“If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them…We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:15-16,19 (NIV)
Do you know and believe that God loves you? I know that can be a tough question. It’s one that’s worth asking because it’s where our identity in Christ begins–with us believing in, and relying on His love for us.
For a long time, I didn’t really grasp just how much God loves me. I knew it in my head, but I rarely felt worthy of a place next to Him at the table. After all, who am I that He should take notice of little ol’ me, let alone esteem me as a beloved friend?
As I grew in my relationship with God, He gave me a true sense of belonging with Him. He showed me through his faithfulness that He loves me truly and fiercely. It was then I began to see evidence of His love in everyday things, great and small. Because of Christ, I started to see myself through His eyes and gained confidence as His beloved daughter.
I have been especially inspired and encouraged by the story of the apostle John in the Bible. He was someone who really embraced his identity as one whom God loved. In fact, John described himself more than once throughout the gospels as “The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved”.
That bold statement may seem a bit self-important, but in reality, when John talked about himself as the disciple whom God loved, he carefully chose words to describe what he considered the most important thing about himself.
John’s core identity, how he saw himself and interacted with the world, was completely founded on His relationship with Jesus. We will always surrender ourselves to whatever the defining love or influence is in our life, and for John, Jesus was that defining influence.
We see an example of this in John 13:23 when Jesus was talking with the disciples. John believed and relied on the love Jesus had for him and was secure in his identity as One Whom Jesus Loved. Because of that, he chose to sit right next to Jesus, because he knew he belonged there.
I recently learned something really cool about the phrase “The disciple whom Jesus loved”. The Greek for loved here can literally be translated as the disciple whom Jesus keeps on loving. His love for us isn’t conditional. It’s not past tense, it is new every morning. It is evergreen and unwavering.
Whether we overcommit and underdeliver, whether we say yes or no, if we get it all right or if we get it all wrong, we are the ones that Jesus keeps on loving. We don’t have to wonder every day, “Does he still love me?” The answer will always be, “Yes!”
So you can get on over there and sit next to Jesus because you are someone whom Jesus keeps on loving! There’s nothing you need to do to earn His love and nothing you can do to lose it. God is love, and we are His beloved.
John 4:19 says “…we love because He first loved us.”
Our love for God begins with letting Him love us. When we allow God’s love to sink into our very being, it transforms us. When we believe in and rely on His love, we find a peace and joy that transcends our circumstances. When our relationship with Jesus is the defining influence in our lives, all other decisions, big or little, are made in light of His steadfast love. It defines and shapes our identity and how we move in the world. It gives us security and confidence and becomes the firm foundation upon which we build our lives. When we experience God’s radical love, it changes everything.
You are God’s beloved. There is not a moment that God does not see you fully, know you completely, and love you beyond compare. Believe in that, spend time with God, and learn to trust in His love and rely on it. Hunker down in the truth of His love, wrap up in it like a warm hug. You are absolutely precious to Him, simply because you are His. Then take your spot at the table right next to Him, as one loved by God. He is happy to have you close, right where you will always belong.
