Loved as He Is Loved

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

John 17:23 · NKJV

Jesus is praying, the Father is listening, and this is the sentence He chose to say about you.

As You have loved Me. Not a smaller portion. Not a love scaled to your performance and adjusted weekly. The love the Father has for the Son is the love He has for those the Son brought home.

Consider what the Father said about Jesus at the river, before a single miracle: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. That delight was not a performance review. Jesus had not yet healed anyone or preached on a hillside. Now bring that down to your kitchen at six in the morning, cold coffee, a to-do list you are already behind on. Jesus said the Father loves you with that same love, right there at the counter. He was not guessing, and He was not being generous with the truth.

If that sounds too large, remember who is speaking. Jesus is not exaggerating to make His disciples feel better. He is telling the truth in prayer, where flattery has no business being.

The Father loves you with the love He has for Jesus. Let that be the loudest thing you heard today.

Go deeper: When Grace Redefined Love →