Leaning into His Love
“The way to becoming a greater lover of Jesus is by learning to appreciate the greatness of His love for us.” - Dr. Constable
How much do you appreciate the love of Jesus in your daily life? Are you struggling to embrace His great love for you?
We only can love God, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).
In the gospel of John, John refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20).” Dr. Constable makes the very important distinction that “rather than this being a claim to Jesus loving him more, the description reveals his appreciation for God’s grace in loving him as He did. He focused the reader’s attention on Jesus.”
By referring to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved, John is constantly pointing the reader’s attention to the love of Jesus.
John embraced God’s love for him and realized that being loved by Jesus was his whole identity. He leans into the love of Jesus.
Let us also daily lean into the love of Jesus Christ. Let His love be where you find your identity and your worth; let His love control you and consume you (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
The Love of Jesus
To grow in our love for Jesus we need to grow in embracing His great love for us. As we grow in embracing the love of Jesus, we will not only grow in love for Jesus, but we will deepen our relationship with the Lord.
Let’s take some time to fix our minds on the love of Jesus:
Jesus paid the price for our sin: 2 Corinthians 5:21
Jesus freely gives eternal life to all who believe in Him: Romans 6:23
Jesus delivers us from the penalty of sin: Romans 8:1
Jesus delivers us from the power of sin (In Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin): Philippians 1:6
Jesus will one day soon deliver us from the very presence of sin: Philippians 3:20-21
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ: Romans 3:38-39
Jesus loved us to the uttermost: John 13:1
Dane C. Ortlund puts it as such:
“Jesus does not love like us. We love until we are betrayed. Jesus continued to the cross despite betrayal. We love until we are forsaken. Jesus loved through forsakenness. We love up to a limit. Jesus loves to the end (or in other words, the uttermost).”
This is just scratching the surface of the love of Jesus. We could dive into the depths of His love for all eternity.
God’s love is Based on the Cross
Have you lost confidence in God’s love for you? Are you struggling to base His love for you off of your current circumstances?
God's love for us is not based on our circumstances, our feelings or even our performance, but on the cross alone. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16).”
Sometimes we lose confidence that God loves us because we have asked Him to give us something or take something away from us and He has not done so. Therefore, we lose heart and can begin to questions God’s love for us. Our circumstances look bleak and our feelings are filled with doubt.
Jesus knew His Father’s Heart
We know that God perfectly loves His Son Jesus (John 3:35; 15:9, Matthew 12:18; 17:5, Colossians 1:19, Hebrews 1:3). Yet, His life was marked by suffering; He is the suffering Servant (Isaiah 53).
Jesus prayed three times to the Father asking “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). The Father’s will for Jesus was to not let the cup pass from Him; for He was to drink the cup of God’s wrath that should have been poured out on us. Jesus didn’t evaluate the Father’s love for Him based on what He did or did not give Him. Instead:
“He evaluated God’s answer to His prayer based on what He knew of God’s love for Him. And so it didn’t shake His confidence In God's love when God said no—even though that meant He would face the white-hot heat of God’s wrath. Jesus was certain of the Father’s love, because He knew the Father’s heart. You can be certain too. The Father has shown His heart to you by giving you His Son. If He gave His best to you without your asking Him to, then all other things that He gives or doesn’t give come from that same heart, as well.” - William P. Smith
Leaning into the love of Jesus
In what ways are you looking to your circumstances, feelings and performance to determine the love of Jesus?
When we suffer we are in good company—for Jesus lived a life full of suffering. When our feelings come and go—Jesus faithfulness and love remain. When we fall short—His love is perfect and never falls short.
When you are struggling to appreciate or embrace the love of Jesus for you— look to Him. His love will never fail you. Just as the Apostle John, let us lean into the very heart of Jesus Christ.
To Live
Reflect: In what ways am I looking to my circumstances, feelings and performance to determine the love of Jesus?
Read: Spend some time reading through the gospel of John.
Observe: Write down all that you observe about the love of Jesus.
Pray: Ask the Lord to help you to embrace His love so much so that you see yourself as the one whom Jesus loves.
Further Study Suggestion: Gentle & Lowly by Dane C. Ortlund & Resting in God’s Assurance by William P. Smith
To Listen
O Love that Will Not Let Me Go - Calvary Creative
*this article was originally posted on Kindred Soul Counseling