Share
anglican devotional

The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 27 December 2025 – The Beloved Disciple

Click HERE to Read Previous MESSAGES

TOPIC: The Beloved Disciple

READ: John 21:19-24 (NKJV)

  1. This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
  2. Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?”
  3. Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what [about] this man?”
  4. Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what [is that] to you? You follow Me.”
  5. Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what [is that] to you?”
  6. This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true.

THE MESSAGE:

Today is set aside to commemorate St. John, the Evangelist and Apostle. John was among the first disciples Jesus called (Matthew 4:21-22; Mark 1:19-20). John’s intimacy with Jesus earned him the expression, ‘the disciple Jesus loved’, such that he could lean on Jesus’ breast at supper (John 21:20). The results of John’s intimacy with Jesus include:

(1) Being the first of the apostles to believe in the resurrection on the basis of what he saw in the empty tomb (John 20:8).

(2) It was his insight that detected the risen Lord as the one responsible for the great catch of fish (John 21:7).

(3) In Galatians 2:9, he is counted as a pillar of the Jerusalem Church, along with Peter and James.

(4) He wrote the Gospel according to St John (verse 24), the three epistles of John, and the book of Revelations, all of which testify about Jesus.

John’s intimacy with Jesus as the beloved disciple helped him learn to understand the very heart of Jesus and do exploits for the kingdom. We can also become “beloved disciples” when we commune with Jesus through constant prayer, regular study of the Scriptures and fellowship with fellow believers. As we do so, the eyes of our hearts will be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which the Lord has called us, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people (Ephesians 1:18).

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, grant unto me all it takes to be the disciple You love, Amen!

Share