We love Him because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19 KJV

Love Always Outruns …

Hello friend!🌻  

In John’s beautiful gospel, there is a passage that always made me laugh until I realized there was some treasure to unearth within it.

You can read it here: John 20:1-4 ESV

Have you ever wondered why John felt the need to record that he outran Peter that day?

Was it just a little rivalry between him and Peter? Or was there something more to it, revealed in verse two in which John described himself as the one whom Jesus loved? Both seem to point to his competiveness, right? After all, Jesus did refer to him and his brother James as the ‘sons of thunder’ (Mark 3:17), so we know John was volatile and argumentive at one time.

But did John really think he was loved more than the other Disciples?

No, because he never said he was the disciple that Jesus loved the most. But at some point, he had to have received a deep, personal revelation of God’s love for him and it transformed the way he saw himself and how he related to Jesus.

I remember when I received this revelation for myself. It all began when I believed God was having me start up a new ministry for women at church but then seven months into it, I was asked to stop. I couldn’t understand why God would have me pick it up and run hard with it only to have me set it back down again.

In my prayers, I remember my voice cracking when I told God I loved Him because I thought I had failed Him. But the Holy Spirit helped me to see, through my hubby and a close friend, that God was teaching me about obedience in that season and it had absolutely nothing to do with my failing Him.

God began interupting my feeble confessions of love for Him to have me declare this unwavering truth instead: “God, You love me so much!” Many times a day, He had me speak over myself this truth that was not dependent on my performance in any way.

At first it felt awkward but I persisted by faith, even during the times when I didn’t feel particularly lovable. And eventually I found myself joyfully pausing multiple times during the day to connect with God and speak His love over me. I can’t explain how or when it happened, but something within me began to change.

What was once head knowledge started to take root in my heart and began to change my behavior.

This began the process of me understanding my identity in Christ and completely changed how I saw myself. I was no longer hesitant to approach God and I started running to Him!

The truth is: LOVE will always outrun …

• Love outruns all our fears.
• Love outruns all our doubts.
• Love outruns all of our excuses.

Love opens up the way for us to confidently run to our Jesus!

John grew to be very confident of two things: Jesus loved him and he loved Jesus. So he ran …

John’s understanding and receptiveness of the Lord’s love for him manifested in his behavior in other ways, too. He felt so confident of the Lord’s affection for him that he reclined against Jesus’ chest at the Last Supper in the KJV translation of John 13:23. And John was also the only disciple present at the crucifixion. In their fear, all the other disciples ran away during this time …

As Christians, we ourselves have gone to calvary and weeped when we realized that Jesus died for us personally. We worship Him but when we rise up from kneeling before His throne, do we feel comfortable running into His embrace? Do we see Him as a loving Father? Can we climb up into His lap and, like John, recline against His chest and listen to His heart beat for us?

If we say we know how much God loves us, would our actions betray our words? If we still fear rejection, still doubt, still distrust, still hold back, still hesitate to run to Him … then we have not been perfected in His love. Because His perfect love will always cast out fear (1 John 4:18).

We don’t know what Peter was feeling when he ran with John to the tomb. I would imagine, after denying the Son of God three times, he didn’t feel too confident to run up ahead of John.

• What if Jesus doesn’t want to see me?
• What if it will never be the same again?
• Oh man, what if He no longer loves me?

God will never ask anything of you that He isn’t willing to first do Himself. 1 John 4:19 tells us we love Him because He first loved us. Then in Luke 15:11-31, we find the story of the prodigal son in which we catch a glimpse of our Father’s heart to run to us despite all our failures. So we can be assured that we will never be rejected when we run to Him. 

LOVE is a Person. His name is Jesus. In His compassion, He will ALWAYS outrun you …

• LOVE outruns all our failures.
• LOVE outruns all our shame.
• LOVE outruns all our sin.

I began to encourage my friends and some women in my small groups to call themselves “The Girl that Jesus loves.” We all have a past and have all been prodigals at one time or another. But once we have Jesus, none of that other stuff matters anymore. I hope you will no longer hesitate to run to Jesus when you are happy or sad or mad or lonely or hurt or whatever.

Girl, just run …

Peter eventually received this revelation for himself. In John 21:1-8, we find Peter and a few other disciples fishing in the Sea of Galilee when Jesus calls to them from the shore. As soon as John alerted Peter that it was the Lord, Peter jumped from the boat and swam to Him (vs 4).

Peter overcame his fears and ran to Jesus and the Lord fully restored him!

No matter how far away you have wandered, your Heavenly Father is searching the horizon for you, my friend! Are you ready to meet with Him in His throne room?

Don’t overthink it! Just run … 💕

Surely Your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of
my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever. Ps 23:6 NLT

Love Always Outruns @freshgracefortoday.com

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