Have you ever wondered how much Jesus actually loves you? I wondered this all the time. I never had a close relationship with Jesus, I think because I really didn't know where to start.
I have learned in the past year that the start is the revelation that He first loved me. This revelation brings me back to children’s church and learning this fundamental verse:
John 3:16
Amplified Bible (AMP)
16For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten ([a]unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
Meditating on this fundamental verse I found myself wanting more! God loves me so much that he sent his beloved son to the earth to die for me. I needed to find other instances in the bible of his love for me.
I came across this story in the bible one day while listening to a sermon from an amazing pastor in MO.
John 21:1-14
Amplified Bible (AMP)
1AFTER THIS, Jesus let Himself be seen and revealed [Himself] again to the disciples, at the Sea of Tiberias. And He did it in this way:
2There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, called the Twin, and Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, also the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples.
3Simon Peter said to them, I am going fishing! They said to him, And we are coming with you! So they went out and got into the boat, and throughout that night they caught nothing.
4Morning was already breaking when Jesus came to the beach and stood there. However, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
5So Jesus said to them, [a]Boys (children), you do not have any meat (fish), do you? [Have you caught anything to eat along with your bread?] They answered Him, No!
6And He said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find [some]. So they cast the net, and now they were not able to haul it in for such a big catch (mass, quantity) of fish [was in it].
7Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, It is the Lord! Simon Peter, hearing him say that it was the Lord, put (girded) on his upper garment (his fisherman's coat, his outer tunic)--for he was stripped [for work]--and sprang into the sea.
8And the other disciples came in the small boat, for they were not far from shore, only some hundred yards away, dragging the net full of fish.
9When they got out on land (the beach), they saw a fire of coals there and fish lying on it [cooking], and bread.
10Jesus said to them, Bring some of the fish which you have just caught.
11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, 153 of them; and [though] there were so many of them, the net was not torn.
12Jesus said to them, Come [and] have breakfast. But none of the disciples ventured or dared to ask Him, Who are You? because they [well] knew that it was the Lord.
13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so also [with] the fish.
14This was now the third time that Jesus revealed Himself (appeared, was manifest) to the disciples after He had risen from the dead.
Can you imagine! The King of Kings and Lord of Lords coming down from Heaven to cook breakfast for his disciples! What a BEAUTIFUL Lord!
If he loved his disciples that much, how much more does he love you?
