This week as I have been going through the book of John, I have been meditating on His love for Jesus. It is beautiful to me  how Jesus gave the revelation of the End to the one that loved Him the most and also to the one that He loved in a special way.  Though He loved all the apostles, including Judas, He had a special love for John. It was John that sat next to Jesus during the passover meal. It was John who was called the "disciple whom Jesus loved" John 13:23

It was John who "leaned back against Jesus" and asked which one of them would betrayed him. John 13:25.

Jesus looked past John's self centered personality, pride and ambitions (Mark 10:35-38) . He could see past all of that;  knowing that John could become a very loving and humble man. 

There was  a great process that John  went  through until his emotions and ambitions were purified. John went  through the purifying fire of God's love...
Eventually he was so transformed that he no longer needed to always be first. He didn't seek the power and prestige of man. He had only one goal to be like Jesus. 

John changed from wanting to be known by what he accomplished before men to being known by his relationship with Jesus. His identity was based on his love for Jesus and Jesus' love for Him . 
John never mentions his own name in the gospel he wrote but refers to himself five times as "the disciple whom the Lord loved" (Jn. 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20).
He went from being The apostle of pride to an apostle of love...

What a beautiful and inspiring transformation.... May we all be consumed with the understanding of His amazing love for us. "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine." (Song 6:3) 

That is true success to love and to be loved by Him!!!

Living to love 
kelry G.