Do you know that you are the one Jesus loves? The Apostle John referred to himself as the one whom Jesus loves because that was his identity. If you asked him, “Who are you?,” he would say, “I am the one Jesus loves.”

I want to challenge you to see yourself as the one Jesus loves. Knowing Jesus loves you, living in the reality that you are personally known and loved by God, is simply life-changing. It gives you confidence; it gives you courage; it gives you comfort; it brings meaning and assurance and hope to your life.

When Lazarus was ill, the sisters sent for Jesus and they said, “Lord, the one you love is sick” (John 11:3b). That was their appeal to Jesus—they appealed on the basis that they knew Jesus loved Lazarus.

How do you approach Jesus? Do you pray: “Lord, the one you love needs you.” Or “Lord, I come to you because I’m the one you love and I know you care about me.” How do you see yourself? Can you say it out loud: “I’m the one Jesus loves.”

What difference would it make in your life if you truly begin to bask in the daily knowledge that you are the one Jesus loves? Judah Smith writes: “People who know that Jesus loves them, who know that Jesus is with them and for them—those people can not only endure pain and loss and difficulty, they can come out the other side stronger and better people.” (Jesus Is_______.  p.159)

And here’s a really important point: When we are sure of God’s love for us, we are set free to love others. And this is how the world knows that we are disciples of Jesus Christ—by the love we have for others.

One of the great side benefits of seeing your identity as the one Jesus loves, and living in the freedom of that knowledge, is that it just sets you free from yourself. Did you realize that you are the biggest problem you have? It’s true for all of us. And when you can get over yourself, when you are so confident that you’re valued and special and significant because you are loved by Jesus, then you simply are going to move into the joy of self-forgetfulness. And when you don’t have to think about yourself so much, you are set free to think about others.

Five times in his Gospel, the Apostle John refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” For example, in John 20:2 he tells about what happened on resurrection morning: So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the...

Five times in his Gospel, the Apostle John refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved.” For example, in John 20:2 he tells about what happened on resurrection morning:

So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

If you didn’t know better, you might think that John had an ego problem. Did he think Jesus loved only him and not the other disciples? Of course not. John knew for certain that Jesus loved them all. Note what he said about Martha, Mary and Lazarus: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5).

And when Jesus wept at the tomb where Lazarus was temporarily buried, the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” (John 11:36).

And after all, he wrote John 3:16—God so loved the world. John knew full well that the love of God was the same for everyone. But he still referred to himself five times in writing that he was the apostle Jesus loved. Why? None of the other Gospel writers use that terminology about themselves. Why does John call himself “the one Jesus loved”?

Because his identify was found in the knowledge that Jesus loved him—individually, distinctively. That was how John saw himself: I am the one Jesus loves. That was who he said he was: I am the one Jesus loves. That was his passport, his calling card, his access to the Father: I am the one Jesus loves.

John had this incredible freedom to say, “I am the one Jesus loves.” He was not embarrassed or shy about saying it. He was so secure in the knowledge that Jesus loved him that this was the driving force of his life; this was the anchor that kept him steadfast and strong; this was the identity that gave him security and hope. He was the one Jesus loved.

It’s a mystery to us how God can know each of us and love each of us uniquely. No person could ever make such a claim. But it is truth—and it is truth that can set you free, as you find your identity as the one Jesus loves.

God loves the whole wide world! Right? Of course, right, but so what?

I am very secure that my mother and father loved me. But if I told you that I know they loved me because they loved everybody, that would not describe their love for me. They loved me because I was their daughter; I had a special relationship with them because I was born into their family. They loved other people, true, but they loved me special.

When I tell you that you are special because God loves you, you may think: Yeah, but God loves everybody so how can I be special?

Well, if we were talking about earthly love, that would be a legitimate question. The only way that love is truly meaningful to us is if we know the person who loves us and if we value their love. It’s not enough for us to know that God loves the world; we have to know that God loves us individually, distinctively, uniquely.

I want you to know that God is love, and he is so totally all about love, that he loves you with a portion of his love that is meant for you alone. His love is so big, so deep, so beyond our earthly understanding of love, that he can give you all the love you need and it’s just for you. Yet there’s plenty more where that came from. God’s love is personal. He knows your name. He knows you better than you know yourself. He never loses track of you. He never forgets about you. He never gives up on you.

Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I’d never forget you—never. Look, I’ve written your names on the back of my hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16 The Message).

There’s no other love like God’s love, and you can take it to the bank. He never leaves you or forsakes you and nothing can separate you from his love.

God loves the whole wide world! Right? Of course, right, but so what? I am very secure that my mother and father loved me. But if I told you that I know they loved me because they loved everybody, that...

Why do we all need to be loved? We have a great need for love. Let’s ask why we need love? Knowing we are loved gives us comfort. Knowing we are loved gives us confidence. Knowing we are loved helps...

Why do we all need to be loved? We have a great need for love.

Let’s ask why we need love?

Knowing we are loved gives us comfort.

Knowing we are loved gives us confidence.

Knowing we are loved helps us get past our insecurities.

Being loved gives us emotional strength. It helps us prevail in hard times.

Being loved inspires and motivates us.

Being loved makes us joyful, happy.

Thankfully love can come to us from many different sources: from parents, siblings, mates, friends. So even if we’re missing love in one area, we can find it in another. It also comes in many different forms. In his book on love languages, Gary Chapman lists the five love languages as:

Gifts

Quality time

Words of affirmation

Acts of service

Physical touch

You can probably quickly identify which one of these five languages speaks love to you, or maybe you’re thinking you need all five! There’s no question that we need love and lots of it throughout all our lives, in all stages of our lives, from lots of people in our lives.

The great message of the Christian faith is that God loves all of us. We are all loved by God:

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 4:10: In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

We’ve sung it since we were children: Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so. But how many of us truly experience the great benefits that come from knowing that God loves us? Many people think, if God loves everybody, what’s so special about the fact that God loves me? After all, God loves everybody.

My dictionary defines worry as “to feel uneasy or anxious; fret; torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts.” Did you ever realize that when you worry, you are inflicting torment on yourself? Worry is self-inflicted suffering, and it never produces anything good.

Jesus fully understood our propensity to worry, and he addressed it strongly in his Sermon on the Mount. From Matthew 6 we read:

 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:28-34).

I remember when my pastor, Dr. Erwin Lutzer, spoke on this passage and it was such a blessing to me, that I asked his permission to share some of his thoughts with you. In this sermon Jesus gave us three reasons not to worry.

First, if you are born from above and have been redeemed through Jesus Christ, you should not worry because of who you are! Jesus said that God takes care of little birds, and even though they are not capable of taking care of their need for food, he provides food for them. And Jesus asks, “Are you not more valuable than they?”

Well, are you more valuable to God than little birds? Surely the knowledge of how much God loves us, how deeply he cares for us should cause us to stop worrying. After all, our Heavenly Father is sovereign over everything and everyone in our lives; he is always in control, and because we are his children, he has pledged to take care of our needs. So, that’s the first reason that we should not worry—because we are children of God and he never leaves us or forsakes us.

In this crazy world today many people are worried about their job security, or worse, about trying to find a new job because they are unemployed or underemployed. That’s certainly understandable; we all come to depend on our sources of income and if they are threatened, our natural human response is—worry! I’ve been in such situations and I must confess that I’ve worried.

If you’re in that kind of worry mode, I simply want to remind you of what Jesus said: “…Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Jesus was talking about the basics of life: what you eat, what you wear—the necessities of life. And Jesus said it is his responsibility to give those to us, when we seek first his kingdom. If God takes care of unemployed birds, don’t you know he’s committed to taking care of you? Sure, the birds have to hunt for their worms and insects, but God provides it for them to find.

Notice that Jesus said we should not seek for our basic needs. Rather Jesus said we are to seek for his kingdom and his righteousness. So, instead of praying that God will give you the material things you need—instead of worrying about how you’re going to get what you need or what you want—pray instead that your priorities will change.

That’s what it means to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness. It means we have our priorities in good shape. We invest our energies in doing what God wants us to do. Our goals and objectives in life are not to make sure our needs are met. That’s God’s responsibility. God knows we need certain material things.

My dictionary defines worry as “to feel uneasy or anxious; fret; torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts.” Did you ever realize that when you worry, you are inflicting torment on yourself? Worry is self-inflicted suffering, and it never...

One of the most wonderful gifts we can have in our lives is the gift of a true and trusted friend, one who loves at all times, who laughs when we laugh and cries when we cry, who speaks the truth to us in love and who helps us when we fall. Have you got a friend like that? If you have just one, you are blessed.

A really important question to ask yourself is: Are you that kind of a friend to those people whom God has put into your life? A good friend is one who keeps a confidence. When someone trusts you with some information that is confidential, are you very, very careful never to betray that confidence? That is a trust we should take very seriously.

Proverbs 11:13 says, "A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret.” And in Proverbs 20:19 it reminds us again that, "A gossip betrays a confidence so avoid anyone who talks too much.” Can your friends rely on you to keep their confidence?

Now, let's reverse that question, and ask what we do when someone betrays our confidence. David had that experience; he wrote in Psalm 41:9: "Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.” He doesn't say exactly who he was referring to, but it's likely it was Ahithophel, who was David's trusted counselor. Ahithophel conspired with Absalom to overthrow David and make Absalom king. This was a man who had for years been David's closest counselor, and now he becomes his hidden enemy.

Nothing can hurt much more than having a friend betray you. What can you do? Well, remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord, not to you. Don't try to equal the score; let God do that.

Then follow Jesus' instructions to pray for your enemies and do good to those who despitefully use you. Find something good to do for that friend who has betrayed you. Obviously, the friendship will change because confidence and trust have been destroyed. But be willing to forgive, even if you're not asked to, and don't allow your friend's betrayal to cause you to become bitter and angry.