John, The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved. What he wanted you to know?
At times, you may wonder if you have been good enough to your family, to society, to this world and even to yourself. You may have carried the burden of regrets, wrong decisions, or even your mistakes for a long time.
But you know what, you are not alone. The truth is nobody is perfect, and no one can ever be. There is only One (the Almighty) who is good all the time, perfect all the time. And He is willing to transfer all His perfections and goodness to your account; so that you can take the righteous position and be successful in all you do.
John was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He was even in a close circle with Peter and James. Today, people are curious about his prevalence, his success. What did this man know that others didn't?
Well, he shared these secrets in his book, the Gospel According to John. Along with this, he also wrote three epistles and the book of Revelation which is about the end-times prophecies.
This article highlights some of the key truths shared by John that brought a turning point to his life and can do the same for you.
John means God is gracious.
We all know that God is holy. He rules the world and judges right and wrong. Then why John speaks differently about God.
John is an English name, but its roots are Jewish. In the Hebrew language, which is the language of the Jews, John is spelt as Yochanan, which means God is gracious.
He came to know the God who forgives you, who comes down to your level to lift you up.
Yes, he was destined to share an aspect of God that was strange for people.
It was the reason that the Jewish leaders also hated Jesus. He was preaching the love of God instead of judgment. He was healing countless people who were suffering from different diseases. The people who were all for law could not accept how unworthy people and sinners can receive blessings from God.
There was a time when John and His brother wanted to call fire on the people who refuse to accept Jesus.
And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. Luke 9:54-56 (KJV) (Boldface mine)
Little did John, like all of us, know that Jesus, the son of God, was never about judgement. This man, John, imperfect as us, wanted to destroy people who did not receive Jesus.
Because of the short-tempered behavior, Jesus used to call James and John, the thunder brothers :)
But this same person, John, later got famous as an apostle of love.
Yes, this person, who once was an angry young man, transformed into a person who loved everyone and taught the church the same.
What could have changed John so drastically? Let us find out.
In the book of John, we find a phrase repeated several times: 'the disciple whom Jesus loved' used to point to John, the disciple.
For a long time, the readers presumed most probably John was Jesus’ favourite disciple. And so they tried to find out the secret of how John got such an intimate relationship with Jesus, the Son of God.
Until, a great preacher shared a revelation that the phrase ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved' used by John himself, not by other people.
You may be hearing a laugh in your head, yes I too.
But the truth is John understood that it is never about our love for God; it is about His love for us.
John recorded the conversation between Jesus and a ruler of the Jews that later became the central theme of the Gospel. It follows like this:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (Boldface mine) John 3:16 (KJV)
It is the truth that transformed the life of John. Son of thunder became a loving child of God.
John wrote in his book like this,
But as many as received him (Jesus), to them gave He (God), power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his (Jesus) name. John 1:8 (KJV)
That small decision to believe in Christ Jesus changed everything in the life of John. He received an abundant and overflowing life as a gift from God. You can also partake of the same glory.
To know more, continue to read our blogs. Trust me; there is much more to life. God cannot wait to see you blessed and turn around every grave situation in your life that you have given up hope for, for your best. He loves you, and you do not have to be perfect to receive His love. Come to God as you are.
P.S.: Do not be afraid to take the name of Jesus. You can anytime call upon Him. Try Him; I am sure He will not disappoint you. He will come into your hopeless situation and make everything beautiful and perfect in your life. Nothing is impossible for Him.
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