat strange to us, in Israel during the time of Mary, it was customary for marriages to be a two-step process.* The first step was a legally-binding engagement that included a contract and a bridal price.* The completion of step one made the young woman involved the official wife of the groom.* Usually a year later, the bride would then participate in the bridal feast and move into the home of her husband.* The angel came to Mary in the “waiting” phase between step one and step two.* Because of the legalities of their union in step one, only divorce or death could end their agreement.* Since Mary is officially considered Joseph’s wife, any child born to her would be considered his, if he accepted the child.*

While Gabriel refers to Mary as favored, the intent is to highlight God’s great, undeserved grace toward her rather than her individual merit.* Luke’s desire was to help us to relate to Mary as a fellow recipient of grace rather than a super-human to be worshiped.*

Are you feeling like a common person from a common place in a common circumstance? Jesus came for you.

Today, take a step.

Maybe today the one step God wants you to take is to allow yourself to be okay with common. Perhaps today God wants you to remember that He works miracles through common people. Maybe today God wants you to remember that Jesus came for 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!

*Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke (Lk 1:26–38). InterVarsity Press.
Garland, D. E. (2012). Luke (pp. 78–79). Zondervan.
Edwards, J. R. (2015). The Gospel according to Luke (D. A. Carson, Ed.; pp. 41–44). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos.
Liefeld, W. L., & Pao, D. W. (2007). Luke. In T. Longman III & D. E. Garland (Eds.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Luke–Acts (Revised Edition) (Vol. 10, p. 59). Zondervan.
Bock, D. L. (1996). Luke (pp. 56–58). Zondervan Publishing House.
Bock, D. L. (1994). Luke: 1:1–9:50 (Vol. 1, pp. 106–108). Baker Academic.
Nolland, J. (1989). Luke 1:1–9:20 (Vol. 35A, pp. 48–49). Word, Incorporated.