The one whom Jesus loves...

In the Bible we learn that of the 11 disciples, excluding Judas who hung himself for his betrayal of Jesus, only John was spared a martyr's death. This is not for lack of trying. What sustained him and set him apart from the others? We know that John was the only disciple to remain at the crucifixion of the Lord with Mary, but I think more importantly, is the fact that he is the only one to refer to himself as the Disciple whom Jesus loves.

Pastor Robert Morris discusses John's referring to himself as the Disciple whom Jesus loves in his Passover to Pentecost series. He postulates, and I agree, that this is not declared out of a prideful position as all scripture is God breathed and used for our instruction and the Lord will not tolerate the presence of pride, but more likely this is declared as a matter of fact out of a position of knowing who he was in Christ.

It comes from a position of belief. Belief that Jesus is Love (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. 1 John 4:15-16) Emphasis is my own.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 give us just a glimpse of the goodness of the Lord and what love is. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...

Love is patient: 2 Peter 3:9

Love is kind: Ephesians 4:32

It does not envy, nor boast, it is not proud, it is not self-seeking: James 3:13-18

Slow to anger, keeps no record of wrongs: Romans 8:1

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with truth: Colossians 3:1-15

It always protects: 2 Thessalonians 3:3, Ephesians 6:10, 2 Timothy 4:18

It always trusts: Hebrews 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:24

It always hopes: Romans 15:13

It always perseveres: Romans 8:10-11, 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Love never fails: Philippians 4:19, Romans 5:1-11, Romans 8:28-39

Reflect, for just a minute, on the love you have for your children or if you don't have children what it might look like for you to love and care for perfectly innocent dependent children. The good, enduring, protecting, and correcting love we as humans have allows us to begin to just barely see a parallel of God's love for us. We love because he first loved us. Now magnify what you carry as a mere human and amplify it with the power of the one who created everything in heaven and earth and you can still only gain a glimpse of a dimly lit reflection of how much love the Lord has for us. Once you have gotten that glimpse you can begin to try to imagine the lengths He will go on your behalf all because you are his beloved.

By knowing and relying on the persevering, never ending love God has for us He preserves us. He keeps us, if we will let him. If we could stop and have a Peter revelation of our love for and in the Lord, letting it fully sink in how loved we are and how powerful that love is, our lives would be forever changed. Not just our own but also the lives of every person we encounter. How much different would our lives look if we lived in this truth. Not just repeating the words, "Jesus loves me", but if we lived and operated in the truth and knowledge that GOD IS LOVE and He dwells in us, and us in Him, as children of the Living God, the Ancient of Days, Creator who formed us in our mother's womb. We are sons and daughters of the God Most High. How many of life's storms could we overcome and how much quicker and less painfully if we would just abide in Him and treat the overcoming power of His love in us as the greatest truth in our lives? When we abide in love we abide in Him. We are called to be conformed to His image and when we are our knowledge, our faith, our peace, and our security will be a self-evident, undeniable, testimony to the goodness and glory of God.

Every bit of the fullness of Christ is in you if you have received Jesus as your Lord and savior. Divinely Human series.

YOU have resurrection power in you to speak life to every bit of brokenness you are experiencing. YOU can speak life to your prodigal child returning. YOU can speak life to your broken marriage. YOU can speak life to your fear. YOU can speak life to your needs being met. YOU can declare breakthrough in your circumstances. Have faith. Pray over these things. Invite the Lord to move on your behalf. Believe that you are the one whom the Lord loves and start treating yourself as such. Believe that the Lord wants good for you. Believe the Lord wants to heal you. Believe the Lord wants to speak to you. Believe the Lord has plans for you. Believe you are called to be the light in the place the Lord has you right now. Believe the testimony you carry within you has ability to bring breakthrough overcoming power to someone else who needs it. Believe you carry a word from the Lord for someone else. It is our calling to bring His love to the broken and hurting, to release this love to others that they might know and believe as well.

Lord, I pray Ephesians 3:14-21 over every believer reading this:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 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. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.