You are not the sum of what other people think of you. You are more than your victories or your mistakes. You, like John, are the one Jesus loves.

The apostle John grew up just like us. People handed him a ready list of labels—the brother of James, a Jew, a fisherman, a hothead—but then Jesus gave him a new direction in life. Writing about these events many years later, John referred to himself using a curious label. He always writes as “the one Jesus loved.” Many wonder about this choice. Some even think it’s presumptuous. Why would anyone single themselves out as the one loved by Jesus?

Rusty George wisely sees that John called himself “the one Jesus loves” so every reader could see that Jesus values and deeply loves them. Friend of God takes you inside John’s writings—his Gospel, his letters, and the Revelation—so you can discover how Jesus saw John, and thus how he sees you. The only person who gets to say who you are is Jesus.

Written as short devotional entries, Friend of God encourages you to take the next 45 days and see how your relationship with Jesus grows.