Can you feel the love??

disciple Jesus loved

 

In his gospel, the Apostle John didn’t refer to himself by name. The only John mentioned in the Gospel of John is John the Baptist. John the disciple referred to himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23, John 20:2, John 2:17, John 21:20)

Now some people jokingly say – sure, you can call yourself “The ONE Jesus Loved” when you write your own book. True enough. But I have a different opinion of this designation John chose for himself.

John’s whole identity was wrapped up in the fact the Jesus loved him. He, a lowly fisherman, an arrogant “Son of Thunder” who argued about who was the greatest, was loved by Jesus.

By calling himself “the one Jesus loved,” I believe John is emphasizing that Jesus is a lover of the unlovely. By identifying himself as one loved by Jesus, he is offering a tribute to Jesus, not to himself – the recipient of that love.

Because John was confident in the love the Jesus had for him, he leaned on Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper. Because of His love for him, John remained at the cross and thus Jesus entrusted His mother to John’s care. Because of Jesus’ love for him, John ran ahead of Peter to the empty tomb and later recognized Jesus on the shore while he was out on the lake hauling in a miraculous catch of fish.

Because of that assurance of the love that Jesus had for him, John replaced his given name with the description “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” That became his whole identity.

Jesus loves you as much as He loved John. Can you do the same as John?

Can you replace your name in the phrase “the disciple Jesus loved?”

Can you look in the mirror and say, “Good morning, self. You are loved by the Savior. No matter how you’ve stumbled, you are still infinitely and unconditionally loved.”

Now say it in the first person, “I am ___(insert your name), a child of God, a disciple that Jesus loves. Yes, I am loved.”

If you have children, don’t you want them to know that they are loved, no matter what they might have done wrong? Don’t you want them to have that assurance?

Well child of God, Jesus wants you to have the same assurance of His love for you. That is your true identity – you are a “disciple that Jesus loves.” And nothing can change that.

Knowing that you are so loved allows you to love others with the love you have received from Christ.

Can you look at your husband, your family, your coworker, that annoying person at the market, the rude driver on the road, and can you say, “she (or he) is one that Jesus loves.”

How will that change how you go through your day?

What if we all were to experience His love and share it in our conversations, on our social media, in our actions? We would not only live more fulfilling lives, we would change the world.

When the Son don’t shine ~ 3 remedies

Heb. 12-1-2

Several years ago, I was asked to speak at a women’s retreat. Their theme was “How to Keep Growing When the Son Don’t Shine.” I struggled with this idea for a while until it struck me – the sun is always shining! We may not see it, but the sun never ceases to shine.

As for the Son, He never ceases to shine either. He IS the light of the world – not He will be nor He was – but He IS the light of the world. Always IS. Present tense. Yesterday, today and forever, He shines!!

So then, why does it seem dark sometimes?

1. One reason is because it is nighttime. At night, the earth is turned away from the sun. And when it seems dark spiritually, perhaps it is because we have turned away from Him. Have we stopped spending time with Him? Are we standing in or relying on our own strength?

The answer is simple: turn our focus back to Him, spend time in the Word and prayer, enjoy the fellowship of believers. I know I said the answer is simple, but that’s just simple for me to say. It is not always easy to do. Just take one tiny baby step in the right direction, and God will meet with us. He may ask us to keep taking those steps, but He gives us the strength to do it as we lean on Him.

“For God, who said, ‘Let there be light in the darkness,’ has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.” (2 Cor. 4:6-7)

2. Other times, it seems dark because something is blocking the sun, like an eclipse or dark clouds. There are things that seem huge and overwhelming, but the fact is – nothing is bigger than the sun! It’s just that these issues are closer. When is your thumb bigger than the sun? When it’s right in front of your eye! These obstacles capture our attention and block our view of the Son. But if we can step back and put things in the proper perspective, they shrink in comparison.

We are engaged in spiritual warfare, and an effective enemy tactic is to distract our focus. He uses busyness, family or friend problems, work concerns, over-sensitivity, self-consciousness, financial worries, etc. to attract our attention. When we concentrate on eternal matters, the things of this world dim in comparison. Like looking through the lens of a camera, if our focus is on things nearby, those details in the background are fuzzy. When we adjust the lens, we can bring the background into crisp detail, and the close things are less harrowing.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”(Heb. 12:2-3)

3. Lastly, when the sun’s glare is difficult to endure, we put on our sunglasses. We can still see the sun, but it’s dimmed. And people can’t see us as clearly either. We hide behind a façade, and don’t face the issues that keep us from the light. From minor misunderstandings to serious hidden sin, we can cautiously be near God, and yet separated from Him. We put up a barrier to keep God and people at a “safe” distance.

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. God removed the barrier to the Holy of Holies signifying our new opportunity to have a direct personal relationship with Jesus.

“But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, then the veil is taken away. … All of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.” ( 2 Cor. 3:16-18)

Oh, may we become more like Him and reflect His glory more and more!! That is my prayer for you and for me, beloved.

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