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4 Ways Jesus’s Friendship Reflects His Deep Love for You
Are you constantly wondering, “Does Jesus love me?” Has it been hard to understand who Jesus is, why He loves you, and how He shows His love? Are you struggling with feeling unworthy? Get clarity to those questions - and more! - by examining how Jesus is our friend. (Yes, friend!)
These four aspects of His friendship will instantly provide breakthrough and help you grow closer to Jesus.
Jesus Doesn’t Hold Back Helpful or Life-Changing Information
In fact, throughout the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - we see Jesus share information despite the fact that not everyone is going to understand - even the disciples.
In some instances, He plants those seeds knowing that things will become clearer after His death and resurrection.
However, some people will never understand what they’ve heard since their hearts and minds are closed.
Knowing this, did Jesus withhold information from certain people?
No. He spoke the same message to everyone who was currently present.
Did Jesus become selective or dismissive with His disciples? Not bothering to plant those seeds, thinking it was a waste of time because they wouldn’t yet understand?
No. He knew that information was life-changing - for them and for the millions of people who, throughout history moving forward, would give their lives to Christ.
This is what a good friend does, right? Give us honest, wise, helpful information even if we’re not ready at that moment.
Modern Example: You’re dating a guy who isn’t that great. A good friend tells you the truth - hopefully, in a loving way - even though you’re not ready to hear it yet. Later, when your eyes have opened, the wisdom that was planted in you by your friend comes to the surface and aids in your journey (i.e., breaking-up with the guy in question).
You may not always completely understand what Jesus is saying or doing, or where He’s leading you, in the moment. But He’s always being a good friend.
Jesus Wants to Share Your Burdens and Help Lighten Your Load
Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG): Jesus says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
It’s important to note that:
Jesus is extending this as a continuous invite (aka a way of life). He’s inviting you to be yoked to Him versus all the things that have been weighing you down.
Jesus is extending this invitation to those who haven’t yet given their heart and life to Him.
Note how the MSG translation specifically calls out being “burned out on religion” and (to paraphrase) get away with Jesus to have a lighter, healthier, fuller life?
Note: “Religion” being the things we often talk about on the podcast that aren’t actually biblical - such as earning God’s love through perfectionism (which isn’t realistic or what God asks of us).
Like a good friend, Jesus doesn’t want you to be caught up in, weighed down by, or chained to things that aren’t healthy. Or that are keeping you from becoming the woman God created you to be.
Jesus also understands your unique load as a woman...
Jesus Sees You For Who You Really Are
Firstly, Jesus understands - better than anyone else on earth - both the common and specific-to-you challenges of being a woman in this world.
While He was on earth, Jesus treated women differently than the culture of that time. (Which was even worse for women than it is today in the U.S.)
Note: I recommend listening to Episode #64 to dive deeper into this.
However, here are a few examples of how Jesus treated women differently (and more equally):
Jesus did not adhere to the cultural belief that women could not, or should not, be educated.
He had women in His circle. In fact, several women financially supported his ministry.
A woman was the first person to see Jesus after the resurrection.
On at least two occasions, Jesus told a woman something before He shared it with others - including His male disciples.
The first time Jesus openly admitted that He was the Messiah was to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:25-26).
Outside her brother’s tomb, Lazarus’s sister Martha was the first one to hear Jesus say that He was the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25-27). In response, Martha stated that she believed Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God.
Secondly, Jesus sees you completely for who you are as a unique person.
He sees your wiring, personality, desires, dreams, wounds, work challenges, and everything else that makes up yourself and your life.
And Jesus only wants to see you heal, find peace, grow, and blossom into who God created you to be.
Jesus Only Wants You to Change for the Better
A good friend is going to only want positive progress in your life.
They're also only going to want to be an uplifting presence, even if they’re also being a good friend by giving you honest feedback and wisdom that might be hard to hear.
This is why I’ve mentioned on the podcast that God - including Jesus, too - will never make you feel guilty or shamed. That’s the work of fallen people and Satan and his evil forces.
Satan loves to use those as a tool to make you feel as if you need to hide or disconnect from God.
God never, ever wants you to remove yourself from Him. Because the way you continue to heal, and grow, and move forward is to remain close to God.
I can state emphatically from personal experience that I am a very different person today than I was when I first gave my life to Christ more than 20 years ago.
Jesus has dealt with wounds; helped me learn practical skills that are imperative to living a better life, and the life God has for me, such as establishing boundaries, building confidence, etc.; and has even helped me to forgive myself when I sinned or messed up.
He’s also, along the way, taught me how to be more like Him. Such as exhibiting the fruits of the Spirit in very difficult situations.
And all of that progress came without Jesus making me feel less than, or not good enough, or shamed, or anything negative.
7 Groundbreaking Resources that Prove the Bible is NOT Patriarchal
Are you trying to embrace God’s true character - and His love for you - but feel a sense of inequality each time you open the Bible? When you’ve been taught about Eve, the Proverbs 31 woman, or certain things the apostle Paul said, was the message related to women staying in their place? Making it seem like God isn’t that loving?
These 7 legit, truly Biblical based resources will set you free!
The Truth About God’s Love for Women
God created you, and loves you, from a place that DOES NOT include the limiting, toxic patriarchy that we experience elsewhere
Unfortunately, though, that type of patriarchy has been allowed to seep into some churches, thereby affecting what’s taught.
What should be happening is the teaching of legit, biblical truth when it comes to women and their identity so they can go out into the world, knowing who they are.
Instead, the Bible ends up being used as a way to keep women small - also clouding their understanding of who God truly is and how much He loves them.
However, today that can shift in a major way for you!
And after listening to these resources, your perception of God is going to be radically different than when you started!
These 7 Resources Will Change Your View of God - and How He Views Women
These resources are seven podcast episodes that I have done based on the expert resources (i.e., books, etc.) of others.
You can find the name of the resource that I referenced in the show notes for each episode.
Each episode hits on a hot biblical topic regarding women - including those that have been commonly presented to women as proof that we’re ‘less than.’
The resources:
Note: Some of these will have a different podcast name, as they were released before I updated it, but the content is still relevant.
Episode #103: If God Cherishes Women, Why Are There Multiple Wives in the Bible? The Freeing Truth That No One Talks About
Episode #73: 1 Corinthians 11:3 Exposed - Paul Did NOT Say Men Should Lead & Women Should Follow in the Church
Episode #64: Under the Impression that Jesus Didn’t Teach Equality for Women? 6 Biblical Examples that Prove Otherwise
Episode #34: Proverbs 31 is NOT a Biblical Checklist for Women. It’s Actually About the Responsibility of a Husband
Episode #11: Satan's Special Hatred for Women (Part I): Where It Comes From and the Truth Within It That Frees You
Episode #12: Satan's Special Hatred for Women (Part II): The First Biblical Appearance of the Devalued Woman and How it Affects Reclaiming Our Own Value Today
Episode #9: God Did NOT Create Eve to Be a Helpmeet or Helper: The (Rarely Taught) Biblical Truth Behind the Purpose of Women
10 Personal Names that Reveal the Depths of God’s Character
God is referred to by various names throughout the Bible, each one revealing a major character trait. This helps us to understand who He truly is and, as a result, connect with Him more deeply as well. Learn 10 personal names of God and the brief meaning of each one.
Plus, download the FREE printable poster to hang on your fridge, desk, or wall!
Download the Printable Poster
https://bit.ly/10NamesOfGodPoster
1. Elohim: God is Your Creator
Psalm 139:13-16 (MSG) - Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.
2. Elohim Chayim: He is the Living God
Matthew 28:5-6 - Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.
3. Abba: God is Your Father
Romans 8:15 - “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
4. Jehovah-jireh: God is your Provider
Psalm 145:15-16 - "The same God who provides food for the animals will not allow us to go without.”
5. Jehovah-shalom: The Lord is Peace
John 16:33 - Jesus said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
6. El Elyon: He is Your Sovereign
Ephesians 1:11 - “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”
7. El Kanna: The Jealous God
Exodus 20:5 - “You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”
8. El Roi: He Sees You
Genesis 16:13 (NLT) - Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
9. Jehovah Ro’i: He is Your Shepherd
Psalm 23:1 - “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Luke 15:3-7 - Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
10. Jehovah Nissi: He is Your Banner
Exodus 17:15-16 (KJV) - And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi [which means ‘the Lord is my banner’]
Note: A banner represents God’s deliverance. Being in the fight for us. Think of a medieval knight carrying a banner into battle on a pole.
3 Hidden Clues That Absolutely Prove You’re Loved by God
Have you been told that God doesn’t love you? Do you feel weighed down by guilt and shame, convinced that God couldn’t possibly love you given what you’ve done? Are you having a hard time seeing evidence of God’s love in your life? Often, it’s one thing to hear that God loves us - but another to accept it.
Discover three items that prove God’s love for you that likely haven’t been on your radar.
God Sent His Son to Die for the Sins of the World - Not for a Particular Set of People
John 3:16-17 (NLT): “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.”
This means that God, in His loving character, is interested in saving everyone - even though He knows some people will never choose His gift and will therefore be separated from Him for eternity.
He didn’t execute things in a way that made access limited. Such as having additional rules, milestones, or regulations.
If you choose to believe that Jesus died for your sins, and you surrender your heart to Him, that’s all it takes.
It’s a gift that remains steadily accessible until the day Jesus returns, giving God time to patiently and lovingly pursue you, woo you, and show you who He truly is - even as you wrestle with things.
The Bible is Full of Examples of God Pursuing, Loving, and Blessing Imperfect People
Jonah - God gave the prophet a clear directive, and Jonah chose to try and run away from God. (He didn’t want the people of Nineveh to experience God’s grace and mercy.) Yet, God pursued Him.
Sarah - She didn’t believe God’s revelation that she and her husband, Abraham, would have a child in their old age. She cooked up the scheme for her husband to sleep with her maid Hagar - which created a whole host of problems. Nevertheless, God still followed through on His promise - while also answering Hagar’s cry in the desert.
David - The king slept with his commander’s wife, got her pregnant, and then murdered his commander Uriah to cover it up. Yet, in Acts 13:22, David is referred to as a “man after [God’s] own heart.”
Rahab - She was a prostitute who became part of the Isrealities after saving the spies that went to Jericho. In Matthew 1, we see her listed in the genealogy of Jesus.
Please Note: This doesn’t mean that God approved of the sins. If you look closely at most of these stories, God calls the person out on their sin. Not to shame or condemn them - but because He loves them too much not to correct them. That’s what a loving father does. He also wants to redeem them.
The Big Idea Here Is: No matter what you’ve lived through, endured, or done…God still loves you. And He’s never going to stop pursuing you.
Luke 15:4-6 (NLT): “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ”
God Brought You to This Website
Sometimes, what we see as coincidence or randomness is really God’s hand in something. (Even if we don’t see it within the moment.)
God also knows exactly what you need to hear. And only God truly knows what words, examples, stories, or experiences will help bring you closer to Him.
Maybe there’s something in this specific blog post that’s spoken to you or touched your heart.
Maybe God used this blog post to draw you to my podcast where a library of binge-worthy episodes are awaiting your attention.
Either way, God is there with you on your journey…even if you don’t see Him or feel like He’s there.
Another tool He might want you to use is my free quiz: What’s Your Customized First Step to Fully Experiencing God’s Love? (RelateEscape.com/Quiz)
Why the Idea that God Wants You to Earn His Love Isn’t Biblical
Have you been laboring under the impression that you need to earn God’s love and salvation through good works? In other words, it's all about what you do and how well you do it. Has this left you feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, hopeless, or depressed? Friend, take heart! This is actually an unbiblical concept!
Learn precisely why this is untrue - and arm yourself with the truth instead.
The Idea of Earning God’s Love and Forgiveness Affects So Many Things
Including how you see God.
This concept is often related to the idea of perfectionism and/or living up to a list of expectations created by man. (Neither of which are obtainable).
This leads to depression, hopelessness, overwhelm, etc.
Naturally, this is going to affect how you see God. How could it not?
God is going to seem like this mean, harsh, unrealistic taskmaster who withholds His love until you reach some crazy, insane goal.
As you explore God’s character - including His deep, deep love for you - you need to be freed from such lies.
Otherwise, your perception of God is going to remain dark…and you’re not going to want to open up to Him.
When it Comes to Salvation, the Only Biblical Offering (or Solution) is Grace-based Salvation.
It is NOT a work-based salvation - or relationship.
We don’t earn eternity with God. (Nor do we earn His love, forgiveness, etc.)
Why? Because we’re incapable of doing so.
Humans Are Not Capable of Being Perfect, Sinless, or Otherwise Worthy
That’s why God sent Jesus.
That’s why, because of God’s loving character, He made it a gift instead of a breakable burden.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
The MSG version (which is versus 8-10): Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.
These verses also refer to another important point…
It’s About God’s Glory - Not Ours
Again, the MSG version says: “We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves.”
Maybe this wouldn’t be you per se. But, if you’ve been exposed to an environment that focuses on works as a way of earning God’s salvation, love, favor, etc. … there’s likely a few individuals that come to mind that have boasted about their works. Even if it’s been done subtly.
Things such as:
How long they pray
How many works they’ve done
The complexity and breath of those works
There’s an existence of pride. (And not a good type of pride.)
I once heard a pastor say that the only two possible results when focusing on works are pride or despair.
Pride if you see yourself as succeeding.
Or despair, since you can’t ever seem to consistently meet the expectations or requirements.
Neither one of these options are healthy.
Nor are they outcomes that God wants us to have. One, because it’s not a great place for us to be. But two, because even though God is love, He’s also God. We’re not. So the glory needs to be His - not ours.
God Giving Us a Works-based Salvation Would be Cruel
If God truly required a works based solution, which is unobtainable, it would not be loving. And God is love as 1 John 4:8 says.
Consider also Matthew 11:28-30 (MSG): “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
God wants to lighten our load, ladies!
Which is why God doesn’t ask us to do something that can’t be done. Instead, He’s done it for us.
And all we have to do is express our faith by accepting the gift of Jesus and what He’s done on the cross.
So Where Does That Leave Works?
Works are important. But they are to be a natural response to a loving relationship. Not a means to earning salvation or as a requirement to earning God’s love.
Think about it. When we’re in a safe, healthy, loving relationship, our natural response is to respond. When someone loves you dearly, you love them back.
So works aren’t bad. In fact, the lack of works is bad because it can be a sign of unbelief, a lack of faith, or some other area that needs to be addressed in one’s relationship with God.
They just need to be seen as a response to our loving Heavenly Father - not something you need to do in order to earn His forgiveness or love.
Which should feel like a massive weight off your back, right? Feel free to dwell in that over the next couple of days, friend!
2 Irrefutable Reasons as to Why God is NOT Judgmental and Harsh
Have you been under the impression that God is highly critical? That His approval and affection - though difficult to obtain - must be earned? Do you feel like He’s watching your every move, just waiting to catch your mistakes? The truth is that this version of God…it’s actually nowhere in the Bible!
Learn two crucial pieces of evidence that will forever change the way you think about God.
What Do I Mean by God Being “Judgmental”?
Firstly, God does bring judgment as He is perfectly just. So, know that I’m NOT saying something that’s contrary to biblical truth.
What I’m talking about is a specific definition of the word that doesn’t focus on true justice - like a judge - but something else.
Vocabulary.com defines it like this:
Judgmental is a negative word to describe someone who often rushes to judgment without reason. The adjective judgmental describes someone who forms lots of opinions — usually harsh or critical ones — about lots of people. Judgmental types are not open-minded or easygoing.
What we’re talking about here is someone who is basically the opposite of being just. Someone who is judging people without logic, or a sense of fairness, and who enjoys being harsh.
If you were raised in a region, culture, or religious environment that made God out to be like this, it can be hard to feel loved by Him, right? ‘Cause it’s kind of a losing battle. You can't really please someone like this.
BUT - the good news is that THIS IS NOT GOD.
This is not who He is - and I can say that confidently and emphatically for two reasons.
One, this is not the God we see in the Bible. (And if you’ve been taught that it is, you’ve had bad teaching.)
And two, this is not the God that I’ve personally experienced for over two decades.
Let’s look at 2 things that prove this. (These aren’t the only two. But they’re pretty big ones that are hard to argue with.)
God Sent Jesus - His Only Son - to Die for You
AND - Jesus willingly allowed Himself to be tortured and to die a gruesome death for you.
This truth can’t be ignored. It changes everything - and is the basis for logically revealing things that aren’t true or aligned with the Bible.
Note: TV and movies have made us dull to violence, so sometimes we don’t really take this in.
Ladies, let’s be honest. We dream of that knight in shining armor who’s willing to lay down his life for us. (Even if we’re kick-butt women.)
And that’s exactly what Jesus did. He. Died. For. Us. To save us from the so-called “bad guys” of sin and the resulting separation from God.
And this was God’s plan since the fall happened back in Eden. In Genesis 3:15 when God says: “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
He’s speaking about Jesus here.
Not only that, the entire Bible is basically about Jesus. That’s the overarching theme:
The need of Jesus (why we need Him to come)
The foreshadowing of Jesus (which is why He’s referring to previous scripture and prophecies during His ministry)
Jesus being here on earth
And our work until He comes back to bring the overarching story to a close
By the way, if you’ve been taught that the Old Testament can be ignored…that it’s “old news” being that Jesus arrived in the New Testament…that’s wrong.
Again, the whole Bible carries the story of Jesus. And there are a ton of examples of specific events or things in the Old Testament that foreshadowed Jesus and what He came to do.
This is why a church or religion that does NOT focus on Jesus is going to get a lot of things wrong. And there’s going to be a lot of things off - even harmful - as a result.
But to bring this back to our focus of this point…what I just described (on God’s part) includes: planning, compassion, love. … Doesn’t sound like someone whose aim is to only be harsh, impossibly difficult, and highly critical, right? Quite the opposite.
In the Bible, God Shows an Insane Amount of Patience, Kindness, and Understanding
Now let’s focus on the stories within the overarching story of Jesus.
Examples:
Jonah: God tasked Him with something and he ran away.
Moses: God tasked Him with freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and Moses replies by giving God reasons as to why He’s not qualified.
The Israelites: After God frees His people, using numerous miracles to do so, they grumble and protest against Him even as He’s miraculously providing for their every need.
David: He was called “a man after God’s own heart.” But he ended up sleeping with another man's wife and then murdering that man to cover up the adultery and resulting pregnancy.
I could go on and on, right? There’s not one example of someone in the Bible getting it 100% right. Because it’s about fallen, imperfect humans in a fallen world. And God knows this.
Yes, there are times when His justice occurs - like the flood in Genesis. But God’s end goal has always been, since the fall of man, to have the close relationship with us that was intended in the beginning. Thus God sent Jesus to die for our sins, in our place, so that justice was satisfied and thus the relationship restored.
But - God shows amazing restraint with His people in the Bible. Let’s be honest, we’re not God. (Far from it.) But if we were in His shoes…dealing with us? We’d be tempted to be super frustrated, harsh, and critical.
God, though, still works with us. He didn’t abandon us - He sent Jesus. He didn’t just turn His back on Jonah, Moses, the Israelites, or David.
Someone who is judgmental like the definition we looked at in the beginning of this blog?
He wouldn’t be patient, kind, loving, forgiving, etc.
He wouldn’t keep working with His kids for thousands of years.
He wouldn’t be telling us through the Bible, and especially through Jesus, that what God wants the most is us. And not just us, but our hearts. ‘Cause God doesn’ want mindless minions who simply obey Him…He wants a legit, healthy relationship with us.
Because He loves us.
If God was just some mean, nasty overlord type…the Bible would look very different. For one thing, we probably wouldn't even have a Bible. Because the Bible exists as a record of the truth…and a nasty overload wants you to have everything but the truth.
God Loves You More Than You Can Ever Imagine
In fact, we’ll never understand how much - at least, not on this side of heaven.
And if you’ve been taught otherwise…you’ve been taught wrong. And it’s important that you begin to replace that icky teaching with legit, biblical truth.
Start with my podcast, if that’s all you have right now.
You can also take my interactive quiz. By answering 5 brief questions, you’ll know exactly what your first step should be in this process. Plus, you’ll be instantly equipped with resources to propel you forward.
I’m also working on an exclusive community so that you can interact with - and be surrounded by - other women just like you. Ones who are on the same journey.
And if you’re coming from a geographical region (or other constraints) where a Jesus-centered, truly Biblical community is difficult to find, the online community I’m creating is going to be a needed lifeline for you.
So if you’re not on my email list yet, sign up right now so you can get the updates as all of these tools release. (bit.ly/GodLovesMeEmail).
And in the meantime, if there’s a burning biblical question that you need answered, feel free to submit it through the form on my website.