“Good night, North Carolina—I love you!” That’s what the artist shouted at the end of the show. And as part of the massive crowd—as a fan—I felt it, and I even loved him back.

But not really.

Fan love is flimsy, frail, and fleeting. There’s no depth to it. He doesn’t know me, and I don’t really know him. There’s nothing personal about it and no one expects there to be.

That’s how I viewed my relationship with Jesus for more years than I’d like to admit. I thought He loved me as part of the crowd or “the world” like it says in John 3:16. I didn’t expect His love for me to be personal. After all, He was God and I was just me—a mere human in a sea of humanity.

But when I finally began to read the scriptures on my own—when I finally read what Jesus actually said, I was surprised. The Jesus in the Bible didn’t just claim to love me—He claimed to be the God who made me—that I was His idea! He claimed that He knit me together in my mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13) and gave me the breath of life (Isaiah 42:5). He claimed that all the days ordained for me were written in His book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). He claimed that He appointed which time and place I would live in history (Acts 17:25-27). He claimed to know details about me, like how many hairs are on my head (Matthew 10:30) and even all my thoughts (Matthew 9:4; Luke 9:37; 1 Corinthians 3:20). He claimed to have specific plans for my life (Jeremiah 29:11) that included good works prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians 2:10). He claimed that He prays for me (John 17:20; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).

He claimed that He chose me (John 15:16)—that He picked me out of the crowd. He claimed on the day I repented of my sins and professed my faith in Him that He adopted me (Romans 8:14-17) into His family and that I would forever have access to Him (Hebrews 4:16)—like a backstage family pass! He claimed that angels rejoiced for me (Luke 15:10), that my name was written in His Book of Life (Revelation 21:27), and that even now He is preparing a place for me to be with Him forever in Heaven (John 14:2-3).

Jesus love isn’t like fan love.

Jesus love is steadfast, strong, and secure. And when He says I love you, it’s deep and wide (Ephesians 3:18) and personal.