“I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.” John 17:23
Here’s a question that might stop you in your tracks: Do you really believe, deep in your core, that God loves you? Not just the Sunday school answer or the song you learned as a child, but genuinely, truly believe it? Because Jesus prays something stunning here. He asks the Father that we would know we’re loved with the exact same love that the Father has for Jesus. The same love for the perfect, sinless Son of God is the same love directed at you, even with all your morning grumpiness, your wandering thoughts, and your struggles with sin.
When this truth moves from your head to your heart, everything changes. As 2 Corinthians 5:14 says, “the love of Christ controls us.” When you’re overwhelmed by how much God loves you, you stop living for yourself and start living for Him. You love God more deeply. You love your neighbor more genuinely. And you desperately want your neighbor to know this same love. This is what fuels mission. Not guilt, not obligation, but being so captured by God’s love that it overflows into every relationship and conversation you have.
Reflect:
- What barriers keep you from fully believing and experiencing God’s love for you?
- How would your daily life look different if you truly lived from the reality that God loves you as much as He loves Jesus?
- Spend time meditating on God’s love for you. Ask Him to help you experience, not just understand, the height, depth, width, and breadth of His love.
