The One Jesus Loves

John 13:23, NIV

One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him.

John 19:26, NIV

When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”

John 21:7a, NIV

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” 

John 21:20a, NIV

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. 

The disciple whom Jesus loved. 

It brings a smile to my face when I read John refer to himself this way throughout the Gospel that bears his name—because understanding this truth is everything. 

“Jesus loves ME” is the foundation of our faith. This is why Satan works so hard to convince people it’s not true. 

Jesus loves you. 

You are the one whom Jesus loves. 

God sent Jesus to you out of his great love for you. 

If you don’t believe this from the depths of who you are, then go to God and ask Him to open your heart to be able to perceive his love for you. I’ve believed this truth my whole life, yet there was a season of my life in which that head knowledge was failing to reach my heart. I knew God loved me, but I didn’t feel like God loved me. So I asked Him to open my heart to be able to perceive His love for me.

And did He ever.

Over the course of about a year, God opened my spiritual eyes to the beautiful little ways He reveals His love all throughout my days. And it changed my life. Now I can’t not see those things, and I’m often overwhelmed by the lovingkindness of the God who loves me. 

Jesus loves you. This I know. And this, I pray, you will know too. 

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19)