Jesus Loves Me by Rocky Fleming

The Apostle John opened his gospel as a man communicating his awe of the gospel story he was about to pen.  In his heart was John’s love and affection for Jesus that filtered into his account.  Even so, how does one write the almost unspeakable relationship with Him that we’ve been granted by the King of kings, Almighty God?  What glorious, even breathtaking words can be written to describe what he had seen, had experienced, and had given his life to share.   

John had been captivated by being chosen by Jesus, and by his own words we read from his account the invitation to abide in Christ and His word had been his life’s message to others.  What would this do to a man tasked with spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ?  Maybe we can answer that question by the way John saw himself?  These are his words in John 13:23, 19:26, 20:2, and 21:7.  He identified himself as, "The disciple whom Jesus loved."  What do we see in this self-identification by John?  I think his view of himself was established on the view Jesus had for him, and this alone changes the narrative of our life as we catch the essence of God’s grace in a personal way.  How so?

I’ve seen a major roadblock in the way of the intimate fellowship that Jesus wants for His family is an earthbound and earth-created orphan spirit that we hold onto.  It is a deep sense that we are not worthy to be loved unconditionally by God, and as a result, we stand at a distance.  We could accept God’s adoption of us through the gift of His grace through Jesus Christ, but we resist His affection.  How do we deal with this spirit that haunts us?  There is only one way to cast that self-image of ourselves away.  It is, along with being adopted by God into His family, to also adopt the Father’s view of us into our own view of ourself. I believe John had done this and it redefined the way he viewed himself.  He saw himself as loved by Jesus.  In Revelation, John wrote as instructed to the Church at Ephesus these words.

“But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” - Revelations 2:4

I believe that when instructed to write these words, John knew firsthand how the first love of Jesus Christ for us is something we should never forget or neglect to value.  To do so not only debilitates our passion to fulfill the stewardship of that love to our world around us, it also makes us vulnerable to the orphan spirit that keeps us earthbound to that view of ourselves.   I believe time alone in God’s word in that “secret place” that Jesus speaks of will be a place that we hear the words, “You are my beloved child.”  This new view of ourselves will enable us to live it out as Christ’s disciple.  It begins in the heart, in our deep emotional center, and it surfaces in our influence, our actions, and our self-identity.  People see it in us, for it is real.  It redefines us.  It is the identity that God wants His family to embrace by being that visual expression of His love for His family.  It is a big thing, as was pointed out to the Church at Ephesus, for it is the source of why we serve Jesus.  

John would say, if asked why he would give his life to preach the story of Jesus, what I believe would come from his heart.  I have no doubt that he would respond by saying,

“Because Jesus loves me.”

Is that enough reason for you and me to share His love for others.  I can think of no better reason,can you?  Jesus loves me.