Who Am I? Part Three
John 3: 16 – 18
In the Gospel of John he refers to himself four times as “one of the disciples, whom Jesus loved”. The four settings in which this reference is made helps our understanding of how unconditional His love for us really is. It is this constant love, not man’s conditional approval, that should give us a sense of dignity and self-worth. You are an object of His love.
Starting today we will see four settings in which He loves us.
He loves us in our dilemmas (John 13: 23).
In the upper room the evening before Christ died on the cross for our sins the disciples were faced with a dilemma. Their world was about to go into eclipse. For three years the twelve had followed Christ. Now it was made clear one of them would betray Him. This is a major dilemma. Their neat little world was coming apart. Even in this crucible of crisis John knew he was “one… whom Jesus loved.”
In our dilemmas we most often have a tendency to question why this is happening to us. The “why me, Lord” complex causes confusion. A better question would be, “Lord, now that this has happened to me, one whom You love, HOW can it be used by You to make me what You want me to be?” This gives a divine interpretation to our dilemmas.
When faced with a dilemma, and we all are at times, those uncomfortable times are classroom times the loving Lord is trying to teach you something. Like everyone I have been in that classroom and must confess I have been tardy at times. Even then I have learned from Him. Stability comes from making a mental adjustment to look at the experience as an “Oh, I see” moment.
Keep in mind. “…we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 2). We might not always be able to win a physical victory, but we can always win the spiritual aspect.
Because of your awareness that you are an object of Jesus’ love, you can do as John did and Peter later exhorts us to do and “Cast all your cares (anxiety) on Him because He cares for you” (I Peter 5:7).
Remember, “The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him” (Nahum 1: 7). Heavenly wisdom flowed from the pen of the Psalmist when he wrote “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him” (Psalm 34: 8).