The apostle John is described in scripture as unique in comparison to the other disciples. In the gospel according to John, He called himself the “disciple in whom Jesus loved.” I don’t think he was trying to represent himself as one loved more by God than the others, rather I believe he was trying to communicate that he had an understanding of how much Jesus loved him. And that’s what made him unique.
That is why, many years later, he wrote in 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” John realized that THE ONLY WAY for us to love God and others, we must first receive a revelation of how much God loves us.
The day we realize how much God loves, will be the day we cease striving for his acceptance. That will be the day when we discontinue trying to convince ourselves that we love God.
The day we realize how much God loves us will be the day we’ll realize how much we love people. I believe it’s impossible to have compassion for people without first having passion for God. And if we are struggling to love people, then it’s very probable that we have fallen out of love with God.
The secret to succeeding in ministry and soul winning IS NOT a drive and will power to do it, rather a revelation of God’s love for us. When we receive His love, we’ll automatically give away this love. We’ll become motivated by it!
Lord, allow me to have a passion for you, so I’ll have a compassion for people….
