“Not long ago I received in the mail a postcard from a friend that had on it only six words, “I am the one Jesus loves.” I smiled when I saw the return address, for my strange friend excels at these pious slogans. When I called him, though, he told me the slogan came from the author and speaker Brennan Manning. At a seminar, Manning referred to Jesus’ closest friend on earth, the disciple named John, identified in the Gospels as “the one Jesus loved.” Manning said, “If John were to be asked, ‘What is your primary identity in life?’ he would not reply, ‘I am a disciple, an apostle, an evangelist, an author of one of the four Gospels,’ but rather, ‘I am the one Jesus loves.’”
What would it mean, I ask myself, if I too came to the place where I saw my primary identity in life as “the one Jesus loves”? How differently would I view myself at the end of the day?
Sociologists have a theory of the looking-glass self: you become what the most important person in your life (wife, father, boss, etc.) thinks you are. How would my life change if I truly believed the Bible’s astounding words about God’s love for me, if I looked in the mirror and saw what God sees?
Brennan Manning tells the story of an old Irish priest who, on a walking tour of a rural parish, sees an old peasant kneeling by the side of the road, praying. Impressed, the priest says to the man, “You must be very close to God.” The peasant looks up from his prayers, thinks a moment, and then smiles, “Yes, he’s very fond of me.”
-Phillip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace, visual edition, page 22
8 comments:
I believe that we all have a desire to be loved and accepted. Some try to conceal that fundamental need from others in many different ways to camouflage the truth, but the need still exists though buried below the surface. While the Apostle John shared the unique privilege of walking with Jesus for several years and sharing an intimate friendship with our Lord, we too can enjoy such sweet friendship. While John's self description as the "one whom Jesus loves" was his way of identifying himself in the Gospel that bears his name, we too with bold confidence say the same thing -- "I AM THE ONE WHOM JESUS LOVES." The evidence of that truth is the Cross at Calvary where HIS great love was boldly demonstrated. Circumstances or situations don't define whether Jesus loves me -- the Cross does. I am the one whom Jesus loves and so are you. I wonder what difference in our daily lives it would make if we lived like we believed this truth.
Someone once asked Karl Barth whether he could sum up his entire theology in just a few words. Barth paused for a moment and then replied, "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so."
Thank you for this encouragement today. I want to wake up every day and end my days at night telling myself that I am the one whom Jesus loves!
That's what I want as well, Kristy. Everything would change. If we all could get it like John got it- that would be incredible.
You can have what John has. For God so loved you, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him shall have everlasting life. You just need to believe in him. John 3:18 says, There is no condemnation to them that believe in Jesus. Yes, He loves you. Yes, He loves me. He sacrificed himself on the cross to forgive and remove all your sins. Yes, He loves you. His shed blood has washed you white as snow.
Once we come to the understanding that we are the one's that Jesus Loves things in our lives would change. We would not worry about our health or money or problems but we would no that the one who Loves us is the King of Kings and the Lord of lords and he has our back!
The will of God is Jesus Christ
When and how you can live that life what God gave you, is that you see yourself same as Jesus saw Himself. So, really I am the one Jesus loves. Bible tells me about me like it told about Jesus, because I received what Jesus is in the cross. Jesus is not in the cross, I AM, I died with Christ!
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