Step by Step

Loving people isn’t easy when you don’t know them. My heart may be touched for terrorist victims in foreign countries, but I will hurt more for a neighbor who lost his job or a friend at church who is struggling with divorce.
We live in such an impersonal culture that we can say we know people if we remember their names or have a Facebook connection. But do we love them? Maybe just a little, but to really care, we need a more personal relationship.
I often hear people describe their salvation experience as a time when they made Jesus their “personal Lord and Savior.” Really? How can the relationship be that personal when they have yet to walk through tough times together?
Jesus said, “Those who remain faithful until the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13). That suggests a difficult journey that begins when we meet the Lord, and it continues until the work he has for us is done.
We know that the steps of righteous people are directed by the Lord, and he loves to walk with them (Psalm 37:23). Why? He knows our hearts better than we do. His love is so great that he chose to die for us. Therefore, walking with us can’t cause him to know us any better or love us any more.
Could it be that he delights in walking with us because we will love him more when we get to know him better?