“Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Peter, who wrote this, had seen Jesus. He walked with Him for the three years of Jesus’ public ministry. He had enjoyed the privilege of personal experience with the Lord. He was writing this letter to an audience that was scattered away from national Israel and would not have seen Jesus. He was also writing to us.

He pointed out an important truth. Millions of us who have never seen Jesus physically love Him. We love Him because we know what He did for us and we love Him because what He said has spoken to our hearts. It is possible to love someone for who he is and what he’s done and that’s how we feel about Jesus. He has touched our lives with His love and we respond to that with love for Him.

The bottom line for Peter, and for us, is that faith in Jesus, and our love for him, leads to the most important goal of our lives—the salvation of our souls.
William Dyke was blind when he asked his wife-to-be to marry him. He had surgery before his wedding and didn’t have the bandages unwrapped until he met his wife at the marital altar. He looked at her for the first time and said, “You are more beautiful than I imagined.” That’s what we will all say when we see Jesus for the first time.