The Most Important Step

We Aspire to Follow Jesus Today

Photo by sporlab on Unsplash

I’m not the world’s foremost authority on long-distance running. I’ve never run a marathon or a half-marathon. But I have done a lot of running over the years. Whenever I go for a run, there comes a point at which I’m pretty sure I’m going to die (what mile that happens depends on how much in shape I am, which at the moment isn’t great). Real runners might offer different advice, but when I reach the point where it feels like I can’t make it any further, I find it most helpful to stop thinking about how much longer I have to run and start focusing on the next few steps I need to take. One step at a time, and before I know it, I’ve finished my run.

There’s a discipleship analogy here.

Francis Chan said it this way: “Stop asking God what his will for your life is. Start asking him what his will for your day is.”

My dad told it to me like this: “If each day you are where God wants you to be, then in 20 years you’ll be exactly where God wants you to be. So, don’t worry about where you need to be in 20 years. Focus on where you are right now.”

Jesus said it in these words: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt 6:33-34).

These three statements have a common focus on one day at a time. See, following Jesus is a journey—“walk by the Spirit,” as the Scriptures say. How do we walk? One step at a time. How do we follow Jesus? One step, one day at a time. One of the things we say around LakeView Church is the most important step you can take is the next one.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the problems in the world and feel paralyzed because they’re too big for us to fix. It’s easy to get so focused on God’s will for my whole life that I forget about God’s will for my day. That’s when I need to remember that I can’t change the world, but I know the One who can. A few years ago, the Overseers of LakeView wrote it like this:

Our aim is to take the next step with Jesus. We aspire to be growing disciples of Jesus. We believe a disciple is someone who is actually following Jesus, even if they’re the last one in line. Spiritual growth is not a program, class, or event. Nor is it a one-size-fits-all manufacturing process. It occurs through a lifelong pursuit of following Jesus together—one step at a time. The most important step a person can take is the next one.

Are you where God wants you to be today? What’s your next step with Jesus?