YOU ARE THE ONE
By Suzanne Benner

You've been told that Jesus loves you. Maybe you have memorized John 3:16, "God so loved the world..." but do you really KNOW God loves you? Have you felt it? Have you internalized it? Does it shape your life? The disciple John knew that Jesus loved him in his head; he experienced Jesus' love for him in his heart and it changed his life. It changed how he saw himself.

I had often heard that John was referred to as the beloved disciple. Sometimes the idea kind of bugged me. Why was he singled out as "the one Jesus loved?" What made him special compared to the other disciples? When I looked into it, I was surprised to discover that the phrase, "the disciple whom Jesus loved" (or "the one Jesus loved") appears five times in the Bible, only in the book of John. It wasn't Peter or Matthew saying (in a jealous sort of way) that John was the disciple Jesus loved; it was always John talking about himself.

Then it hit me. John wasn't bragging or comparing himself to the other disciples. Being "the one Jesus loved" was his primary identity. When he talked about himself as he wrote the book of John, he could have said "I" or "me" or "one of 12" or "the fisherman," but he didn't. The best way to describe himself was "the disciple whom Jesus loved."

I wondered, how would my life change if I started thinking about myself as "the one Jesus loved?" I define myself in so many ways - wife, mother, physiotherapist, writer. What if all of those definitions faded to the background and my primary identity in life became, "I am the one Jesus loves"? How would your life change if you began to see yourself as you really are - "the one Jesus loves"?

When Jesus loved John, John became a somebody. He had worth and importance. John's description of himself shows us that he understood and knew with all his being that God loved him. When God created you, He loved you. When God, in His grace, sent Jesus to die on the cross, it was an expression of His love for you. Because of God's love, you are a somebody; you have worth and importance. Hold on to the truth that YOU ARE THE ONE JESUS LOVES.

(Scriptures: John 13:23, John 19:26, John 20:2, John 21:7, John 21:20)

~ Suzanne Benner is a stay-at-home mom of three. She writes for her church and denominational newsletters. Click to e-mail her: mailto:editor@christianwomentoday.com?subject=Attn.Suzanne_Benner

*Related Reading*
Suzanne's article, "To All My Friends Who Once Were Blonde"
http://www.christianwomentoday.com/growth/blonde.html

About the Author

Suzanne Benner lives in Calgary with her husband and three school-aged children. She leads a small group Bible study in her local church and is passionate about Scripture memorization.